Ohio State (5-5) will return to its home field in Columbus for the first time this season as the Buckeyes take on Xavier (4-7) at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium, before hosting No. 1 UCLA (9-2) over the weekend.
Ohio State’s matchup with Xavier was originally scheduled for the same time on Tuesday, but was postponed a day due to inclement weather.
Ohio State is coming off a tough weekend at the BRUCE BOLT College Classic in Houston, falling to UTSA (10-1), 6-5 on Friday, then-No. 23 Ole Miss (10-2), 8-0 on Saturday, and No. 3 Texas (11-0), 10-3 on Sunday. After finishing 1-2 over the weekend, the Rebels fell out of the top 25 rankings. The Roadrunners, however, wrapped up a 3-0 weekend with victories against Ohio State, Baylor, and then-No. 9 Coastal Carolina, earning a spot in the top 25 for the first time this season at No. 25.
The Musketeers most recently claimed a 2-1 series victory over Cal State Fullerton (4-7), defeating the Titans 3-0 and 3-2, before dropping the series finale 16-7.
Offensively, Xavier is led by sophomore infielder Eddie Peters. Having played in all 11 games for the Musketeers, Peters has recorded a team-high 43 at-bats, including 15 hits and six doubles. Freshman infielder Josh Stonehouse has been Xavier’s top power hitter through 11 games, ranking first on the team with five home runs, nine RBIs and a .674 slugging percentage.
Catcher Jonathan Fitz leads Xavier with 73 put-outs, while also ranking fourth on the team in batting average (.314).
Senior infielder Donavan Canterberry ranks first among Musketeers with a .353 batting average, though he has only played in seven contests to start the season.
On the mound, Xavier’s Ryan Piech has recorded a 1-1 record and 1.93 ERA in three starts for the Musketeers. The junior right-hander has pitched 14.0 innings, second most on the team, but leads the team with a .106 batting average allowed and 21 strikeouts. No other Xavier pitcher has more than 13.
Sophomore right-hander Jack Nobe has also started three times for Xavier, earning the win in one out of his three starts, while allowing just a 3.68 ERA in a team-high 14.2 innings pitched.
The Buckeyes and Musketeers are set to meet again this season in the second game of their home-and-home series. Ohio State will head to Cincinnati to face Xavier at 3 p.m. on March 18 at Hayden Field. The matchup comes after Ohio State’s trip to Seattle for a three-game series against Washington (3-9) from March 13-15.
Following its home opener against Xavier on Wednesday, Ohio State will take on the top-ranked Bruins at 4 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday.
UCLA has gotten off to a strong start 11 games into the 2026 season, earning wins over all six ranked opponents the Bruins have faced — No. 7 TCU (three times), No. 20 Tennessee, No. 23 Texas A&M and No. 4 Mississippi State — but fell to unranked San Diego State and UC San Diego by one run in each of their losses.
The Bruins feature two 3-0 starting pitchers in Michael Barnett and Logan Reddemann, both of whom have pitched at least 15 innings for UCLA. Holding a 1.80 ERA, Barnett ranks first among UCLA pitchers to have at least one start, while leading the entire Bruins pitching staff with a .128 batting average allowed. Reddemann, on the other hand, has tossed a team-high 23 strikeouts with a 4.11 ERA and 14 hits allowed.
UCLA right-hander Wylan Moss paced all Bruins relievers with a 0.9 ERA, surrendering just one earned run and holding opponents to a .161 batting average, while recording 16 strikeouts and allowing only five hits.
At the plate, UCLA has been equally impressive, with eight of nine position players starting all 11 games for the Bruins. All eight of those batters hold above a .220 batting average. In comparison, Ohio State has just five batters — Noah Furcht, Lee Ellis, Miles Vandenheuvel, Mason Eckelman and Henry Kaczmar — hitting above that mark.
The Bruins’ offense is powered by Texas transfer outfielder Will Gasparino, with the 2025 SEC Baseball All-Defensive Team honoree making a major impact at the plate. Gasparino leads all Division I hitters with 10 home runs and a 1.270 slugging percentage. He ranks third nationally with two runs batted in per game, totaling 22 RBIs on the season.
Infielder Roch Cholowsky has also been very productive with a .366 batting average, a team-leading 17 hits and 40 total bases.
First baseman Mulivai Levu leads UCLA with a .391 batting average in 46 at-bats, while adding 74 put-outs, which is second on UCLA to catcher Cashel Dugger (108).
With Xavier and No. 1 UCLA set to visit Columbus, Ohio State aims to rebound from its 0-3 showing at the BRUCE BOLT College Classic as it faces a pair of early-season challenges at home.
