Kirin Kumar becomes Ohio State's New Softball Coach

On Tuesday, Ohio State revealed that Kirin Kumar, the former Miami (Ohio) head coach, will be leading the Buckeyes. Kumar, a two-time MAC Coach of the Year, comes to Columbus after four successful seasons in Oxford, where she led the Redhawks to an impressive 174-56-1 record.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Kirin to the Buckeye family. Her accomplishments at Miami were outstanding. Throughout the hiring process, her passion for the game and dedication to the student-athlete experience stood out. The future looks bright under her leadership.”

Per Mike Penner, Ohio State’s executive associate athletic director, in a press release.

Kumar started as Miami’s head coach in the summer of 2020. Before that, she was an assistant at several schools, including Tulsa, North Carolina, Western Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, NC State, and Virginia Tech since 2006. Her impact at Miami was immediate.

In her four seasons, Kumar led Miami to four MAC regular-season titles, three MAC Tournament championships, and four NCAA Tournament appearances. Under her leadership, the RedHawks had a conference record of 107-16 (.870). They also achieved non-conference wins over strong teams like Tennessee, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, California-Berkeley, and Michigan.

In 2024, Miami had one of the best offenses in the NCAA. They hit 160 home runs, the second-most in a single season in NCAA history, and scored 507 runs. They led the nation in home runs, home runs per game (2.76), and runs per game (8.7), while also finishing third in batting average (.348) and fourth in on-base percentage (.451). Miami ended the season with a program-record 49 wins before being eliminated in the NCAA Tournament’s Knoxville Regional.

Kumar aims to bring her success to the Buckeyes, who have missed the NCAA Tournament in the past two years and four of the last five seasons.

“It’s an honor to be chosen to lead the Ohio State softball program. I’d like to thank Mike Penner, Gene Smith, and Ross Bjork for this amazing opportunity. During the interview process, I felt that Ohio State truly combines elite athletics with great people. I can’t wait to get started and build on the tradition of excellence at Ohio State.”

Kirin Kumar in a press release