Ohio State's series against Iowa got off to an awful start. The Buckeyes managed only three hits and batted a terrible .125. With what has been the strength of the team so far this year being shut out, the Buckeyes’ pitching struggled again. They had an ERA of 15.00 in the 12-0 loss to the Hawkeyes.
Saturday’s game two of the series wasn’t much better. The Buckeyes gave up five runs in the bottom of the first, digging themselves into a huge early hole. The Buckeye bats tried to get the team into the game in the second inning when designated hitter Mason Eckelman’s solo home run made the game 5-1.
TOP 2 | LEAD-OFF HOME RUN 💣 @EckelmanMason goes yard to put the Buckeyes on the board!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/kYMwhxfOSW
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) March 22, 2025
First baseman Ryan Miller would follow that up immediately with a solo home run of his own, making it 5-2.
Shortstop Lee Ellis would knock in right fielder Trey Lipsey in the top of the third to make it 5-3. But the Buckeye pitching would hurt their comeback chance by giving up three runs in the bottom of the third. The Ohio State bats would once again fight back in the fourth when shortstop Lee Ellis knocked in two runs to make it 8-5.
But Iowa responded with a four-run fifth inning, and that was all she wrote as both teams cooled off offensively after that. The Hawkeyes scored 12 runs in two straight games with their 12-5 victory over Ohio State. Sunday’s final game of the series was even worse as Iowa started off with a 3-0 lead after one inning. Ryan Miller hit another home run to cut the lead to 3-2 in the second inning.
TOP 2 | BYE BALL 👋⚾️ @Miller_Ryan5 absolutely crushes this ball to drive in two runs and cut the Hawkeye lead to one, 3-2!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Cj1rCrcSrR
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) March 23, 2025
But that was the last and only time the Buckeyes showed any fight. They would give up 12 or more runs in all three games in Iowa City. They’d lose on Sunday 18-2. Ohio State is now 6-15 and 0-6 in the Big Ten. They’ve been outscored 78-19 in conference play, which will likely keep them in the Big Ten basement for the foreseeable future.
Things don’t get much better, as next weekend, they have a three-game series in Columbus against #9 Oregon, who is in first place in the Big Ten with a 19-5 record. Growing pains are expected in year one of a new era, but this is abysmal.