Ohio State softball has hired its next head coach.
On Tuesday, Ohio State announced that former Miami (Ohio) head coach Kirin Kumar will be the next leader of the Buckeyes. A two-time MAC Coach of the Year, Kumar will arrive in Columbus after four successful seasons in Oxford in which she led the Redhawks to a combined 174-56-1 record.
Introducing the ninth head coach in Ohio State softball history:
— Ohio State Softball (@OhioStateSB) June 4, 2024
Welcome to Columbus, @Coach2K_Miami #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/cuppbPE6aU
“We’re excited to welcome Kirin to the Buckeye family,” Ohio State executive associate athletic director Mike Penner said in a program press release. “What she did in a relatively short amount of time at Miami was remarkable. As we got to know her during this process, her passion for the game and for the student-athlete experience shined through. The future is bright under her leadership.”
Kumar became Miami's head coach in the summer of 2020 following time as an assistant at Tulsa, North Carolina, Western Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, NC State and Virginia Tech dating back to 2006. Her impact on the RedHawks’ program was immediate.
Across four seasons in the role, Kumar led Miami to four MAC regular-season titles, three MAC Tournament championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances. The RedHawks were 107-16 (.870) against conference opponents in her tenure, and the program also recorded non-conference wins over Tennessee, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, California-Berkeley and Michigan.
In 2024, Kumar and Miami possessed one of the NCAA's best offenses, collecting 160 home runs – the second-most in a season in NCAA history – and scoring 507 runs. The RedHawks led the nation in home runs, home runs per game (2.76) and runs per game (8.7) while 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 knocked out of the NCAA Tournament's Knoxville Regional.
Kumar will look to continue her success with the Buckeyes, who have missed the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years and four of the past five seasons.
“It’s an honor to be chosen to lead the Ohio State softball program,” Kumar said in the press release. “I’d like to thank Mike Penner, Gene Smith and Ross Bjork for this tremendous opportunity. My immediate sense during the interview process was that Ohio State is a place that truly combines elite athletics with world-class people. I can’t wait to get started and build on the great tradition of excellence at Ohio State.”
