Youngstown State University
St. Bonaventure
Softball Hosts Bonnies, Golden Grizzlies This Week
3/28/2023 11:36:00 AM | Softball
| YOUNGSTOWN STATE vs. St. Bonaventure, Oakland | |
|---|---|
| Games 1-2 | Wednesday, March 29 | 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. ET |
| Opponent | DH vs. St. Bonaventure | Live Stats |
| Games 3 | Wednesday, March 31 | 3 p.m. |
| Opponent | vs. Oakland | Live Stats |
| Games 4-5 | Saturday, April 1 | 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. ET |
| Opponent | DH vs. Oakland | Live Stats |
| Live Tweets | @YSUSoftball | @YSUSports |
| Hashtags | #GoGuins | #HLSB |
| Mobile App | iOS Download | Android Download |
First Pitch
The Youngstown State returns to the Covelli Sports Complex for five straight home games when it host St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, March 29, and Oakland in a three-game series, March 31-April 1.
First pitch against the Bonnies is set for 3 p.m. while the Penguins and Golden Grizzlies series starts at 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Last Time Out
Yougnstown State went 6-1 last week with doubleheader sweeps of Purdue Fort Wayne, 4-3, 7-2, and Morehead State, 6-2, 3-1, and won the season series against Detroit Mercy with 13-1 and 5-1 wins. The Penguins six-game winning streak was snapped after a 4-2 loss on March 27.
Up Next
Youngstown State plays a pair of midweek road doubleheaders at Niagara on April 4 and at Akron at April 5 before returning home to host Robert Morris, April 11-12.
Scouting St. Bonaventure
- St. Bonaventure enters the week with an overall record of 5-15 and are 1-5 in true road games.
- Leading the Bonnies is Brooke Bobby with a .340 batting average, three doubes and two triples.
Home Sweet Home
- Since the Penguins began playing their home games at the YSU Softball Field in 2014, they have found a lot of success in their home ballpark. Youngstown State is 108-59 in 167 games in its on-campus facility for a .6 w47inning percentage. YSU secured its 100th victory at the complex with a 5-2 victory over Green Bay on April 23, 2022.
- The Penguins have reached double digits in wins in seven of the eight seasons that they've played at the YSU Softball Complex (no home games were played in 2020). YSU's best season at home came in 2021 when it went 23-8 for a .742 winning percentage. The Penguins have had a winning record in seven of their eight seasons playing on campus.
- Youngstown State was 15-8 at the YSU Softball Complex in 2022, including 11-4 against Horizon League opponents during the regular season.
- The Penguins have earned a victory on each Opening Day at the YSU Softball Complex since 2014. YSU is 5-3 in their first home games since 2014, but it bounced back to split doubleheaders on the three instances in which it dropped the opener.
- Youngstown State has a 74-36 mark (.673) in Horizon League regular-season games played at the YSU Softball Field. The Penguins are 31-10 in conference regular-season contests played on their turf over the last two-plus seasons.
Howell, Turner Sweep Horizon League Weekly Awards
- Junior Sophie Howell and senior Megan Turner were named the Horizon League Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, on March 28.
- Last week, the Penguins went 6-1 overall and 4-1 in Horizon League play thanks in part to the duo. Howell went 3-0 with a 1.54 earned-run average, 23 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched. She also fired three complete games. Turner batted .471 (8-for-17) with six runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and 11 RBIs. She also slugged 1.471 and had an OBP of .500.
Guins Dig the Long Ball
- The Penguins used the long quite often in its 13-1 win over Detroit Mercy.
- Youngstown State belted four home runs against the Titans, two by Megan Turner, and one each from Hailey Roach and Kennedy Dean.
- The Penguins have hit eight home runs in the last seven games.
Roach Rampin' Up
- Senior Hailey Roach ramped up her offensive production over the last seven games.
- The outfielder batted .400 (8-for-20) with a pair of home runs and five runs batted in.
League Leader
- Youngstown State has the Horizon League's top home run hitter, top strikeout and wins leader, and top RBI producer.
- Megan Turner leads the league with five home runs while Sophie Howell leads the league with 85 strikeouts and six wins, and Conchetta Rinaldi has a league-best 19 runs batted in.
- Junior Sara Fessler ranks second in the league with a .397 batting average and 29 hits.
Fessler, Howell Sweep Horizon League Weekly Awards
- Juniors Sara Fessler and Sophie Howell were named the Horizon League Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, on March 8.
- Over six games where the Penguins posted a 4-2 record, Fessler batted .438 (7-for-16) with seven runs scored, three doubles and three runs batted in. Howell went 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 20 innings. Highlighting her week, Howell tied a career high with 11 strikeouts in a 7-2 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Penguins Picked Fifth
Youngstown State was predicted to finish fifth in the Horizon League after a preseason vote of the league's head coaches. The Penguins, who received 50 points, are coming off their second straight 30-win campaign after going 32-24 overall and 17-9 in the Horizon League.
Oakland earned 77 points and eight first-place votes to earn the top spot in voting done by the League's head coaches while Robert Morris (68 points) was voted second in the poll. Cleveland State (61) and Green Bay (51) were picked ahead of YSU (50), and Northern Kentucky (43), IUPUI (22), Purdue Fort Wayne (20) and Detroit Mercy (13) rounded out the poll.
