Ohio State softball has high hopes for 2024 season: 'We are stacked'
Ohio State pitcher Emily Ruck had an idea that her senior softball season would feel different.
“You have nothing to lose,” Ruck said. “And I feel like throughout the process of the beginning of the end, the first lasts or whatever you want to call it, it’s definitely been like that.”
But heading into the 2024 season, coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly said Ohio State had something specific on its mind.
In 2023, Ohio State secured its second straight 30-win season but lost in a quarterfinal of the Big Ten tournament on a walk-off single. And while the Buckeyes played 26 of 53 games against top-75 teams per the NCAA’s RPI rankings, they failed to earn an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.
“It was like, holy crap, how’s that possible?” Schoenly said. “We had a great season. It’s crazy that we put it in someone else’s hands. And I think they just thought, ‘We’re not going to let it be in someone else’s hands this year.’ ”
According to Ohio State senior catcher and utility player Sam Hackenbracht, the team is looking forward, unburdened by the way 2023 finished.
For Hackenbracht, that energy starts with the amount of depth Ohio State has.
“We are stacked,” Hackenbracht said. “Everybody on our team is stacked. From top to bottom in our order, we have great freshmen. Everybody in the dugout, anybody anytime can get any job done.”
After suffering a loss to Stony Brook in the first game of the 2024 season, Ohio State won its next four games at the Felsberg Invitational, outscoring Florida International, Southeast Missouri State and Stony Brook 35-6.
Schoenly said Ohio State showcased a creative and effective offense through its first five games, starting rallies using small-ball techniques and bases-clearing gap hits and home runs.
Along with returners such as Ruck, Hackenbracht, outfielder Tegan Cortelletti, utility player McKenzie Bump and pitcher Allison Smith, Ohio State added five freshmen, including catcher and utility player Jasmyn Burns, who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after five collegiate games.
“We just got a nice combination of freshmen that work hard, they’re humble and they want to fit into the system,” Schoenly said. “They don’t want to buck the system. They want to follow the leaders, and that’s not always the case.”
Ruck said she hasn’t seen a deeper Ohio State roster.
From a power-filled batting order to a deep pitching staff, Ruck said the Buckeyes' roster is stacked with players who can accomplish any job at any time.
And as Ruck faces “the beginning of the end,” she is hopeful that her Ohio State season is a long one.
“(To go) as far as we can,” Ruck said when asked about expectations for 2024. “Like something I value most is winning. I play the game to win it. I want to win every game we possibly can.”
Ohio State will take part in The Spring Games, the Sun Devil Classic, the Tennessee Invitational and the Kentucky Invitational before opening Big Ten play against Rutgers March 22.
The Buckeyes will host Dayton in their first home game of the 2024 season at 4 p.m. March 27.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State softball has high hopes for 2024 season
