Dan Bertolini, a Youngstown native with a proven record of winning and recruiting talented players from the region, will enter his eighth season as head coach of the Youngstown State baseball program in 2023-24. He is the ninth head coach in Penguins history.
Bertolini came to Youngstown after spending eight seasons developing the program at Mercyhurst North East into a consistent winner at the national level as its head coach. The Saints averaged more than 29 wins over his eight seasons at the helm and won at least 30 games in four of his final five years. Bertolini was the winningest coach in school history.
Most recently in 2023, the Penguins posted an overall record of 19-36 with a 13-16 mark in Horizon League play. Bertolini has now guided the program to double-digit Horizon League wins in three straight seasons for the first time in program history. With 10 road victories in 2023, Youngstown State has also recorded double-digit road wins in three straight seasons for the first time since 2005-07.
The 2023 campaign was highlighted by the program’s longest winning streak in 18 years. YSU won eight straight games from April 25 to May 9 to put together its longest winning streak since the 2005 season. The Penguins won 12 of their final 16 games while earning four consecutive Horizon League series victories to close out the regular season.
Youngstown State set a new single-season school record with 123 doubles as a team in 2023. The previous record of 115 was set in 2010. The Penguins ranked 49th nationally in total doubles while ranking 31st in the country with 2.24 doubles per game. YSU also set a new single-season school record with 190 extra-base hits in 2023, surpassing the previous mark of 183 that was also set in 2010.
In addition, YSU's 54 home runs as a team in 2023 rank as the second most in a season in program history behind the school record of 60 that was set in 2010. The 2023 season marks just the fourth time in school history that the Penguins have hit at least 50 home runs – three of those occurrences have come during Bertolini's tenure as head coach. Furthermore, four of the program's five-highest home run totals have come in Bertolini's first seven seasons at the helm. The 2023 season also marks the only campaign in YSU history that four different players hit at least eight homers.
With two wins at Baylor in early March and a victory at Pitt on April 10, YSU has now earned five victories against Power Five opponents over the past two seasons. Youngstown State has collected nine Power Five victories over Bertolini's first seven seasons as head coach. YSU's 7-5 victory at Baylor on March 3, 2023, marked the program's first win over a Big 12 opponent since 2013.
Youngstown State tied the single-game school record with six home runs as a team in a 12-4 victory at Northern Kentucky on May 13, 2023. YSU hit six homers in a game for the third time in school history and for the first time since May 6, 2001, at Oakland. Senior outfielder Andre Good tied the single-game school record with three home runs in a 17-13 victory at Northern Kentucky on May 14, 2023. Good hit three of YSU's five home runs in the game to become just the fourth player in school history to hit three homers in a game. He became the first Penguin to blast three dingers in a single contest since Lorenzo Arcuri at Morehead State on March 7, 2017.
Under Bertolini’s guidance, second baseman Matt Thompson became the first player in YSU history to be named Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2023. Thompson, who was also selected to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team, batted .316 and slugged .439 with 54 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 28 RBIs. He ranked eighth in the Horizon League with a .316 batting average and a .421 on-base percentage. Thompson became just the seventh YSU freshman to bat at least .300 since YSU joined the Horizon League in 2002. He was the first YSU freshman to bat at least .300 since Jason Shirley hit .303 in 2012. Thompson batted .324 and slugged .480 with five doubles, three home runs and 20 RBIs in Horizon League play.
Bertolini coached junior shortstop Trey Law to a breakout season in 2023. Law was named Second-Team All-Horizon League and to the ABCA/Rawlings East All-Region Second Team after batting .362 and slugging .452 with 80 hits, 17 doubles, one home run, 29 RBIs, 24 walks, 50 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He led the Horizon League with 80 hits while ranking second with a .362 batting average, fifth with 17 doubles and a .437 on-base percentage and sixth with 50 runs scored. Law's 80 hits are tied for the third most in a season in program history. He became the first Penguin to record at least 80 hits in a season since Jacke Healey had 83 in 2010. Law was named Horizon League Co-Batter of the Week on Feb. 28, 2023.
