Ohio State senior infielder Marcus Ernst (2) stretches to make a catch during the Ohio State-Wright State baseball game March 22, 2022. Ohio State won 7-5. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
Faced with one extra year of eligibility after last season, Marcus Ernst had a decision to make.
A veteran of 117 games and four seasons, Ernst could have chosen to come back for a final season or walk away from the game he grew up playing. He chose to stay for a fifth year.
“Sports is something I’ve grown up in, and it’s something I’ve loved my entire life,” Ernst said. “Hanging up the cleats a year early would have been something I would regret for a while.”
After a breakout 2022 season that earned him Third Team All-Big Ten honors, Ernst decided to stay for a fifth year because of the regret he’d have if he didn’t return, the positive energy surrounding this year’s team and the offseason conversations he had with new head coach Bill Mosiello.
When talking over the phone to Mosiello for the first time last summer, Ernst said he knew right away that this year’s team would be a great fit for him to return.
“Coach Mo’s got a great vision for this team and especially for this year,” Ernst said. “He mentioned that he wants to win this year. It’s not going to be a rebuild.”
Ernst also said the culture of this year’s team made the decision to return easier.
“I love the guys,” Ernst said. “My best friends are on this team, so being around them for another year is a great opportunity.”
Ernst comes into 2023 after his best season as a Buckeye. A key piece in the lineup as the leadoff hitter, Ernst led the team last season with a .337 batting average, 67 hits and 39 walks.
“I give a lot of credit to the coaching staff last year,” Ernst said. “Coach [Greg] Beals, coach [Matt] Angle throughout the offseason did some tweaks to my swing that obviously paid dividends throughout the season.”
Ernst said increasing his confidence was another key reason for his success.
“A big thing in baseball is the mental side of things,” Ernst said. “Last year, I was able to be playing in a mentally good state and play with confidence and that showed.”
Ernst was the model of consistency and versatility in last year’s lineup. After the team suffered various injuries, he played four positions, primarily third base.
“We were just trying to find a way to get the best nine on the field,” Ernst said. “Whether that was putting me at third base, shortstop, first base, left field, just trying to get the best nine on the field was something that allowed us to do.”
Junior center fielder Kade Kern got the chance to play alongside Ernst in the outfield last year. Spending the last two years as his teammate, Kern said Ernst is a team player.
“He is a guy that everybody on the team looks up to,” Kern said. “Whether the team is in a good spot or a bad spot, he is a guy that everybody can look up to and follow no matter how we’re doing.”
Despite joining the program recently, Mosiello said he is also aware of what Ernst brings to the Buckeyes on and off the field heading into his fifth season.
“He’s everything you’d want your son to be like. He’s a great kid.” Mosiello said. “I know the country knows he’s a good player, but he’s even better than they know.”
With veteran leadership from players like Ernst and Kern, a new coaching staff and 18 new players, Ernst said he is excited by the team’s vision going into the new year.
“It’s a different sense than what we had in years past,” Ernst said. “I think it’s exciting to see what we can do and see what this team can accomplish.”
