Softball

The 1870 Society is proud to sponsor Ohio State University Athletics and support the Softball program in the first for-profit Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) collective supporting Ohio State athletes. The organization was founded by a group of passionate, and experienced operators who are committed to helping Ohio State student-athletes navigate this complex and evolving world of NIL.

The Ohio State Softball program is one of the longest-running female sports at Ohio State, as 2025 will be the Buckeyes’ 54th season of competition. Ohio State has over 1,300 all-time wins, 13 NCAA Regional appearances and a pair of Big Ten titles. New head coach Kirin Kumar arrives in Columbus primed to build off the past while also authoring the next great chapter in the program’s history.

Ohio State has had a winning record for 13 consecutive years and in that span has played in five NCAA Tournaments. Some of the best players in the history of the Big Ten conference have put on the scarlet and gray, including three-time All-American Sam Marder, who is the program’s all-time leader in home runs, and Lilli Piper, who was also a three-time All-American and played professionally for Athletes Unlimited.

Other great Buckeyes include Wendy Allen, the 2002 Big Ten Player of the Year and a second team All-American, Anna Smith, the 2002 Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year, and Kim Reeder, the program’s all-time wins leader in the circle and a 2009 All-American. In all, Ohio State’s produced 13 All-Americans, 29 first-team All-Region selections and 36 first team All-Big Ten honorees.

New head coach Kirin Kumar comes to Ohio State after a highly-successful four-year run at Miami University where her teams routinely had some of the best offenses in the country. Under her guidance, the RedHawks went to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments and won seven total championships (four MAC regular season crowns and three MAC Tournament titles).

Games at Buckeye Field have become on the hottest tickets in town, as Ohio State routinely sells out its stadium and has created one of the best atmospheres in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes finished the 2024 season among the top 25 nationally in average attendance. And fans are routinely treated to Buckeye wins, too. Ohio State’s had a record of .500 or better at home in each of the last 10 seasons.

The Ohio State softball programs has routinely been among the highest academic achievers both on campus and among its peers in the Big Ten. In the spring of 2024, eight student-athletes earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors for having a 3.70 or higher grade-point average for the 2023-24 school year. That total was the most in the conference. The team also produced 17 Academic All-Big Ten honorees, which accounted for 94 percent of those who were eligible.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be the new head softball coach at The Ohio State University. I bring with me a profound enthusiasm for the game of softball, guiding young ladies into the future, and a deep commitment to the values and excellence that define Ohio State. College athletics is changing everyday and THE one school which is prepared and ready for these changes is THE Ohio State. NIL is becoming a part of every program and recruiting process each year. My goal is recruiting and retaining the most talented student-athletes in the region and across the country. The people are what makes this university great and we will continue to strive for the excellence on and off the field.”