College Baseball in Ohio – Week 13 – May 11th, 2026

The Spartans struck back on Saturday as the series moved back to Nick Swisher Field in Bill Davis Stadium. MSU won the second game, 7-4. That set up the decisive game on Sunday. It was low-scoring but the Buckeyes found a way to win the game and the series. The 3-2 victory gave them their fifth Big Ten series win of the season.

Ohio State will have their home finale tomorrow against Wright State. They’ll then hit the road to take on that team up north in Ann Arbor. After that, the Buckeyes will see what they can do in the Big Ten tournament to close the 2026 season.

Cincinnati 35-18 (15-12 in the Big 12)

UC got their week off to a good start, beating Oral Roberts, 15-4, down in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Bearcats then headed north to the Sunflower State for their series against Kansas State. They won the series opener on Friday, 4-2.

Cincinnati struck hard again on Saturday with a 5-3 win. This was the Cats’ eighth straight victory! UC couldn’t complete the sweep, falling 5-2 on Sunday. Still, Cincy is eyeing a College Baseball Tournament berth again this year! This week, the Bearcats will close out their regular season with three games at home against Texas Tech.

Xavier 25-27 (13-5 in the Big East)

Xavier had UM chicken out on them for Tuesday’s game, so they turned immediately to their weekend series at Butler. X hit I-74 and went up to Indianapolis for an important Big East series. Butler has struggled this season, so it was an important matchup for Xavier to win. Solid pitching led Xavier to a 5-2 victory in the opening game on Friday.

Saturday saw a higher-scoring, more closely contested battle. Xavier dominated early and took a 12-5 lead into the final inning before Butler rallied. The Bulldogs gave Xavier a scare, scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth before Xavier was able to close out the game and get the 12-10 win, clinching the series.

Xavier went for the sweep on Sunday, looking to boost their Big East standings. The Musketeers got the win, 9-2. The sweep gave them their sixth win in their last eight games. Xavier will wrap up their regular season at home this week with three games against Creighton.

Dayton 28-22 (12-15 in the Atlantic 10)

Rain grounded the Flyers and canceled their game on Tuesday against Gem City rival Wright State. Dayton immediately turned their attention to their last homestand of the season when they hosted George Mason. UD started the series off with a bang on Friday, winning the opening game 11-6.

George Mason struck back on Saturday, defeating UD, 6-4. The series was tied for Sunday’s matchup. In their final game of the year at Woerner Field at AES Ohio Stadium, the Flyers fell, 9-5, to George Mason. The Flyers’ last week of the regular season will begin in Mason, Ohio, in a neutral-site matchup against Notre Dame. They’ll then head to Arlington, Virginia, for a final Atlantic 10 series against George Washington.

Wright State 24-23 (17-4 in the Horizon League)

With Tuesday’s game against crosstown rival Dayton canceled due to weather, Wright State’s focus shifted to Northern Kentucky. WSU went down I-75, crossed the Ohio River for a three-game series in Newport against NKU. The Norse drew first blood, winning Friday’s game by the skin of their teeth, upsetting Wright State, 12-11.

WSU turned things around on Saturday, though. They pounded NKU, 18-6, to even the series. In Sunday’s decisive rubber match, Wright State was again explosive. WSU was all gas and no brakes as it beat NKU, 17-10, and took the series. Tomorrow, Wright State will play their final road game at Ohio State and then finish with a home series against Youngstown State. After this past weekend’s slate of games, Wright State is once again the Horizon League regular-season champions!

Youngstown State 12-38 (9-12 in the Horizon League)

YSU’s abysmal season continued on Wednesday when they lost to Eastern Michigan, 15-5. They turned their attention to their final home series of 2026 when Milwaukee came to Youngstown. Surprisingly, Youngstown State won the series opener on Friday, 13-11. Saturday’s game was more low-scoring, but YSU won again, 4-3. Milwaukee would spoil Youngstown State’s final home game of 2026 on Sunday with 12-8. YSU finishes the regular season 4-2 against Milwaukee, getting a third of their wins against them. Youngstown State will play Kent State on Tuesday, followed by their final series of the season at Wright State.