Senior Padraig O’Shaughnessy was named First-Team All-Horizon League in his sixth and final collegiate season in 2023. The Poland, Ohio, native became the first YSU player to earn all-league honors as a designated hitter since Jeremy Banks in 2012. O'Shaughnessy batted .274 and slugged .487 with 13 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 36 walks and 53 RBIs in 2023. O'Shaughnessy's 53 RBIs are tied for the third most in a season in program history. He became just the second Penguin since 2010 to record at least 50 RBIs in a season.
Bertolini also helped senior infielder Braeden O’Shaughnessy garner All-Horizon League honors for the second straight season in 2023. The Poland, Ohio, native was named Second-Team All-Horizon League as a third baseman after earning first-team honors as a second baseman in 2022. O’Shaughnessy batted .288 and slugged .486 with 15 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 43 RBIs. He was named Horizon League Batter of the Week for the first time in his career on May 9, 2023.
Freshman left-hander Braden Gebhardt joined Matt Thompson on Horizon League All-Freshman Team in 2023. The Howland, Ohio, native posted a 3-3 record, a 6.29 ERA, one save and 54 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched over 21 appearances and nine starts. Gebhardt's 54 strikeouts are the most by a YSU freshman since Collin Floyd had 58 in 2016. He became just the fourth YSU freshman to record at least 50 strikeouts since YSU joined the Horizon League in 2002.
The Penguins have now had at least one player garner First-Team All-Horizon League honors each of the past three seasons. It marks the first time since 2008-10 that YSU has had a first-team honoree in three straight campaigns. The Penguins have also had at least one player named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team in six of the last seven seasons that postseason awards have been handed out.
Senior first baseman Steven D'Eusanio, sophomore catcher Ian Francis and senior designated hitter Padraig O'Shaughnessy were each named to the 2023 Horizon League All-Academic Team while senior third baseman Braeden O'Shaughnessy was selected to the Honorable Mention Team. The Penguins had multiple players earn all-academic honors for the fourth consecutive season. At least one Penguin has been named academic all-league in each of Bertolini’s first seven seasons as head coach.
Padraig O'Shaughnessy was named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team for the third straight season to become the fifth player in program history to be a three-time honoree. In addition, O'Shaughnessy was named Academic All-District by College Sports Communicators to become just the third Penguin since 2013 to earn the prestigious honor.
Following the 2023 season, the program was recognized as a recipient of the American Baseball Coaches Association's (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award for the sixth consecutive year with a 3.37 team GPA.
In 2022, Bertolini guided YSU to a 21-36 record to achieve back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2005-06. The Penguins won 13 road contests for the second straight season in 2022 to reach double-digit road wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2006-07.
Youngstown State earned a pair of road wins over Power Five opponents in 2022. YSU defeated ACC member Pitt 5-2 on March 16 before beating Big Ten member Penn State 2-1 on March 22. The win against Penn State marked YSU's first win over a Big Ten opponent since 1996. YSU placed third in the 2022 Horizon League Baseball Championship, which was its best finish since winning the tournament in 2014. The Penguins also won multiple games in the tournament for the first time since that championship season.
Bertolini helped a pair of Penguins garner First-Team All-Horizon League honors in 2022. Junior right-hander Matt Brosky and junior infielder Braeden O’Shaughnessy were each first-team all-league selections, and Brosky was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Year. The Penguins had multiple players garner first-team all-league honors for the second consecutive season and for just the second time since 2012. It marked the first time since 2009-10 that YSU has had multiple players earn first-team all-league recognition in back-to-back seasons. O'Shaughnessy became just the second YSU infielder since 2013 to be named First-Team All-Horizon League.
