Ohio State’s baseball team celebrates after a successful inning in the Buckeyes’ 15-5 win over Michigan State on May 8, 2026. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Sports Photo Editor.
Ohio State baseball’s program will be one of four teams competing in the College Baseball Series in Nashville on March 5-7, 2027.
The event will be held at First Horizon Park, the home stadium to the Nashville Sounds, a Triple-A baseball team. Ohio State will face Vanderbilt as well as Virginia Tech and Cincinnati, who each made the 2026 NCAA Tournament.?
Ohio State head coach Justin Haire believes playing in the four-team tournament early in the season can prepare the Buckeyes for similar situations later in the year as they pursue a postseason berth for the first time since 2019.
“We’re trying to push ourselves to be a top-25 caliber team,” Haire said, “[We want] to be in a situation to play in the postseason and play in four-team regionals, so being able to play in similar type environments gives you a little bit of experience.”?
The College Baseball Series started in 2021 with one tournament, but has since expanded to seven tournaments across five locations this season. This will be the first time the event will be played in Nashville since its inception.?
Ohio State has played in the College Baseball Series before, most recently in 2025 when the weekend series was held in Arlington, Texas. The Buckeyes finished 0-3 against Baylor, Auburn and Oregon State.?
The Buckeyes will open the series against Vanderbilt on Friday, March 5, at 7 p.m,? they will face Cincinnati at 3 p.m., March 6 and conclude the weekend with Virginia Tech March 7 at noon.
Ahead of the weekend series, Haire said the team’s focus will be on its own performance rather than its opponent.
“If we can just take care of what we’re good at and trust that plan, it doesn’t matter if we’re playing Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech or little sisters of the poor,” Haire said, “[If we] show up, be who we are and do what we’re capable of, we will have a good chance to win.”
Senior first baseman Dane Harvey, who returns to Ohio State after earning second-team All-Big Ten honors last season, said he understands the stakes of the series.
“It is a statement weekend for us for sure,” Harvey said, “I think we have some great tools that match up with the best in the country.”
Since Haire took over as head coach in 2025, Ohio State has played in four early-season series similar to the one it will play in Nashville. The Buckeyes have a 3-10 record in those matchups.
Haire believes his team is in a better spot to be successful than past seasons.?
“I think we’re probably better suited right now to play in an event like this with this club than we have been the last couple years,” he said.
