COLUMBUS, Ohio – The next chapter in the story of the 2025 Ohio State softball season will be written this weekend as the Buckeyes make their 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history as they head south to the Knoxville Regional. Action gets underway for second-seeded Ohio State on Friday at 4 p.m. against third-seeded North Carolina.
The other game on Friday will feature the host Tennessee Lady Vols, the No. 7 national seed, against MAC champion Miami (Ohio). The winner of the Knoxville Regional will face the winner of the Baton Rouge Regional next weekend in a Super Regional.
The Weekend Schedule
Friday, May 16 // Sherri Parker Lee Stadium // Knoxville, Tenn.
Game 1: Tennessee vs. Miami (Ohio) // 1:30 p.m. // SEC Network
Game 2: Ohio State vs. North Carolina // 4 p.m. // ESPNU
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Saturday, May 17 // Sherri Parker Lee Stadium // Knoxville, Tenn.
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner // Noon
Game: 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser // 2:30 p.m. (elimination game)
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner // 5 p.m. (elimination game)
Sunday, May 18 // Sherri Parker Lee Stadium // Knoxville, Tenn.
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner // Noon
Game 7: Championship game (if necessary) // 2:30 p.m.
Buckeye In a Nutshell
- Ohio State enters the Knoxville Regional with a 43-12-1 record and is powered by one of the top overall offenses in the country.
- The Buckeyes lead the nation in runs scored (473), home runs (137), slugging percentage (.707) and runs per game (8.44).
- Ohio State’s regular season schedule included 22 games against teams in the NCAA Tournament field. The Buckeyes were 12-9-1 in those contests.
- Reagan Milliken’s 71 RBI not only leads the Buckeyes, but it also is currently the most in a single season in program history. Milliken and Jasmyn Burns (70 RBI) are the first Ohio State teammates to have 70+ RBI in the same season.
- Every starter for Ohio State has an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 1.000 or better, led by Burns (1.579) and Morgan Frye (1.333).
- The Ohio State pitching staff is comprised on three true freshmen – Lorin Boutte, Layna Gerhard and Kassandra Gewecke – and a fourth-year junior (Kennedy Kay).
- Boutte, a member of the Big Ten’s All-Freshman Team, is the leader in innings pitched (140.0), strikeouts (119) and wins (19).
NCAA Tournament History
- The Buckeyes are making their 13th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend.
- Five of the last six times that Ohio State has been selected for the NCAA Tournament it has been placed in the Knoxville Regional: in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and now 2025.
- Ohio State has one NCAA Super Regional appearance (2009) and one Women’s College World Series appearance (1982) in its history.
A Note on the Knoxville Regional
- Ohio State and North Carolina enter Friday’s game as two of the best offensive teams in the country.
- The Tar Heels’ .347 team batting average ranks ninth in the country. Additionally, Katherine Rodriguez leads the nation with 1.54 RBI per game.
- Friday’s game will feature two of the top 10 RBI producers in the country: while Rodriguez ranks first (83 RBI), Reagan Millken is 10th (71).
- The Knoxville Regional is one of just two regionals this weekend with three 40-win teams: Ohio State (43), North Carolina (40) and Tennessee (40).
- The Big Ten sent a conference-record eight teams to the NCAA Tournament this year: Oregon, UCLA, Ohio State, Michigan, Northwestern, Indiana, Washington and Nebraska.
This article was published by Ohio State Buckeyes on 2025-05-14 07:49:00
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