Huntington, W.Va. -- The Youngstown State baseball team will look to change its fortunes this weekend with a three-game series at Marshall. The opener will be Friday at 3 p.m. at the Kennedy Center, and Saturday's and Sunday's contests will start at 1 p.m.
     The series against the Thundering Herd will wrap up YSU's spring break trip through Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. YSU has lost all six of its contests on the trip, but all six games have been within one run in the seventh inning or later. The Penguins have held a late lead in four of their last five losses.
     This will also be the final three-game, non-conference series for the Penguins this season. YSU will begin Horizon League play next Friday at Wright State.
     Lone-senior John Koehnlein is batting a team-high .438 and has hit safely in six straight games. Jacke Healey is batting .425 and slugging .775.
     Defending Horizon League Pitcher of the Year Aaron Swenson will go for his first win in the opener on Friday, and sophomore lefties Matt Tucker and Cody Dearth will look to build on strong outings in Saturday and Sunday starts.
 
 It Ain't Over 'Til it's over
     Youngstown State has definitely become seasoned in playing in close games through the first 11 games of the year. The score has been within one run in the sixth inning or later in nine straight games. The Penguins have held a lead in the seventh inning or later four times in the past five games but came come away empty in each.
 
 Better Start at Plate vs. 2008
     The Penguins are hitting significantly better though their first 11 games this season compared to 2008. Six different players with more than 30 plate appearances are hitting above .280 this year, which is double the total at this time last season. As a team, YSU is batting 38 points higher (.274-.236), slugging 102 points higher (.399-.297), has scored 27 more runs (59-32), has posted 10 more doubles (24-14) and hit four more home runs (7-3).
 
 Healey Executing in the Clutch
     Junior shortstop Jacke Healey has been YSU's best hitter in clutch situations. Through the first 11 games, Healey hit .615 (8-for-13) with runners in scoring position and .647 (11-for-17) with runners on base. On three occasions, he has given YSU the lead or tied the score in the ninth inning. He hit a two-run homer to give YSU a 7-6 win at VMI on Feb. 27. The next day his RBI double in the ninth broke a 4-4 tie and started a five-run inning. On March 10 at James Madison, his RBI single in the ninth tied the score at 5-5.
 
 Lone-Senior Koehnlein Putting Together Strong Start to 2009
     Senior John Koehnlein is showing similar signs to his sophomore year when he was one of the Horizon League's most feared hitters. Koehnlein is batting a team-high .438 through the Penguins' first 11 games. As a sophomore, Koehnlein registered the nation's fourth-highest batting average at .434. Last season he battled through injuries and an early slump, starting 1-for-12 and missing more than a month. He hit .419 over his final nine games to boost his final average to .288.
 
 Dearth, Vukovic Provide Strong First Starts
     Sophomore Cody Dearth and junior Corey Vukovic were both solid in their first starts of the season earlier this week. Dearth allowed two runs (one earned) on 10 hits without walking a batter in career-best six innings at Longwood on Monday. Vukovic then allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and one walk in seven innings at James Madison on Tuesday. Dearth had allowed four runs in two innings of relief prior to the start, and Vukovic had allowed four runs in 2.1 innings out of the bullpen.