Catcher Matt Graveline (above) anchors an important nucleus of the 2024 team returning in 2025 for the first edition of Justin Haire baseball. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
In our first chance to talk actual baseball, new Ohio State coach Justin Haire shared some of his priorities as the coach of the Buckeyes. Among them…roster, and mending fences, and relationship building.
If you know anyone who’s looking to relocate in Buies Creek, North Carolina…you might have them contact Ohio State baseball coach Justin Haire. He has a house for sale, and he’s dealing.
And trust it, he’s dealing on a lot of fronts this week as he’s named a coaching staff, packs his family, and looks forward to next week’s official press conference, introducing him to Buckeye Nation, and central Ohio media.
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“It’s been a whirlwind three weeks since taking the job,” he offered on Thursday. “But it’s been great. The response in some areas has been really awesome. First, from our current players. Those guys are excited about the staff, the future, and our vision to build Ohio State baseball into a monster.
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“On the recruiting trail the response has been really good. There’s a lot of potential student-athletes out there who are interested in Ohio State.
“The alumni response has been really good, and that excites me because it’s a piece that we’ve got to work really hard on connecting with. We need to do a good job of making those people proud of Ohio State baseball and our program.
“And the administration at Ohio State, the support staff, everyone has been tremendous. There’s a lot of balls in the air, and there’s a lot of things to consider at once, but I tell people…they’re all good things.”
The press conference is scheduled for next Wednesday, July 17th, and he knows that what he says officially may pale in comparison to what people will be thinking, or want to ask.
How to mitigate the reported loss of All-Big Ten shortstop Henry Kaczmar through the transfer portal to South Carolina last week?
How to replace Landon Beidelschies, who likewise left for warmer climates, committing to Arkansas two weeks ago?
And questions still out there about others still looking. It’s not the ideal scenario for an incoming coach, but Haire is handling it with the corporate line and optimism.
Questions abound about the roster makeup, but third baseman Tyler Pettorini (.309, 9 homers, and 49 RBIs) will return for his senior season in 2025.
“Well the way I can phrase it, and maybe people will understand, or not, is that sometimes you just don’t know what you’re missing. I never recruited, and I never coached those guys, and I know that they’re really good players and really good people from what I’ve heard. I hope they have tremendous careers wherever they go. There are no hard feelings. So what we’re missing doesn’t matter. Our job will be to put together the best roster that we can between now and fall practice. We’re going to coach and love the fire out of those guys that we have.
“We have a lot of talent already, I think we’re adding a lot of talented guys, and regardless of the guys we lost, the 2025 version of Ohio State baseball is going to be different from the 2024 version. 2026 will be different from 2025. Our job will be to make this one ride that the 2025 guys have together the best that we possibly can. The guys that decide to jump on will look back in ten years and be really pleased with that decision…and honestly, the returning guys we’ve talked with have been tremendous.
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“Lipsey, Graveline, Ryan Miller, and (Blaine) Wynk have texted me and with suggestions about guys they’re seeing in summer baseball – that they’re interested in Ohio State. And that tells me that those players really care about Ohio State, care about winning and being good, and want us to be in a good position moving forward. And for me that goes a long way, because you can’t go anywhere on campus without seeing the Woody Hayes quote, “You win with people, first”. And man…that’s so true!
“When you get the right people – players, coaches, support and administration – really, really special things can happen. And that’s a really important piece for us, and an important piece for the future.”
He’s named a staff, all familiar names that’s he’s worked with at one time or another at Campbell, and all now honing in on Columbus.
“They all have families, pets, and the whole deal, and that part of the transition is never fun,” he laughs. “But I think once we all get there and settled in, it gives us the best chance to hit the ground running. Moving is never easy, but it’s part of the job, and once we get here we’ll move forward with a consistent message, a consistent way to communicate, and there’ll be a consistent standard by which we live and run our program. Some of that will be shortened a bit because we already have a bunch of guys who know each other, they understand the standard, and they want to move in a new direction as fast as they can.”
He lists as a priority the establishment of relationships with alumni, Ohio State supporters, and importantly…Ohio State baseball supporters from the past. Many were unhappy with the west coast schedule for the first month of the 2024 season because it was simply too far to travel – impossible to watch. Early interest suffered. To that end, the Buckeyes will come back to Florida for the second week of the season next February, appearing in the Jax College Baseball Classic in Jacksonville, Florida, February 21 through 23.
“The alumni response has been really good, and that excites me because it’s an important piece. We need to do a good job of making those people proud of Ohio State baseball and our program.” – Justin Haire
“To be honest, I had nothing to do with the scheduling. The previous staff put together the majority of the schedule. I think we’re out west again for the first weekend, but then we come to Jacksonville and that’s going to be awesome.
“The four teams will be Ohio State, Alabama, North Carolina State and Coastal Carolina. Man, if you want great college baseball…Rob Vaughn (Alabama) and I are good friends. Elliot Avent (NC State) and I have played each other so many times over the years, and with Kevin Schnall at Coastal Carolina…there’s just a ton of connection there and that’ll make it a fun weekend, as well as a challenging weekend.”
He was on the road Thursday, trying to sell one house while arranging a rental for his family in Columbus, and no doubt helping wife Lindsey pack and move their four children. His ability to multi-task is evident. You sense that his priorities are in the right place. No doubt he’ll have the proper scarlet and gray tie for next week’s introductions.
But first…anyone want to buy a house in Buies Creek?
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