Ohio State Buckeyes Land Commitment From Vanderbilt Pitcher

The Ohio State Buckeyes baseball team made a nice addition to its pitching staff on Thursday. Vanderbilt transfer Nik Copenhaver announced on social media that he has committed to play for the Buckeyes. He is currently listed as 6’4″ and 210 pounds. Mick Walker of Lettermen Row posted the screenshot on X.

During his first season at Vanderbilt, the right-handed pitcher didn’t get a chance to step on the mound and throw. As a prospect coming out of Stephen T. Badin in Hamilton, Ohio, he was highly regarded, even being ranked the No. 3 right-handed pitcher and No. 7 overall player in Ohio. He was also a top-500 national prospect.

As a senior in high school, Copenhaver allowed just four earned runs in 36.2 innings, a whopping 0.76 ERA. He also struck out 64 batters. He helped his team to three conference titles and reached the regional finals his senior season. He was named to the 2023 Perfect Game Preseason All-Central Region second team.

Justin Hair, the new head coach of Ohio State Baseball, is also a Badin High School alum.

Whether or not Copenhaven steps onto the mound for the Buckeyes right away is something to see in the spring. Regardless of whether his arm is used during the 2025 season or if he is a future high-impact player, this is a great addition for the Buckeyes.

Last season, Ohio State went 29-26 overall and 12-12 in the Big Ten. They will look to improve on that next season. Perhaps Copenhaven will be a key player in making that happen.