Baseball: Four Buckeyes Claim Big Ten Honors

Ohio State shortstop Henry Kaczmar and first baseman/ designated hitter Dane Harvey took home All-Big Ten Second Team honors, while catcher Mason Eckelman was named All-Big Ten Third Team and right fielder Noah Furcht received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Kaczmar was named to the second team after he ranked second on Ohio State with a .319 batting average and paced the Buckeyes with 68 hits and 48 runs scored, while adding 11 home runs, 45 RBIs and seven stolen bases in eight attempts.

Kaczmar also led the Big Ten with 24 doubles in the regular season and is just one shy of Ohio State’s single-season program record of 25 set by Ronnie Dawson in 2016.

The Bath, Ohio native returned to Ohio State for his senior season after a year in the SEC with South Carolina, having spent his first two collegiate seasons in Columbus.

In his first season with Ohio State after transferring from Cowley County Community College, Harvey quickly emerged as one of the Buckeyes’ top hitters, earning a starting role at first base after opening the season splitting time between first and designated hitter.

Harvey led Ohio State with a .339 batting average and a team-best 56 RBIs, while totaling 37 runs scored and 56 hits. Harvey also boasts a .758 slugging percentage and a Big Ten-leading 1.188 OPS. The 6-5, 270-pound first baseman also smashed 19 home runs, tying Ohio State’s single-season record, which was set by Dan Siemetz (1997) and again by Zach Dezenzo (2022).

Behind the plate, Eckelman earned third-team honors after batting .308 with 42 runs scored, 56 hits, eight home runs and 46 RBIs. He also added a team-high four triples.

Furcht, who was Ohio State’s honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, also had a strong campaign in his first season with the Buckeyes.

After transferring in from UNC-Charlotte, the right fielder finished the regular season fourth on Ohio State with a .281 batting average, trailing only Kaczmar, Harvey and Eckelman. He and Kaczmar are the only players to both play and start in all 52 games.

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