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ATHENS, Ohio – It's the regular season finale and Senior Day for Ohio wrestling, while men's and women's basketball push towards Cleveland, while women's golf opens the spring season in Arizona! Check out everything that's ahead for Ohio Athletics in this week's Paw Prints, presented by Memorial Health System.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Feb. 17 / vs Ball State / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 7 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Listen / Ohio Notes / Ball State Notes / Roster Card / Digital Guide / Tickets
Feb. 21 / at Northern Illinois / DeKalb, Ill. / NIU Convocation Center / 3p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Listen / Ohio Notes / NIU Notes / Digital Guide
The Ohio men's basketball team (13-13, 7-6 MAC) are back in action for two important games as the season dwindles down. The week begins on Tuesday, February. 17 when the Bobcats host Ball State (8-17, 3-9 MAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+. Ohio then is back on the road on Saturday, Feb. 21 when the Bobcats head to DeKalb, Ill. to take on Northern Illinois (8-16, 3-9 MAC). Tip-off is set fro 3 p.m. ET inside teh NIU Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+
The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Jason Toy begins his second season on the mic for the Bobcats and will be joined by veteran and will be joined by veteran college basketball analyst Dave Cecutti. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station net- work's flagship and can be heard on the Varsity Network App.
Ohio is coming off an 0-1 week where the Bobcats fell to No. 23 Miami on the road last Friday night. Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke helped lead the Ohio men's basketball team last week. In Ohio's lone game at No. 23 Miami, Paveletzke led all scorers with 22 points, going 7-of-16 from the field, 1-of-5 from three and 7-of-8 from the line. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished out three assists and had one steal in 37 minutes on the court.
Ball State is currently 8-17 overall and 3-9 in MAC play and are coming off a 75-68 loss at home against Kent State on Saturday. The Cardinals defeated Ohio in their first matchup this season in Muncie. The Cardinals are led by Davion Hill with 12.6 points and 4.1 rebounds a game, while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the line. Armoni Zeigler adds 12.4 points and 5.0 rebounds a game, while shooting 40.7 percent from the field, while Devon Barnes adds 8.8 points a game, while shooting 80.0 percent from the field.
Northern Illinois is currently 8-16 overall and 3-9 in MAC play and are coming off an 88-46 loss at Central Michigan on Saturday. NIU will take on Buffalo on the road on Tuesday before hosting the Bobcats on Saturday. Ohio and NIU met earlier this season in Athens, with the Bobcats winning, 80-77. NIU is led by Makhai Valentine with 14.0 points and 5.3 rebounds a game, while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 83.8 percent from the line. Dylan Ducommun adds 11.8 points a game, while shooting 35.4 percent from the field, while Gianni Cobb averages 8.5 points and had 95 assists on the season.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Feb. 18 / at Akron / Akron, Ohio / James A. Rhodes Arena / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Ohio Notes / Akron Notes / Digital Guide
The Ohio women's basketball team (15-9, 9-4 MAC) is back in action for one game this week when they head to Akron, Ohio to take on Akron (6-9, 3-9 MAC), Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET inside James A. Rhodes Arena and can be seen on ESPN+.
Ohio is coming off a 2-0 week that saw Ohio defeat Toledo on the road, before returning to Athens to defeat Kent State on Saturday. Graduate student Elli Garnett led Ohio last week, averaging 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, while shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three. redshirt sophomore Bella Ranallo added 13.0 points, and junior Bailey Tabeling added 5.0 rebounds a game.
Akron is currently 6-19 overall and 3-9 in MAC play and are coming off a 75-68 overtime win at Northern Illinous on Saturday, Ni'rah Clark averages 12.4 points nd 5.4 rebounds a game for the Zips, while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 72.5 percent from the line, while Shaena Brew averages 10.9 points and 3.8 assists a game.
SOFTBALL
Feb. 19 / at 2026 UCF Space U Classic / vs. UCF / Orlando, Fla. / UCF Softball Complex / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
Feb. 20 / at 2026 UCF Space U Classic / vs. Notre Dame / Orlando, Fla. / UCF Softball Complex / 11:30 a.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
Feb. 20 / at 2026 UCF Space U Classic / vs. UCF / Orlando, Fla. / UCF Softball Complex / 4:30 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
Feb. 21 / at 2026 UCF Space U Classic / vs. Charleston Southern / Orlando, Fla. / UCF Softball Complex / 9 a.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
Feb. 21 / at 2026 UCF Space U Classic / vs. Penn State / Orlando, Fla. / UCF Softball Complex / 11:30 a.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats
The Ohio softball team (7-2) is back in action Feb. 19-20 when they head to Orlando, Fla. for the 206 UCF Space U Classic. The Bobcats open the weekend on Thursday, Feb. 19 when Ohio takes on host UCF (8-3). First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET. The Bobcats are back in action on Friday, Feb. 20 when they take on Notre Dame (7-4) at 11:30 a.m. ET, before returning to action later in teh day to take on UCF at 4:30 p.m. ET. Ohio concludes the weekend on Saturday, Feb. 21 when the are set to take on Charleston Southern (2-9) at 9 a.m., before wrapping up the weekend at 11:30 a.m. against Penn State (8-2). All five games will take place at the UCF Softball Complex and be seen on ESPN+.