Brosky became the second consecutive Penguin to win the Horizon League’s Pitcher of the Year award after his former teammate Collin Floyd claimed the honor in 2021. He also joined Floyd as just the second YSU pitcher since Phil Klein in 2009 to be named First-Team All-Horizon League. Brosky became the first Penguin since 2014 to be named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team, and he was selected to the ABCA/Rawlings East All-Region Second Team. On July 18, 2022, Brosky was selected by the Texas Rangers with the 229th overall pick in the eighth round of the MLB Draft. He became the first Penguin to be drafted since 2015 and the first YSU pitcher to be selected since Klein was picked by the Rangers in 2011.
Senior first baseman Padraig O'Shaughnessy and senior right-hander Jon Snyder were each named to the 2022 Horizon League All-Academic Team. In addition, senior third baseman Steven D'Eusanio was named to the All-Academic Honorable Mention Team. The Penguins had multiple players selected to the Horizon League All-Academic Team for the third straight season. Youngstown State had not had multiple players earn all-academic recognition in three straight seasons since 2012-14.
In 2021, YSU went 32-24 to post its best record in 26 years. The Penguins reached the 30-win plateau for just the second time in program history and for the first time since going 37-17 in 1995. Youngstown State also reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2010.
The Penguins went 24-16 in Horizon League play to set a new program record for Horizon League and conference wins. The previous record of 16 Horizon League wins was set in 2006 while the previous mark of 18 conference wins was set in 1995. YSU finished the season with a winning record for the first time since 2005, and it secured a winning record in league play for the first time since 2008.
Youngstown State finished the 2021 season with a 19-4 record at Eastwood Field to set a new program record for home wins. The previous mark of 18 home wins was set in 1977. YSU also won 13 road games in 2021, which was its most since winning 14 in 2006. It marked the first season since 2010 in which the Penguins won at least 10 road contests.
YSU finished the 2021 campaign with national rankings of second in triples, 23rd in batting average, 35th in hits, 45th in runs, seventh in sacrifice flies and 19th in stolen bases. The Penguins set new school records for triples (27), slugging percentage (.463) and fielding percentage (.969). The Guins also posted their best batting average (.298) and on-base percentage (.379) since 2010. YSU finished the 2021 season with 51 home runs as a team. YSU hit 50 round trippers in 2017 and 44 in 2018, meaning the second, third and fourth-highest totals in the program’s record book came in Bertolini’s first five seasons as head coach.
Youngstown State’s pitching staff set a new school record with 447 strikeouts in 2021. The Penguins surpassed the previous mark of 431 that was set in 2003. It marked just the fourth time in program history that YSU recorded at least 400 strikeouts in a season. YSU’s 88 stolen bases in 2021 rank as the third most in a season in school history. After stealing 86 bases in 2018 and setting a new school record with 113 steals in 2019, the Penguins recorded three of the five-highest single-season stolen base totals in program history from 2018-21.
Collin Floyd was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, and he was one of seven Penguins to earn All-Horizon League accolades in 2021. Jeff Wehler joined Floyd on the All-Horizon League First Team while Dominick Bucko, Phillip Glasser, Blaze Glenn and Jon Snyder earned second-team all-league honors. In addition, Nick Perez was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. YSU's seven honorees matched the most in a season in school history. The Penguins also had seven players honored by the league in 2007 and 2018. This 2021 season marked the first time in school history that YSU had more than four players named to the first or second teams.
Bucko and Floyd were each named to the ABCA/Rawlings East All-Region First Team in 2021. In addition, Glasser and Snyder were each selected to the 2020-21 Academic All-District® Baseball Team, selected by CoSIDA, for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom. They became the first Penguin baseball players to earn Academic All-District honors since Drew Dosch in 2013.
Following the 2021 season, the program was recognized as a recipient of the American Baseball Coaches Association's (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award for the fourth consecutive year with a 3.32 team GPA. In addition, the Penguins matched a program record with five players selected to the 2021 Horizon League All-Academic Team. Nick Caruso, Glasser, Floyd, Padraig O’Shaughnessy and Snyder each earned all-academic honors. YSU had five players recognized for the second consecutive season.