Ohio 10-41 (7-23 in the MAC)

OU’s rough season continued this week. They had a Wednesday game against Morehead State, whom they fell to, 5-1. Ohio showed some life on Friday in their last home series of the season against Toledo. They took game one of the series, 4-3. Toledo roared back on Saturday with a 7-5 win. The loss was an unfortunate milestone for Ohio, making it their 40^th defeat of the year. Toledo then took the series on Sunday with an 8-3 victory. This week, the Bobcats will play a weekend slate against Eastern Michigan.

Kent State 37-12 (22-8 in the MAC)

One of the heaviest hitters in the state of Ohio, Kent State got their week off to a good start. They picked up the 6-5 win over Eastern Michigan on Friday. EMU struck back, taking game two on Saturday, 10-7. That set up the deciding game on Sunday. Kent State’s pitching was fantastic, and they won in a 6-0 shutout to take the series. The Golden Flashes will have their home finale tomorrow against Youngstown State, followed by three road games against Toledo this weekend.

Akron 21-30 (11-19 in the MAC)

The Zips continued to spiral. They lost their opening game on Friday at Central Michigan, 3-0. The shutout loss extended their losing streak to five games. They managed to keep it from going to six with a closely fought, 12-10 win on Saturday. They went for the series win on Sunday, but once again fell short, this time 12-11. Tomorrow, Akron will play at Oakland. They’ll then close their regular season with a weekend series against the Miami RedHawks.

Miami (Ohio) 35-15 (22-8 in the MAC)

After their game against Ohio State on Tuesday was canceled due to rain, Miami turned their attention to their last home series of the season. The RedHawks welcomed UMass to Oxford and opened their son Friday. The struggling Minutemen gave a good account of themselves, but Miami prevailed, 9-8. Things would once again be close on Saturday. The game would be tied, 8-8, in the bottom of the ninth when Ryan Novak ended the game with a single swing of his bat. His two-run homer gave Miami the series-clinching win.

Things looked bleak on Sunday. Miami struggled most of the game and found themselves trailing, 7-2, entering the bottom of the ninth. Evan Appelwick, Tommy Harrison, and Ryan Novak would knock in runs and bring the score to 7-5. Carson Raether would do like Novak did the day before and end the game one swing. His three-run home run gave Miami the 8-7 win! Miami will wrap up the regular season this weekend with three games at Akron.

Toledo 27-25 (20-10 in the MAC)

The Rockets smoked Butler on Wednesday, 12-1! That extended their winning streak to seven straight games! Toledo stumbled and ended that streak on Friday in Athens, Ohio. They fell to OU 4-3 in the opening game of their series with the Bobcats. Toledo didn’t stay down long, though. Saturday, they struck back with a 7-5 win to even the series. Then on Sunday, they took the series, 8-3. The Rockets are hot, having won nine of their last ten games. Toledo will host Bowling Green one last time tomorrow, and then close the regular season with three home games against Kent State.

Bowling Green 19-31 (12-18 in the MAC)

BGSU took a hard L to Michigan State on Tuesday, falling 12-4 to the Spartans. The Falcons then turned their attention to their final home series of the 2026 season against Western Michigan. Bowling Green won the opening game of the weekend, 5-2, on Friday. WMU struck back on Saturday and evened the series with a 7-1 win. But, Bowling Green prevailed on Sunday with a 7-5 victory to take the series and win their final home game of 2026! Tomorrow, the Falcons will play at Toledo before finishing their regular season this weekend at Ball State.

Ohio Power Rankings

1. Kent State 37-12 (22-8 in the MAC)
2. Miami (Ohio) 35-15 (22-8 in the MAC)
3. Cincinnati 35-18 (15-12 in the Big 12)
4. Ohio State 26-22 (15-12 in the Big Ten)
5. Wright State 24-23 (17-4 in the Horizon League)
6. Xavier 25-27 (13-5 in the Big East)
7. Dayton 28-22 (12-15 in the Atlantic 10)
8. Toledo 27-25 (20-10 in the MAC)
9. Akron 21-30 (11-19 in the MAC)
10. Bowling Green 19-31 (12-18 in the MAC)
11. Youngstown State 12-38 (9-12 in the Horizon League)
12. Ohio 10-41 (7-23 in the MAC)

Nick Swisher-Mike Schmidt Player of the Week

The Cincinnati Bearcats star slugger Quinton Coats was your player of the week in Ohio! Coats would have six hits, six runs batted in, and two home runs in Cincinnati’s three games over this past weekend. Coats’ 25 home runs this season are a program record!