Zion Grady's commitment kicks off the week in Buckeye Nation, Tavien St. Clair is the real deal and Justin Haire calls Ohio State baseball "a sleeping giant."
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A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN. Last week, Ohio State baseball hired Justin Haire to be its next head coach. The Hamilton, Ohio, native and Bowling Green graduate had been a head coach at Campbell for the previous 10 seasons, winning 317 games, five Big South regular season championships and four Big South Tournament titles.
“We are so excited to welcome Justin Haire and his family to Ohio State to lead our baseball program into a new era,” incoming athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement. “Coach Haire’s successful career as a head coach and track record of winning games in the NCAA Tournament made us stand up and take notice, and his deep Ohio roots are an added bonus. We believe Ohio State baseball can be a Big Ten contender and make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament under Justin’s leadership, and we are fired up for him to start here in Columbus.”
While Bjork’s statement illustrated his aspirations for the Ohio State program under Haire’s guidance, the new head coach did not mention his desires for the Buckeyes in a press release. Rather, Haire said he was “eager to contribute to the success and growth of Ohio State baseball.”
Still, in a recent interview with Colin Gay of The Columbus Dispatch, Haire revealed some of his goals for the program and school he’s loved since childhood.
In the interview process, Haire said incoming Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork made it clear he wanted a coach who is “excited about the program how it is, and has a vision of how we can grow it organically and sustainably.”
Haire said Bjork did not sugarcoat the baseball program’s standing compared to past programs the athletic director has been a part of.
“A big piece of knowing who you are is knowing who you’re not,” Haire said. “Mr. Bjork’s been at Texas A&M and Ole Miss. He’s been in some of those SEC places. And he was just very honest, like, ‘Hey, we’re wanting to compete and be at that highest level. But the resources are not that. The NIL capability for baseball is not the same as it is at some of those SEC places.’ ”
Bjork is already beginning to make his mark on Ohio State athletics.
While his tenure as athletic director officially begins July 1, Bjork has already been instrumental in the hiring of Jake Diebler to lead the Ohio State men’s basketball program, Miami University’s Kirin Kumar as OSU’s new softball coach and Haire. And while Haire said that reality brings pressure, “it’s a good pressure.”
“Of all the people that were interested in this job, that understand that Ohio State baseball is a sleeping giant and ready to, hopefully, turn the corner, (Bjork) gave me this opportunity,” Haire said. “And he believes in me and what will eventually be our staff, and the vision that we have. Because I think he has a vision for what he thinks it might look like too.”
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