Ohio State opens 2026 baseball season by beating Saint Louis 7-1 at Pensacola’s Blue Wahoos Stadium

Season opener staged at neutral-site ballpark during Pensacola’s Mardi Gras weekend

Ohio State began its 2026 baseball season with a 7-1 victory over Saint Louis on Friday, Feb. 13, at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Florida. The game launched a three-day, neutral-site series scheduled for Feb. 13–15, with Ohio State designated as the home team for all three contests.

The matchup also marked a return of NCAA Division I regular-season baseball to the waterfront venue, which had not hosted such games since March 2020. Organizers set first-pitch times with downtown Pensacola’s Mardi Gras parade schedule in mind, placing Friday’s opener in the afternoon and subsequent games in weekend windows designed to avoid direct conflicts.

How the game was decided

Ohio State built an early lead and maintained control throughout. The Buckeyes scored in the first inning after shortstop Lee Ellis reached base via walk, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and came home on catcher Mason Eckelman’s single to right field.

The lead grew to 2-0 in the second when Maddix Simpson tripled to the right-field corner to drive in Alex “Ale” Bemis. Ohio State’s biggest inning came in the third: Ellis was hit by a pitch, Henry Kaczmar singled, and Eckelman walked to load the bases before CJ Reid singled to right to score two. Another run crossed on a Saint Louis throwing error, pushing the margin to 5-0.

• Final score: Ohio State 7, Saint Louis 1
• Ohio State hits: 8; Saint Louis hits: 10
• Ohio State scoring innings: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th

Pitching and key contributors

Right-hander Gavin Kuzniewski started for Ohio State and worked four scoreless innings with four strikeouts, allowing three hits. Reliever Zak Sigman earned the win, throwing five innings and permitting one run on seven hits with three strikeouts.

At the plate, seven Buckeyes recorded hits. Simpson led Ohio State with two hits and also drove in a run. Ellis and Reid shared the team lead with two RBIs each; Ellis also stole two bases.

Saint Louis’ lone run came on a solo home run in the eighth inning. Ohio State responded in the bottom half of the inning when Bemis reached on an error, advanced into scoring position, and scored on Ellis’ single.

What changed for the rest of the weekend

The series schedule was later adjusted due to incoming storms, with the teams set to play a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 14, rather than a single game followed by Sunday’s originally planned finale.

Ohio State’s opening-day result set the baseline for a weekend series that combined early-season evaluation with an unusual neutral-site setting and a game-day schedule shaped by local festival logistics.