Over the years, Ohio State has seen many talented coaches turn teams into national powerhouses.
One man who has made OSU his home away from home is baseball manager Bob Todd.
Todd began coaching the Buckeyes in the 1988-89 season and hasn’t left. Since his appearance in Columbus, Todd has become the winningest coach in the history of the program — the oldest varsity sport in OSU history.
This longevity will allow Todd to join a selective group. With three more wins, Todd will be the 41st coach to win 1,000 games in the history of college baseball.
Todd has guided the Buckeyes to a winning record every season.
“This just shows I have had some talented players,” he said.
Todd may have been trying to be modest by giving his players credit, but every year players find themselves with postseason awards. Todd has had numerous players win Freshman of the Year, Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and so on.
Todd’s latest standout pitcher is junior Alex Wimmers. Last year, Wimmers threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in OSU history against Michigan.
“It would be a great honor to be on the field to get [Todd’s] 1,000 win,” Wimmers said.
Todd’s teams haven’t always been great but they find ways to shine.
In 1991, Todd’s fourth season, the team set a school record with 52 wins and made it to the NCAA Tournament.
In 2002, the Buckeyes had to win 15 of the last 17 games just to make it into the Big Ten Tournament. Once in the tournament, they won four of five games to win the tournament and secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Todd has also produced players to go on and play professional baseball. Just this year former Buckeye great Nick Swisher was celebrating a World Series title with the New York Yankees.
In 1999, OSU was one of two northern schools to host an NCAA regional. That same year OSU found itself one game away from the College World Series before getting knocked out.
The Buckeyes start their season this Friday, looking to defend their Big Ten regular season title.
