Ohio State head coaches provide relatability, insight to produce next wave of talent at their former positions

Jen Flynn Oldenburg remembers what it was like to be a college volleyball setter.

Though it’s been 24 years since she led Ohio State to four straight NCAA tournaments and finished seventh all-time in assists as a player, Oldenburg has since brought dominance back to the setter position in five years as the head coach at her alma mater.

She isn’t the only one.

Ohio State baseball head coach Bill Mosiello was once an all-conference catcher at Cerritos College and a letterwinner at Fresno State before coaching in college and the minor leagues. Now as head coaches, Oldenburg and Mosiello have used their playing experiences to help student-athletes succeed at their former positions by providing insight and a style of play that only those who played the positions could.

“I’ve done it in your shoes. I’ve done it at a higher level,” Oldenburg said. “A lot of our setters want to compete at the next level, and so being able to relate the game that way is pretty big.”

In each of her five seasons as head coach at Ohio State, Oldenburg has had a setter ranked in the Big Ten’s top five in assists per set. Graduate Mac Podraza became the first Buckeye to win Big Ten Setter of the Year in 2022, while freshman Mia Tuman already ranks 15th in program history with 936 assists.

While her setters have earned numerous accolades at Ohio State, Oldenburg said nobody knows how important a setter is until they are in it. Unlike other positions, this one comes with a lot of control, she said. 

“You have to love it, and you have to have the ability to put the team first and give all the glory over to everyone else,” Oldenburg said. “Yeah, setters will get awards, they’ll get whatever, but you’re playing for the team, and you’re basically setting everybody else up for success.”

As a player, Oldenburg transitioned from outside hitter to setter at Ohio State, becoming the first player to be named All-Big Ten at both positions in conference history. Oldenburg has passed her knowledge of what both positions look for to her setters.

“I could speak to both sides of it, like, as a setter when this happened, I was able to do this, but also your attackers need you to do this,” Oldenburg said. “Even as an attacker, I’m talking to our pins or middle and it’s like, ‘Hey, you need to do this for your setter; that’s only going to make her better.’”

Oldenburg said her setting background has helped her relate to the current ones.

Unlike Oldenburg, Mosiello started his college career in 1983 at Fresno State, becoming an All-South Coast Conference catcher, and won a California junior college state title in two years before finishing his career back at Fresno State as a letterwinner in 1986.

One year later, Mosiello began a 39-year coaching career where he produced three All-Americans and nine all-conference catchers at three of his nine Division I schools.

“Number one, you can’t ever be on a good team if you don’t have a good catcher,” Mosiello said. “If your team wasn’t very good, that’s never a bad place to start.”

Mosiello said he looks for catchers with intelligence, toughness and athleticism.

“We want an athletic guy that can do a lot of different things and help the team in so many different areas,” Mosiello said.

Freshman catcher Matthew Graveline fit that mold by catching and playing first base and outfield to improve Ohio State’s catching room. His on-base plus slugging percentage increased by over 52 points and drove in 31 more runs in Mosiello’s first year as head coach.

Graveline batted .287, drove in 35 runs and stole 12 bases to earn Big Ten All-Freshman honors, garnering high praise from Mosiello.

“He’s got a chance to be as good as anybody I’ve ever coached,” Mosiello said. “He needs to improve in every facet still, but man, not many guys have a chance to do everything on the field.”

Mosiello said what sticks out to him when he works with his catchers is “energy and presence” behind the plate.

“You better have some energy, I better feel like, okay, we’re in good shape,” Mosiello said. “But you maybe look at some catchers and he’s lollygagging everywhere, and no presence and no energy, that’s a bad combo.”

Many successful college head coaches and professional managers are former catchers. Mosiello, who is a part of that trend, said it is not a coincidence that catchers make great head coaches and managers.

“I just think they have to understand all parts of the game, and most of the time, you normally don’t see some great All-Star catcher become a manager,” Mosiello said. “You have to be a great teammate, [you’ve] got to handle yourself right, you better be super intelligent. You don’t get half the reps, and I just think they have a better feel for everything that’s going on.”

Whether it’s a catcher on the diamond or a setter on the court, Mosiello and Oldenburg’s former positions hold a great deal of meaning to their programs.

Mosiello said the catcher is the “heartbeat of your club.”

Meanwhile, Oldenburg said the setter “has to have a pulse” on the team.

“Yeah, you get an assist,” Oldenburg said. “But no, you are the servant leader out on the court and you have to love it.”