ATHENS, Ohio — In the first year with newly appointed Ohio head coach Andrew See at the helm, the Ohio baseball team is ready to start a new chapter in the history of the program. With a mix of returning players and new faces, the Bobcats can't wait to get started.
"I expect our guys to go out there and compete. I'm going to use that word quite a bit this year," See said. "I expect us to play with a winning mindset... I want our guys to have that belief that we're going to be good. I think we're in a good place right now, and I'm curious to see, for the first weekend, win or lose, how we can keep that even-keeled mindset through the year."
In his first year at the helm, See hopes to bring a fresh mindset to the program.
"No matter what happens pitch to pitch or inning to inning or out to out, we want to have that competitive nature, even if we do a good job on Friday night, win the game, turn the page, go back to Saturday and focus on being the best competitors that we can and vice versa," See said.
With an entirely new coaching staff, Ohio's roster will feature a plethora of new faces who will look to make an impact in their first season with the Bobcats. Joining a handful of impactful returners will be 17 incoming transfers and 11 true freshmen.
Key returners on the mound for Ohio include sophomore lefty Hunter Winston (Hinckley, Ohio) and senior left-hander Dillon Masters (New Albany, Ohio), who each made more than seven starts for the Bobcats last season. In the lineup, the Bobcats bring back redshirt junior infielder Cam Bryant (Miamisburg, Ohio) after he hit for a .303 average across 38 games last season.
See expects big contributions from a handful of new players, including junior outfielder Taylor Harris (Parrish, Fla.), who played at Walters State Community College last season, graduate student first baseman Colton Shirley (Anderson, Ind.), who played at Purdue Fort Wayne last season, and junior left-handed pitcher Aidan Cook (Penfield, N.Y) who played at Xavier last year.
"There are some exciting guys on the team that don't have a lot of body work, which is interesting for us to see, but the talents there, if they can keep the right mindset and not get too high and too low," See said.
The Bobcats and their revamped roster will begin their season Friday, Feb. 13, with a three-game series against Murray State in Carbondale, Illinois. The team's home opener will come on Friday, February 27, when they take on in-state opponent Dayton. Ohio will start MAC play against Northern Illinois on Friday, March 6, at home as part of a three-game weekend series. Notable midweek nonconference matchups for the Bobcats will include Pittsburgh on March 4, Marshall on March 31 and April 29, and Michigan on May 12. Ohio will travel to rival Miami for a three-game series starting April 10.
With a new mindset and a handful of new players, Ohio is ready to start its 2026 campaign.
"I want this team to make their own identity moving forward," See said. "I think we're in a good spot, and I think they understand what this program is capable of."
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