Softball: Ohio State Hires Kirin Kumar As Head Coach

After firing head softball coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly on May 13, Ohio State has found its replacement in Kirin Kumar.

Kumar comes from Miami University, where she was the head coach for four seasons and a 174-56-1 record with the RedHawks, being named the Mid-American coach of the year twice in her four seasons.

“It’s an honor to be chosen to lead the Ohio State softball program,” said Kumar. “I’d like to thank (Executive Associate Athletics Director) Mike Penner, (Athletics Director) 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.”

The RedHawks have made the NCAA tournament in each of her four seasons at the helm, where Ohio State has failed to make it past the regional round since 1982.

“We’re excited to welcome Kirin to the Buckeye family,” said Penner. “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’s 2024 team at Miami hit 160 home runs, the second most in a single season in NCAA history, and scored 507 runs, leading the nation in home runs, slugging percentage (.724), and scoring offense (8.7 runs per game). That led to the team being ranked in the national polls for the first time in school history and two All-American selections.

Before she took over at Miami, Kumar was an assistant coach from 2006-20, including two different stints at Tulsa (2006-10, 2015-16), North Carolina (2011), Western Kentucky (2012-12), Tennessee Tech (2014) NC State (2017-18) and Virginia Tech (2019-20).

She also played in college at Georgia Tech, getting into 251 games and winning two ACC Championships while making the NCAA tournament all four seasons with the Yellow Jackets.