In 2020, YSU went 7-7 before the season was ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Penguins won three of their first four weekend series and a midweek contest at ACC member Pitt for their best start since 2010. YSU won two out of three games at preseason No. 35 Houston on opening weekend to begin the season 2-1 for the first time since 2001. Youngstown State had the most wins and the best winning percentage in the Horizon League when the season came to an end.
Offensively, YSU led the Horizon League with 22 stolen bases and ranked in the top three of the league in hits, home runs and RBIs. On the mound, the Penguins allowed only 6.04 hits per nine innings — good for 11th in the nation — and led the league in ERA, WHIP and strikeout-to-walk ratio. YSU’s 4.58 ERA was more than a run better than the next closest team in the league.
Following the 2020 season, the program was recognized as a recipient of the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award for the third consecutive year with a 3.29 team GPA. In addition, the Penguins matched a program record with five players selected to the 2020 Horizon League All-Academic Team. Caruso, Glasser, Floyd, Joel Hake and Snyder each earned all-academic honors. YSU had five players recognized for the first time since 2010.
In Bertolini's third season, the Penguins set a new single-season school record with 113 stolen bases. It marked just the second time in program history the Penguins stole at least 100 bases. The previous mark of 104 stood for 49 years after being set in 1970. YSU finished the regular season ranked second in the Horizon League and 12th in the nation in stolen bases. The Penguins also drew 243 walks at the plate, which ranks as the third most in a single season in school history.
Four Penguins earned postseason Horizon League honors in 2019. Glenn and Wehler were voted to the All-Horizon League Second Team for the second straight season, and Glasser and Dylan Swarmer earned nods to the All-Freshman Team. Glasser and Swarmer gave the Penguins six players on the all-freshman squad from 2018-19. That is the most all-freshman or all-newcomer honorees over a two-year span in program history.
Bertolini helped nine different players earn postseason all-league honors from 2018-19. That is the most over a two-year period since the Penguins had 11 different players honored from 2007-08. The only other time YSU had at least nine players recognized over a two-year span was 2006-07.
YSU also earned a pair of victories over ACC member Pittsburgh during the 2019 campaign. It marked the first time that YSU defeated Pitt twice in a season and gave the Penguins three wins over ACC opponents in Bertolini's first three seasons.
In Bertolini’s second season, the Penguins surpassed their 2017 win totals with 18 overall wins and 10 league victories. The 18 total wins were the program’s most since 2010 and the Penguins swept a league opponent for the first time since 2012 when they won three straight over UIC at Eastwood Field in late March. With a first-round win over Oakland, YSU also notched its first Horizon League Tournament victory since it won the championship in 2014.
YSU had another impressive season on offense in Bertolini’s second year at the helm. The Penguins drew a Horizon League-best 272 walks, shattering the previous school record of 234 that was set in 2013. YSU recorded 86 stolen bases in 2018, which ranked second in the league and tied for the second most in a single season in school history. It marked the first time the Penguins stole at least 80 bases in a season since 1998.
Youngstown State hit 44 home runs as a team in 2018, which ranked second in the league and as the third most in a single season in school history. It also marked the first time in school history that the Penguins hit at least 40 homers in back-to-back seasons; they hit 50 in 2017. As a pitching staff, the Penguins registered 399 strikeouts in 2018, which ranked as the fourth most in a single season in program history. The staff also received three Horizon League Pitcher-of-the-Week awards during the campaign.
YSU had seven players garner postseason Horizon League honors in 2018, matching the most in a season in school history. Trey Bridis was named First-Team All-Horizon League while Floyd, Glenn and Wehler were each named Second-Team All-Horizon League. Wehler, Lucas Nasonti, Nick LaBrasca and Jakob Brustoski were voted to the All-Freshman Team. Bridis was also named a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and the Horizon League Co-Batter of the Week on May 14 after a week in which he batted .500 and hit four home runs.
