Ohio State softball coach Kirin Kumar is introduced to the crowd at Ohio Stadium during the football game against Marshall Sept. 21, 2024. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
When Kirin Kumar accepted the head coaching position at Ohio State last season, she had one goal in mind: bring a Women’s College World Series title to Columbus.
In her first season at the helm, Kumar guided the Buckeyes back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, as her doubles-first philosophy reshaped Ohio State into the nation’s highest-scoring offense.
Nine games into this season, that standard hasn’t wavered. Even after losing four starters from last year’s lineup, the Buckeyes are still built around driving the gaps and positioning themselves to contend for a national championship in June.
“Our outfield is all returners, but our infield is all over the place,” said Kumar. “So we are learning the little things and hitting wise just trying to hit more doubles.”
The losses included three seniors and two first-team All-Region selections from last season, Kami Kortokrax and Jazymn Burns. Kortokrax graduated after four years with the program. Burns, also a first-team All-American, transferred to Texas Tech.
Before arriving in Columbus, Kumar spent four seasons at Miami (Ohio), winning four Mid-American Conference titles and reaching the NCAA Tournament each year. Her 2024 team led the nation in runs per game and home runs per game.
When that offensive success carried over immediately to Ohio State, Kumar credited her players for embracing an unconventional approach. The offense focuses on power hitting and producing extra-base hits rather than simply getting on base.
“They bought in and even though what we do is unconventional, they didn’t think it was dumb,” she said.
Despite finishing as the country’s highest-scoring offense last season, the breakthrough did not happen immediately. Kumar said it took about three weeks for the lineup to reach its full potential.
That moment came during the Ohio State Tournament from March 7-10, when the Buckeyes scored 50 runs in five games.
“They just kept pushing, and that was a big thing,” Kumar said.
This season, Ohio State has built a challenging schedule to prepare for postseason play.
The Buckeyes’ schedule features 19 teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season. Ohio State already has faced two — Florida Atlantic and Texas — dropping three games, including two to Texas.
“I think we have scratched the surface, but we’re not quite there yet,” Kumar said. “I want to continue just going in that direction and not worrying about who’s on the other side at all.”
Senior infielder Kiki Estrada said those early tests are critical for postseason preparation.
“We have to be able to play them early and understand where we are,” Estrada said. “We cannot go into the tournament and be like, ‘Whoa,’ because it’s our first top-10 team we have seen.”
The Buckeyes, who opened the season 5-4, continue their early-season road stretch Feb. 20 at the Mizuno Classic in Charlottesville, Virginia. They will play Virginia twice, Liberty once and Delaware twice.
