As impressive as the Buckeyes' improvement was - to have come so far in just one year - the Big Ten baseball tournament paints a fine example of how the new neighborhood of the Big Ten lives in comparison to the old neighborhood we used to know.
On a night that saw two of the most dominant pitching performances in 2026 college baseball, Michigan's Shane Brinham outdueled Ohio State's Gavin Kuzniewski (above) to end the Buckeyes turnaround season at 30 wins, and fuel unlimited prospects for what comes next!
It came down to big plays at big times by big names. And in the end, Dane Harvey (above) and pitcher Pierce Herrenbruck delivered the biggest plays of all in a 3-2 win over Rutgers to stay alive in BIG Tournament.
An unfortunate drop of a pop foul behind home plate let to a winning two-run triple by the Washington Huskies, and a Wednesday elimination game for the Buckeyes with Rutgers on Wednesday.
A busy mailbox following the Buckeyes' sweep of Michigan has teed up the perfect pre-Big Ten Tournament column for Monday...on the Buckeyes' season, their chances in the tournament, and college baseball, itself.
