Ohio State baseball adds Hoban's LaFine, Twinsburg's Bussey, Walsh's Erdmann

The Ohio State University baseball team is adding three players for the 2025 season who graduated from a high school in Summit County.

Noah LaFine, a 2024 Archbishop Hoban graduate, has committed to pitch at Ohio State after originally pledging to play at Vanderbilt during his freshman year of high school. He joins Green graduate Brady Rollyson in OSU's freshman class.

Ohio State is also adding two college transfers from the Greater Akron area in 2023 Walsh Jesuit graduate Drew Erdmann and 2022 Twinsburg graduate Reggie Bussey.

Erdmann pitched last season at the University of Cincinnati. Bussey, a center fielder, played the last two seasons at Oakland University.

Bussey, Erdmann and LaFine are set to play for Justin Haire, who was hired as OSU's coach on June 21 after 10 seasons at Campbell University.

What to know about Hoban graduate Noah LaFine

Hoban coach Derek Carmichael said LaFine is "very excited for the opportunity" at Ohio State. Carmichael coached LaFine the last two seasons after Andrew Bonnette was Hoban's coach for his first two seasons.

LaFine helped Hoban win the Division II state championship as a freshman in 2021. He started the state final, which Hoban won 2-1 in 10 innings over Bloom-Carroll, and struck out seven, walked two and allowed five hits and one run in six innings.

Hoban finished the 2021 season with a 24-9 record and a 16-game win streak. LaFine went 5-4 as a freshman with a 2.15 ERA, two saves and 53 strikeouts in 39 innings.

LaFine's freshman season included other key postseason moments. He struck out 10 and allowed one run and two hits in a 11-1 five-inning win over Triway in a district semifinal, recorded two outs to get a save in a 2-1 win over Revere in a district final and pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts to earn a save in a 4-2 win over Chagrin Falls in a regional semifinal.

LaFine helped Hoban finish as the Division II state runner-up as a sophomore in 2022 by going 6-2 with one save, a 2.98 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 47 innings. He started and earned the win in a 4-3 state semifinal win over Hamilton Badin, pitching 4⅔ innings, allowing two earned runs and four hits, hitting one, walking four and striking out six.

Hoban moved to Division I during LaFine's final two seasons, winning a district title in 2023 and a sectional crown in 2024. He went 4-1 as a senior with a 1.66 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 42 innings.

What to know about Twinsburg graduate Reggie Bussey

Bussey was primarily a backup as a freshman at Oakland in 2023. He batted .250 with 23 hits, three doubles, one triple, 16 runs, 10 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 55 games (36 starts).

Bussey earned a starting spot in Oakland's outfield as a sophomore in 2024. He batted .336 with 74 hits, 11 doubles, four triples, 49 runs, 31 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in 55 games (53 starts).

"It was probably the toughest decision I have ever made in my life leaving Oakland with those guys," Bussey said. "I felt like I was a leader on that team. It was hard to make that decision. The relationships I built the first two years with teammates and people that were not on the team, it felt like it was going to be a home [for all of college].

"I kind of had a breakout year and wanted to find better and give myself the best opportunity to play at the next level, so I decided to enter the transfer portal and then I talked to a bunch of schools. When Ohio State started talking to me, I was so stoked. That is something you dream of as a kid, playing for your home state school, especially when my sister [Nya Bussey] ran there [on the track and field team]. This is a dream come true for me."

Nya Bussey, a 2019 Twinsburg graduate, won multiple Division I state championships in high school, earned multiple Big Ten titles and All-American nods while at Ohio State and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. She graduated from OSU in 2023 and completed her athletic eligibility this year.

Bussey was a standout baseball and basketball player during his time at Twinsburg. He batted .377 with 25 stolen bases as a senior for former Twinsburg coach Jeff Luca.

"Reggie is a great athlete and can flat out go get the baseball in the outfield," current Twinsburg baseball coach Jim Lipinski said. "I am happy and excited for him to show what he can do at Ohio State."

What to know about Walsh Jesuit graduate Drew Erdmann

Erdmann appeared in 11 games as a reliever as a freshman in 2024 at Cincinnati. He went 0-1 with a 8.36 ERA, 16 strikeouts, 16 walks and 18 hits allowed in 14 innings.

"We had a very good year at Cincinnati," Erdmann said. "We were projected to finish very low in the Big 12 and we ended up doing very well and getting fifth in the conference. I learned a lot throughout that experience. I may not have gotten a crazy amount of innings as I battled through some injuries, but it was a very good experience for me. After the year, I felt like Cincinnati wasn't the greatest fit for me. I felt like there was somewhere else I could develop and get a lot better. That was my reason for leaving.

"Ohio State got the new coaches and I really liked what they have done at Campbell in past years. I talked with them and really liked what I heard from there. I am very excited for this year coming up."

Walsh made Division I state semifinal appearances when Erdmann was a sophomore in 2021 under former coach Chris Kaczmar and a senior in 2023 under current coach Joe Bowers. Erdmann also was a standout defensive end in football.

Erdmann finished his senior year at Walsh with a five-inning perfect game in a 10-0 district championship win over Louisville and a five-inning no-hitter in a 10-0 regional semifinal win over University School.

Erdmann struck out nine against Louisville and struck out four, walked two and hit a batter against University.

"I am really excited for Drew and the opportunity he has to go play for the Buckeyes," Bowers said. "If you are from Ohio, you want to play for Ohio State, and I think he gets to live out a lot of our dreams there. I am excited for him and I think he is going to do really big things at Ohio State."

Erdmann posted a 5-2 record as a junior in 2022 with a 1.19 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 41⅓ innings. He battled through injuries and went 5-0 as a senior in 2023 with a 1.64 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 25⅔ innings.

"I know Drew from playing summer baseball together," Bussey said. "I am good friends with Drew, and his dad [Ken Erdmann] coached us when we were kids. I know [2023 Walsh Jesuit graduate] Mason Eckelman, who is at Ohio State. I played with him and Erdmann in the summer while we were in high school."

Bussey and Erdmann live a couple minutes apart in Twinsburg and Hudson, respectively.

"I live on the border of Hudson and Twinsburg," Drew Erdmann said. "I live about a two-minute drive from Reggie. ... Reggie and I have been really good friends since we were kids. My dad was our coach from coach pitch all the way up until my senior year."

Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.