Redshirt senior midfielder Alyssa Baumbick (7) dribbles through a pair of Louisville defenders. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
Alyssa and Christin Baumbick may share a last name and position on the field, but until this season, they were never teammates.
Redshirt senior midfielder Alyssa Baumbick and her sister, freshman midfielder Christin Baumbick, will both play for Ohio State in the spring. However, their soccer connection began years ago in their Avon Lake, Ohio, backyard with Christin in goal and Alyssa shooting.
“It was always super competitive,” Christin Baumbick said. “She never really took it easy on me, even though I was a lot younger than her.”
The Baumbick sisters share a five-year age gap, meaning they’ve never had the chance to be teammates. Now, in their redshirt senior and freshman seasons at Ohio State, they finally have the chance to find the net together.
“It’s kind of random that we even are playing together in the first place,” Alyssa Baumbick said. “I should have graduated last year, so it’s crazy I did get this chance for an extra season and that we were able to be on the same team together.”
After a brief stint at the University of Florida in which she redshirted her freshman year due to a torn meniscus 18 minutes into her career, Alyssa Baumbick transferred to Ohio State in 2017. Since then, she’s been a successful midfielder for the Buckeyes, starting in the last 37 games and scoring four goals.
Meanwhile, Christin Baumbick found success at both the high school and club level; she was named team MVP at Magnificat High School as a junior after tallying 22 goals and eight assists and played for Ohio Premier Club.
Now, she joins her sister and fellow midfielder at Ohio State.
“It was one of the schools that I looked at that I felt most at home and most comfortable,” Christin Baumbick said. “I would go to Alyssa’s games, and I just loved the team and the coaches.”
Both sisters said that their familial chemistry would give them an advantage on the field.
“I feel like I know her so much more as a player since I’ve watched her constantly growing up,” Christin Baumbick said. “I feel like it’s a lot easier to play with her than anyone else because I know her so well.”
Although the fate of a spring season remains uncertain, the Baumbicks are still grateful for the time they’ve shared as teammates thus far. Be it training together or grabbing a bite to eat, they said that this time has brought them closer as sisters.
“It’s having someone who kind of gets you and understands you more than anyone else does on the team,” Alyssa Baumbick said. “No one else really knows where I come from and what my true personality is to the fullest, so it’s nice to have someone who you’re super close to.”
Next year, Christin Baumbick will remain at Ohio State in hopes of finding the same success in the midfield as her sister did. Meanwhile, Alyssa Baumbick looks to continue playing at the next level after her May graduation and is awaiting news on how professional teams will host tryouts amidst COVID-19.
If all goes well, she’ll have to thank her old backyard goalkeeper.
“It was always super nice to kind of have her there and having her also be super interested in soccer,” Alyssa Baumbick said. “It was like a training buddy who’s always available.”