Ohio is coming off a 3-1 week at the Chattanooga Challenge in Chattanooga, Tenn. Senior Colleen Bare hit .545 with six hits in 1 at bats, recording two home runs, five runs scored and four RBI. She recorded a 1.091 slugging percentage, a 2.545 OPS and a .667 on base percentage. She drew three walks and was hit by a pitch, while stealing one base and did not record an error in the field. In the circle, graduate student Skipp Miller recorded a 0.88 ERA, allowing four runs, one earned, on seven hits in eight innings. She walked four and struck out 10, while opponents hit .226 off her.
Notre Dame is 7-4 to open the season and are coming off a 4-1 week at the Purple-Gold Classic where they defeated Maryland, East Carolina and Buffalo, and falling to East Carolina. Sydeny Poeck leads the Notre Dame offense, hitting .448 with 13 hits and five RBI. In the circle, Kami Kamzik is 3-1 with a 1.35 ERA, while Micaela Kastor is 3-2 with a 1.52 ERA and 24 strikeouts.
Host UCF is 8-3 overall and is coming off a 3-2 weekend at the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational where they defeated Northwestern, #10 LSU and NC State, while falling to #17 Georgia and #8 Nebraska. Sierra Humphreys leads UCF at the plate, hitting .467 with 14 hits, three doubles, one triple, four home runs and 15 RBI through the first two weeks. In the circle, Isabella Vega is 3-1 overall with a 2.27 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
Charleston Southern is 2-9 overall and is coming off a 1-4 weekend at the Cici's Pizza Lowcountry Classic in Charleston, SC. Charleston Southern picked up a win against Sacred Heart, but fell to UConn, UMass, Penn and Akron. Blakley Kingsmore leads the offense with a .438 averages, with 14 hits and 10 runs scored. In the circle, Riley Lauffer is 2-2 overall with a 5.19 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 29.2 innings.
Penn State is 8-2 overall and is coming off a 4-1 weekend at the Houston Invitational, where they fell to Incarnate Word, before defeating Houston, Lafayette, Houston Christian and Pitt. Allison Oneacre leads Penn State at the plate with a .417 average, with 10 hits, 10 runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and 15 RBI. In the circle, Mackenzie Duncan is 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Feb. 20-22 / at 2026 Rio Verde Collegiate / Rio Verde, Ariz. / Rio Verde Country Club/ All Day / Live Results
Ohio women's golf opens the spring portion of its schedule Feb. 20-22 when they head to Rio Verde, Ariz. to compete in the 2026 Rio Verde Collegiate. The three-day event begins on Friday with 18 holes, before picking up with 18 more on Saturday, before concluding on Sunday with the final 18.
Competing at this year's event are; Central Michigan, Loyola, Kennesaw State, Moiisouri State, Ohio, Bradley, Oakland, Ball State, Creighton, Bowling Green, South Dakota, Wichita State, Akron, Western Michigan, Xavier, Utah Tech, Illinois State and Butler.
Ohio last competed Oct. 24-26 at the 2025 White Sands Bahamas Invitational, where the Bobcats placed sixth overall. Junior Zoe Luebbers led the Bobcats on the green, recording a round one score of 76 (+4), and ended the day tied for 10th place. In round two, Luebbers shot a 79 (+7) and finished the round tied for 17th place. During the third round, Luebbers shot a 76 (+4) and finished the Invitational in 16thplace with an overall score of 231 (+15).
