Eric Boggs
The 2025 season came to a bittersweet conclusion for the Ohio State softball team, as their incredible campaign ended with a 5-0 loss to Tennessee in the Knoxville Regional final. Despite holding strong through five scoreless innings, the Lady Vols capitalized late, scoring five runs over the final two innings to secure the win and deny the Buckeyes a trip to the Super Regionals.
For Buckeye Nation, this season was nothing short of remarkable. Ohio State finished with a 45-14-1 record, their most wins since. In the circle, Kennedy Kay delivered a gutsy complete game against Tennessee, allowing no earned runs and walking just one. Her composure on the mound kept Ohio State within striking distance, but the Buckeye bats were stymied by Tennessee’s dominant pitching duo, who combined to allow just two hits.
The loss came just one day after the Buckeyes surged past Miami (OH) with an 11-1 run-rule victory and rebounded impressively from a tight 4-2 loss to Tennessee earlier that Saturday. That Miami win showcased the team’s signature strength: power hitting. Ohio State belted four home runs — two by senior Kami Kortokrax — en route to their 24th run-rule win of the season.
This postseason also began with fireworks. In their regional opener, the Buckeyes smashed six home runs in a thrilling 9-6 win over North Carolina, tying the NCAA Tournament single-game record for home runs. Five different players went deep, including sophomore phenom Jasmyn Burns, who launched two bombs to reach 25 home runs on the season — a new Ohio State and Big Ten record.
The numbers this team put up were nothing short of staggering. Ohio State set both program and Big Ten records with 147 home runs. They led the nation in multiple offensive categories, including home runs per game (2.45), slugging percentage (.709), runs per game (8.25), and total runs scored (495). They had 21 games decided by the run-rule and hit three or more home runs in 26 contests.
As the season closed, Buckeye fans also bid farewell to three seniors: Kortokrax, Kaitlyn Farley, and Morgan Frye. Kortokrax and Farley each played over 200 games in scarlet and gray, while Frye, a transfer, made a massive impact in her lone season by hitting .373 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs. Their leadership, combined with the explosive talents of underclassmen like Burns, Milliken, and Parisien, propelled the Buckeyes to their first regional final appearance since 2018.
The ending wasn’t what the team had hoped for, but the legacy of the 2025 Ohio State softball team is secure. This was one of the most powerful, prolific, and exciting squads in program history — a team that proved they belonged among the nation’s elite and set the foundation for what’s to come in Columbus.
