COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Department of Athletics has announced the hiring of Justin Haire as the next head baseball coach. Haire becomes the 13^th head coach in program history and has signed a five-year contract with the Buckeyes.

“We are so excited to welcome Justin Haire and his family to Ohio State to lead our baseball program into a new era,” said Senior Advisor for Intercollegiate Athletics Ross Bjork. “We had a tremendous amount of interest in this position from successful coaches around the country, so it was exciting to see this search unfold. Coach Haire’s successful career as a head coach and track record of winning games in the NCAA Tournament made us stand up and take notice, and his deep Ohio roots are an added bonus. We believe Ohio State baseball can be a Big Ten contender and make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament under Justin’s leadership, and we are fired up for him to start here in Columbus. Congratulations to Justin, Lindsey, Jackson, Parker, Max and Anne Marie, and welcome to the Buckeye family.”

Haire’s ties to Ohio are strong; he played at Bowling Green for two seasons and was part of the 2001 MAC East Division Champion team. He finished his collegiate playing career at the University of Indianapolis. Haire was born and raised in Hamilton, Ohio, and graduated from Badin High School.

“I am incredibly honored and excited to be named the head baseball coach at The Ohio State University,” Haire said. “As an Ohio native, this opportunity is especially meaningful to me. We look forward to building a championship-level program at Ohio State, where the commitment to excellence in both athletics and academics is unparalleled. The passion and pride of Buckeye Nation is unmatched and we are eager to contribute to the success and growth of Ohio State baseball. My family and I would like to thank Mr. Ross Bjork and President Ted Carter for this tremendous opportunity. We look forward to attacking the challenge ahead and know that the best is yet to come!”

Haire brings a proven history of success to Columbus after serving as the head coach at Campbell for the last 10 seasons. He won 317 games while at the helm of the Camels’ program, averaging over 30 wins per season. He was named the Big South Coach of the Year four times (2018, 2021, 2022, 2023). Haire led the Camels to five consecutive Big South regular season titles from 2018-23 and four Big South Tournament titles (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023). Haire and the Camels reached five NCAA Regionals and won seven NCAA Tournament games.

Thirteen of Haire’s players have been selected in the MLB Draft and 18 have signed professional contracts with MLB organizations. He has coached three Big South Players of the Year, three Big South Pitchers of the Year, four Big South Rookies of the Year, and 10 All-Americans.

“Coach Haire is the right person to lead Ohio State baseball into the future,” said Shaun Richard, Executive Associate Athletic Director. “He has tons of passion, a great plan to achieve success, and is someone who wants to be a Buckeye. We talked to a lot of coaches throughout this process and it just kept coming back to Justin and what he laid out to move this program forward. Buckeye Nation is going to love what he brings both on and off the field.”

Before being named the head coach at Campbell in June 2014, Haire spent seven seasons with the Camels serving in various roles including recruiting coordinator, assistant coach, and associate head coach.

Haire is known for his consistent and explosive offenses and in his 17 total seasons at Campbell, the Camels set over 50 individual and team offensive records.

Prior to Campbell, Haire spent four years as an assistant at Ouachita Baptist University and one season as the pitching coach at Sterling College.

Haire graduated from Henderson State University with a degree in history. Haire and his wife Lindsey have four children; Jackson, Parker, Max, and Anne Marie.

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