BASEBALL
Feb. 20 / at Tennessee Tech / Cookeville, Tenn. / Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex/ 4 p.m. ET / Live Stats
Feb. 21 / at Tennessee Tech / Cookeville, Tenn. / Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex/ 1 p.m. ET / Live Stats
Feb. 21 / at Tennessee Tech / Cookeville, Tenn. / Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex/ 4:30 p.m. ET / Live Stats
Feb. 22 / at Tennessee Tech / Cookeville, Tenn. / Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex/ 2 p.m. ET / Live Stats
The Ohio baseball team (1-2) is back in action Feb. 20-22 when they head to Cookville, Tenn, for a four-game series with Tennessee Tech (0-3). The weekend begins on Friday, February. 20 at 4 p.m. ET. The weekend continues on Saturday, Feb. 21 with a doubleheader set to begin at 11 a.m. ET, before concluding the weekend on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. ET. All four game will be played at Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
The Bobcats are coming off a weekend against Murray State, where the Bobcats went 1-2 overall, with Ohio taking the third game of the series Sunday evening, 15-13. The win was the first for new head coach, Andrew See. In the game, junior Tylet Stack went 4-for-5 with a double, four RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore Grant Wilson went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored.
Tennessee Tech opened the season at No. 25 Texas A&M, dropping all three games and will take on Lipscomb at home on Tuesday before hosting Ohio. At the plate, Eddie Garza led Tennessee Tech with a .455 averages, with five hits, one double and two runs scored. Tennessee Tech features Owen Lee and Reece McDuffie who were named Players to Watch by the OVC and picked to finish fifth in the OVC in a vote amongst league head coaches. Lee appeared in 56 games last season, hitting nine home runs and driving in 37. He slugged .430, reached base at a 368 clip, and hit .249 (48x193) with 44 runs scored. He recorded 13 multi-hit games with 17 extra-base hits. Lee earned 33 walks and struck out 30 times, with five stolen bases without being caught. McDuffie leads all returning relievers with 54.2 innings pitched, while limiting batters to a .250 batting average and allowing 19 earned runs while walking just six. Over his three-year career, he has struck out 59 batters in 97.1 innings pitched, while walking 27, including a career-low six walks last season. In 2025, McDuffie posted a 3.13 ERA (19 ER, 54.2 IP) while registering a 4.61 K/9 IP and a career-low 1.10 WHIP.
TRACK AND FIELD
Feb. 20 / at 2026 Akron Invitational / Akron, Ohio / The Stile Athletics Field House / 3:30 p.m. ET / Meet Information/Schedule
Ohio track and field concludes the indoor regular season this weekend when they head to Akron, Ohio on Friday, Feb. 20 for the 2026 Akron Invitational. The meet is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET inside the Stile Athletics Field House.
The Bobcats are coming off a strong weekend at the Hartland Invitational in Indianapolis, Indiana. last weekend. Freshman Alyvia Mentlow placed 13th in the women's 60m with a PR of 7.69. Mentlow's time is the fourth fastest time in program history. Freshman Sydney Huckey took home 20th place in the women's 400m with a PR of 57.33. Huckstep's time ranks fifth on the indoor all-time top five list.
Junior Ellie Greenwell was Ohio's top performer on Saturday in the women's mile. Greenwell ran the second-fastest indoor mile time in program history. The junior placed sixth overall with a PR of 4:48.01. Graduate student Kelsi Harris and sophomore Mairin O'Brien also placed in the top 10 of the women's mile. Harris placed eighth (4:55.71) and O'Brien took home 10th place (4:57.76, PR).
Junior Emilee Baumann led the way for Ohio in the women's pole vault with a second-place mark of 3.66 meters (12-0).
WRESTLING
Feb. 21 / vs Buffalo / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 7 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Results / Tickets / Senior Day
The Ohio wrestling team (4-6, 1-6 MAC) wrap up the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 21 when the Bobcats host Buffalo (3-11, 2-5 MAC) in Athens. The dual is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+. It will be Senior Night in Athens, so make sure you get to the Convo early to honor the 2026 senior class.
Ohio is coming off a 25-16 loss at Clarion on Sunday afternoon. Redshirt senior Garrett Thompson was a standout for the Bobcats on Sunday afternoon, recording a dominant 15-0 technical fall victory at 174 lbs. over Clarion's Gabe Lilly. Thompson jumped out to an 11-0 lead after the first period, and only needed 58 seconds of the second period to end the match via technical fall. Redshirt junior Derek Raike got the Bobcats on the board at 157 lbs. with a 13-4 major decision victory over Clarion's Wesley Barnes. Raike took a 6-1 lead after the first period, before recording an escape in the second period and adding another six points in the third for a commanding victory. At 184 lbs, redshirt Senior Sal Perrine rallied from a 1-0 deficit after two periods, recording two takedowns in the third period of the match to come away with a 6-2 decision victory over Clarion's Adrian Gacek.
Buffalo is 2-11 overall and 2-5 in MAC duals. The Bulls are coming off a 24-9 loss at home against SIUE on Friday.
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