Buckeyes Fall to Michigan in B1G Tournament to Conclude Season

Thursday, May 21

Omaha, Neb.

6:00 P.M. CT/7:00 P.M. ET

Ohio State

30-25

No. 7 Michigan

34-23

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Michigan	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	2	0
Ohio State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	2

Buckeyes Fall to Michigan in B1G Tournament to Conclude Season

5/21/2026 10:56:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

OMAHA, Neb. – The sixth-seeded Ohio State baseball team's (30-25) season came to a close on Thursday night, as the Buckeyes fell to seventh-seeded Michigan (34-23), 3-0, in a Big Ten Tournament elimination game.

The Buckeyes, in their second season under the leadership of head coach Justin Haire, finish the 2026 season with a 30-25 record, and the team went 18-12 in conference play. It is an impressive turnaround from 2025, when the team went 13-37 overall and 5-25 in Big Ten play. Highlights of the 2026 season included a three-game sweep of then-No. 16 Nebraska and a three-game sweep of rival Michigan in Ann Arbor for the first time since 1994. Henry Kaczmar set a single-season record in doubles with 26, and Dane Harvey tied the single-season home runs record with 19.

Game Recap

With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Noah Furcht had the first hit of the game for the Buckeyes with a single to left field, but he was stranded.
In the bottom of the second with one out on the board, Mason Eckelman singled to left field and Lee Ellis walked to put two runners on, but there was nothing else doing for the Buckeyes.
A two-RBI single for the Wolverines in the top of the third inning gave them a 2-0 lead over the Buckeyes.
Kaczmar reached base in the bottom of the third inning after a one-out walk, but the Buckeyes were unable to capitalize.
In the bottom of the fourth, Ellis walked, but he was left on base.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth frame, Maddix Simpson singled to right field, but he was stranded.
Miles Vandenheuvel hit a two-out single to right field in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Buckeyes weren't able to send him home.
Michigan extended its lead, 3-0, after an RBI single in the top of the eighth.
Reliever Ryan Zamora struck out the side in the top of the ninth and the Buckeyes had one more chance at the dish.
Simpson led off with the bottom of the ninth with a single to center field, but the next three Buckeyes were retired as Ohio State fell to Michigan, 3-0.

Buckeyes by the Numbers

Despite taking the loss, Gavin Kuzniewski (6-3) had a phenomenal outing in his first career Big Ten Tournament appearance. He fanned six and gave up just one hit in 7.2 innings of work. He allowed three runs, two of which were earned.
Zamora fanned four and gave up one hit in 1.1 scoreless innings.
Simpson led the Buckeyes with two hits.
On the season, Harvey finishes as the Buckeyes' batting leader with a .328 average. He led the Buckeyes in RBIs (57) and home runs (19).
Kaczmar concludes his collegiate career with a career-best season. Kaczmar batted .316 and led the team in hits with 71, runs scored with 50 and doubles with 26.
It is the first time since 2019 that the Buckeyes had three players his double-digit home runs; Harvey (19), Kaczmar (12) and Furcht (11).
The Buckeyes' staff ERA improved from a 9.62 in 2025, to a 5.31 in 2026.
Kuzniewski (6-3) led the pitching staff with 69 strikeouts in 83.0 innings of work and he finished the season with a 4.66 ERA.
Pierce Herrenbruck (7-3), who pitched his first career complete game in the Buckeyes' Big Ten Tournament win over Rutgers, led the pitching staff with a 3.72 ERA. He fanned 58 in 82.1 innings.
Chris Domke (6-6) tossed two complete games. He struck out 59 in 73.0 innings and has a 5.55 ERA.
Zamora (2-0) finished the season with three saves, which led the Buckeye pitching staff.