Baseball: Ohio State To Face UTSA, No. 25 Ole Miss, No. 3 Texas At BRUCE BOLT College Classic

After starting the season 5-2, Ohio State is set for the BRUCE BOLT College Classic, spanning from Friday to Sunday. The Buckeyes’ early slate was highlighted by a series sweep of St. Louis and two victories against Memphis, but now Ohio State will take on its toughest competition yet.

The Buckeyes will first take on the University of Texas-San Antonio (7-1) on Friday at 12 p.m. before matching up against No. 25 Ole Miss (9-0) on Saturday at 12 p.m. and No. 3 Texas (8-0) on Sunday at 3 p.m.

All game times are listed in Eastern Standard Time. Every matchup will take place at Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros. Team rankings are based on D1Baseball.com’s top 25 poll.

Ohio State is expected to pitch Gavin Kuzniewski (0-0, 3.38 ERA) on Friday against the Roadrunners. Kuzniewski is set to make his third start of the season with eight total innings thrown. In that span, he has allowed three earned runs, recorded 13 strikeouts and held opponents to a .219 batting average.

UTSA began the season with a series sweep and thrashing of South Dakota State. The Roadrunners won each of the three games by at least eight runs. UTSA then beat UIC once and swept Dallas Baptist before falling to Texas State, 7-2. UTSA struck out 14 times in that loss, its first of the season. The Roadrunners’ 7-0 start was the program’s best mark to begin a year.

UTSA has looked like an offensive powerhouse through eight games, albeit against suspect competition. Outfielder Drew Detlefsen is one of only four Roadrunners to start all eight contests, totaling 34 at-bats while batting .382 with 13 hits, including two home runs and two doubles, along with a .618 slugging percentage.

Fellow outfielder Lane Haworth is hitting a whopping .500 on 32 at-bats and infielder Josh Arquette has mashed for a .423 batting average, while totaling the most RBIs among UTSA batters (13).

Right-handed starter Kendall Dove has thrown nine innings this season and posted a 1.00 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP and a .237 opposing batting average, earning a 2–0 record. Meanwhile, fellow right-hander Sam Simmons has also secured two victories this season, recording a 0.93 ERA over a team-leading 9.2 innings pitched.

UTSA will also take on No. 9 Coastal Carolina (6-2) at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday and Baylor (5-3) at 7:05 p.m. on Sunday.

No. 25 Ole Miss is off to a 9-0 start, which is the program’s best start to a season since 2022, when the Rebels went on to win a national championship. Ole Miss has earned series sweeps over Nevada and Missouri State, but is most recently coming off a 13-3 run rule over Southeast Missouri State.

Leading the Rebels’ offensive attack is Clemson transfer outfielder Tristan Bissetta with a team-high 16 hits, a .485 batting average and 16 RBI, which also leads Ole Miss.

Infielder Judd Utermark has been Ole Miss’ top power hitter in 2026, batting .355, but smashed 11 hits, two doubles and six home runs. Utermark ranks first in the SEC in home runs and is tied for seventh nationally with 0.67 home runs per game.

On the mound, the Rebels’ pitching staff has the third-lowest ERA in the SEC at 2.64, while also totaling strikeouts as a staff at 97, the seventh-highest total nationally. Ole Miss is expected to throw Cade Townsend (0-0, 1.04 ERA) and the Buckeyes will start Chris Domke (1-1, 2.45 ERA) on Saturday. Townsend holds the lowest ERA among Rebel starters, leading Ole Miss with 16 strikeouts in 8.2 innings pitched and just six hits allowed.

Domke suffered his first loss of the season in Ohio State’s 6-0 loss to Louisiana Tech last Friday, but struck out a career-high seven batters in 4.1 innings pitched.

Ole Miss is also set for matchups against Baylor on Friday at 4:05 p.m. and Coastal Carolina at 11:05 a.m. on Sunday.

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns come into the BRUCE BOLT College Classic perfect through eight games and with three victories in a sweep over fellow Big Ten opponent Michigan State.

On Sunday, the pitching matchup features Texas left-hander Dylan Volantis (2-0, 0.00 ERA) taking the mound against Ohio State right-hander Pierce Herrenbruck (1-0, 2.70 ERA).

In two starts this season, Volantis has thrown 14 scoreless innings and struck out a career-high nine batters against Michigan State last Sunday. On the other hand, the Buckeyes’ Herrenbruck earned his first career win against Memphis on Sunday, striking out three batters in a career-high six innings pitched.

Texas brings back its top two hitters from 2025 in infielders Ethan Mendoza and Adrian Rodriguez. Mendoza paced the team with a .333 batting average, while Rodriguez followed at .313.

Behind the plate, catcher Carson Tinney, a transfer from Notre Dame, has reached base in all eight games as a Longhorn. The junior owns a .304/.529/.739 slash line and has been walked 11 times, which is tied for the 10th-most nationally.

The Longhorns hold the distinction of being the most successful program in college baseball history. Texas leads all teams with 64 NCAA Tournament appearances and 38 trips to the College World Series, while ranking third overall with six national championships.

Texas will take on Coastal Carolina at 8 p.m. on Friday and Baylor at 8 p.m. on Saturday prior to the Longhorns’ matchup with the Buckeyes.