The Penguins did some impressive work off the field in 2018 as well. Hake was named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team as part of another strong year in the classroom for the program. The team was also recognized for its outstanding work in the community by being named as the school's recipient of the Horizon League Team Community Outreach Award. It marked the first time the baseball program had ever earned the honor, and it was the first time a male sport won the award since 2007-08.
In his first year at Youngstown State, Bertolini injected a new energy into the program. With largely the same roster from the previous season along with some late additions over the summer, the Penguins won more games during the 2017 regular season than in five of the previous six years. Additionally, YSU tied for its most Horizon League wins since 2009.
Youngstown State earned a pair of road wins over ranked opponents during the season. The Penguins earned a 12-3 victory at No. 17 Georgia Tech on Feb. 26 in what was Bertolini's first victory at YSU. The Penguins then won 11-6 at No. 29 Kent State on April 4.
The Penguins' offense was notably improved in Bertolini's first campaign. Youngstown State averaged almost a full run more per game than in 2016 and averaged more runs per game than in five of the previous six seasons. YSU batted 31 points higher and hit an eye-popping 38 more home runs than in 2016. After the regular season, only three teams in the country had improved their home run total from 2016 more than Youngstown State. Defensively, YSU's .966 fielding percentage was its best in program history.
YSU had two players be named a national player of the week during the season. Andrew Kendrick was recognized nationally by several media outlets after he hit five home runs and posted 11 RBIs during the opening weekend. Lorenzo Arcuri was a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball on March 13 after he hit three home runs at Morehead State. Kendrick went on to smash the previous school record for home runs in a season with 17, which was five more than any other Penguin had hit in program history.
YSU also had four student-athletes – Web Charles, Kendrick, Nico Padovan and Anthony Rohan – earn Academic All-Horizon League honors. Youngstown State had not had at least four selections on the academic all-league team since 2010.
At Mercyhurst, Bertolini led the Saints to a pair of Region III titles in 2012 and 2014, and the team was ranked in the top 20 nationally every season from 2012-15. The Saints were ranked as high as No. 7 in 2014 as they went on to finish with a 31-10 record. Bertolini became the career wins leader at Mercyhurst North East as a 27-year-old in 2013, and he earned his 200th career win on April 26, 2015.
Mercyhurst North East was particularly strong on offense under Bertolini's tutelage. In 2016, the Saints registered a school-record .341 batting average, and they also set standards for hits (492), doubles (118), home runs (50), runs scored (492), RBIs (320), walks (177) and at bats (1,442). Mercyhurst North East's pitching staff also struck out a school record 293 batters. The Saints had set school records the year before for runs, RBIs, hits and doubles.
On the individual level, 55 Saints players earned All-Region honors in Bertolini's eight years at Mercyhurst North East. Bertolini also coached four Region III players of the year, two Region III pitchers of the year and a pair of National Junior College Athletic Association All-Americans.
Bertolini also had a record of emphasizing academics on his teams. Seven of his players at Mercyhurst North East earned NJCAA Academic All-America honors.
As a student-athlete, Bertolini was a four-year starter at Mercyhurst and set school records for games started, games played and consecutive games played from 2005-08. His senior year as a team captain, he was named Second-Team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and was a North Central Region Rawlings Gold Glove Winner at shortstop. Additionally, Bertolini was a three-time selection to the GLIAC All-Academic Team.
After his senior season he played professionally in the New York State League for the Westchester Federals and then in the Frontier League for the Midwest Sliders.
Bertolini is a 2004 graduate of Poland High School, and he got his start in coaching as an assistant for the Astro Falcons in the Youngstown Class B Summer League. He has also coached locally for the Ohio Glaciers. He graduated from Mercyhurst in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art with an elementary education certification.
Bertolini and his wife Bre, who was an All-American lacrosse player at Mercyhurst, have two daughters named Eloise and Odelia and a son named Hawkins.
