Softball: New head coach Kirin Kumar aims to elevate Buckeyes with strong leadership

Reilly Cahill
Thu, 13 Feb 2025 06:26:19 +0000
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Ohio State softball coach Kirin Kumar is introduced to the crowd at Ohio Stadium during the football game against Marshall Sept. 21, 2024. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor

Years ago, Kirin Kumar never could’ve imagined being a softball coach. Simply put, she had no interest.

“My college coach kept telling me I would be a really good coach,” Kumar said. “I was like, ‘Eh, whatever.’ I didn’t want to.”

Now, Kumar is in her 19th season and counting.

Ohio State hired Kumar as its newest head softball coach June 4, 2024, per prior Lantern reporting. Having accumulated nearly two decades of coaching experience, Kumar said she wants to bring a winning mindset to Columbus, especially considering the Buckeyes are fresh off a disappointing eighth-place finish in the 2024 Big Ten season.?

“I expect to win; I like to win,” Kumar said. “I don’t like to lose. That’s the expectation.”?

Kumar was a Division I collegiate athlete at Georgia Tech from 2002-05, during which she played in 251 career games. Throughout Kumar’s four years, the Yellow Jackets advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each season and won two ACC Championships.

After college, Kumar said she wondered what her next step would be. She could decide to coach, or she could elect to pursue alternate opportunities that aligned with her bachelor’s degree in business.?

But in the end, Kumar was convinced to try coaching.

Coincidentally, John Bargfeldt — the pitching coach at Georgia Tech during Kumar’s collegiate career — accepted a job at the University of Tulsa around the time she graduated. Then, he offered Kumar what would become a life-changing opportunity.?

“He called me and said, ‘Would you like to come be my assistant?’ And I said, ‘Well, it’s a chance to try it and see if I like it,’” Kumar said.

Following her time with the Golden Hurricanes, Kumar spent time as an assistant coach at North Carolina, Western Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, NC State and Virginia Tech.

After serving 15 years as an assistant, Kumar earned a head coaching job at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.?

At the helm of the RedHawks, Kumar found immense success; she accumulated a 174-56-1 overall record and was 107-16 in the Mid-American Conference.?

Kumar’s final season with Miami proved to be her most successful. Her RedHawks squad won a program-record 49 games, also earning a national poll ranking for the first time in the school’s history.?

The Kumar-led offense tallied 160 home runs, the second-most in a single season in NCAA history.

During her time in Oxford, Kumar was a two-time MAC Coach of the Year, a four-time MAC regular-season champion and earned an NCAA Tournament bid in each of her four years.

Then, Kumar was offered the opportunity to be the Buckeyes’ head coach. She said it was a no-brainer.

“It’s Ohio State,” Kumar said. “I always wondered why Ohio State softball was not on the map and the rest of their sports are.”

Courtney Vierstra, an assistant softball coach at Ohio State, said she worked with Kumar for the past four years. Having played for Miami University from 2018-22, she was the 2021 MAC Pitcher of the Year and served as the Redhawks’ pitching coach from 2023-24.?

Notably, Vierstra said Kumar is someone who cares deeply about her players and is unwilling to back down from adversity.

“She does a really good job of getting people to buy in,” Vierstra said. “You can see how intelligent she is about the game of softball. Then, she cares as much about you as a person off the field as she does on the field.”

In less than a year with Ohio State — and with only four games under her belt — Kumar has already made an impact on the program.?

Senior Kami Kortokrax, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten infielder for Ohio State, said Kumar’s leadership style pushes the team to be determined and tenacious on the field.?

“She’s a competitor and wants to win,” Kortokrax said. “She wants to be the best and wants to compete against the best. Having a coach like that just builds your confidence.”

Even though the program has undergone immense change — between coaching changes, five new freshmen, five transfers and only three returning seniors — Kortokrax believes the Buckeyes will find success this season.?

“Even with a new coaching staff and almost half the team being new, we want to win this year,” Kortokrax said.

Ultimately, Kumar said she is keeping her approach simple in her first season at Ohio State.

“We’re going to see how they grow together, where everybody plays,” Kumar said. “So, right now, no expectations, just go out and play.”