Youngstown State University
Ohio State
Penguins Visit Ohio State Tuesday Night
4/17/2023 3:40:00 PM | Softball
| YOUNGSTOWN STATE at Ohio State; at Green Bay | |
|---|---|
| Games 1 | Tuesday, April 18 | 6 p.m. |
| Opponent | at Ohio State | Live Stats | Watch |
| Games 2 | Friday, April 21 | 4 p.m. |
| Opponent | at Green Bay | Live Stats | Watch |
| Game 3 | Saturday, April 22 | 1 p.m. ET |
| Opponent | at Green Bay | Live Stats | Watch |
| Game 4 | Saturday, April 22 | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Opponent | at Green Bay | Live Stats | Watch |
| Live Tweets | @YSUSoftball | @YSUSports |
| Hashtags | #GoGuins | #HLSB |
| Mobile App | iOS Download | Android Download |
The First Pitch
• The Youngstown State softball team returns to action with a midweek single game against Big Ten member Ohio State, Tuesday, April 18.
• First pitch against the Buckeyes is set for 6 p.m. at Buckeye Field and the game will be broadcast on BTN+.
Last Time Out
• Last week, the Penguins went 3-3 after taking the season series from Robert Morris on April 11-12, and dropping a three-game set to IUPUI, April 14-15.
• The Penguins split a doubleheader against the Colonials winning 6-5 in eight innings and falling 11-3. Youngstown State won the rubber-match, 3-2.
• The Jaguars defeated the Penguins, 8-2 and 2-1, before Youngstown State won game three, 6-1.
Up Next
• The Penguins visit Green Bay for a three-game Horizon League series, April 21-22, in Green Bay, Wis.
About Ohio State
• Ohio State enters the game with an overall record of 27-14 and has won six of its last seven games.
• Leading the Buckeyes offensively is Melina Wilkison with a .406 batting average, 10 home runs and 40 RBIs. Wilkison is also slugging .797 and has 12 doubles and six triples.
• Sam Hackenbracht is batting .345 with six homers and 26 runs batted in.
• Allison Smith leads the Buckeyes' pitching staff with a 14-8 record, 155 strikeouts and a 2.70 earned run average.
The Ohio State Series
• This is the 13th meeting between Youngstown State and Ohio State in series that dates back to 1981. The Buckeyes won all 12 previous contests.
• This is also the second meeting between the schools since 2001.
• Ohio State defeated the Penguins, 2-1, on April 21, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio.
Last Time Against Ohio State
• The Youngstown State softball team went toe-to-toe with Ohio State but dropped a 2-1 decision to the Buckeyes in extra innings on April 21, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio.
• The Guins, who tallied just three hits, got on the board first in the top of the second inning when Sarah Gabel ripped a two-out single to left-center field to score Kim Klonowski, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.
• The Buckeyes knotted the game in the bottom half of the frame with off of starter Casey Crozier. After the first two batters of the inning were retired, a walk and consecutive two-out singles by the Buckeyes tied the game at 1-1.
• The Guins were only able to record one more hit the rest of the game.
• In the bottom of the eighth, the Buckeyes again capitalized with a two-out single, walk, and a double to lift them to the 2-1 victory.
About Green Bay
• Green Bay enters the week with a 12-27 overall record and a 4-9 mark in Horizon League play.
• Tiffany Giese lead the Phoenix with a .359 batting average while Paige Hanson is batting .302.
• Brittany Baneck leads the staff with six victories and a 3.10 ERA.
Campbell Nearing 350 at YSU
• Head Coach Brian Campbell, the winningest coach in program history with 347 wins, needs just three more to obtain his 350 win at Youngstown State.
• Campbell, who has 632 career victories, was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2012.
• In 2021, Campbell led the Penguins to the first regular-season conference championship in program history with a 36-15 overall record and a 28-8 mark in league play.
• He has led the Penguins to five 30-win seasons and is the only coach in school history to win at least 30 games in consecutive seasons - 2021, 2022 and 2016, 2017.
• Since the start of the 2021 season, Youngstown State has an overall record of 88-58 for a .603 winning percentage.
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 114-62 in 176 games in its on-campus facility for a .648 winning percentage. YSU secured its 100th victory at the complex with a 5-2 victory over Green Bay on April 23, 2022.
• The Penguins, who are 10-3 at home in 2023, have reached double digits in wins in eight of the nine 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. This season, YSU is 4-2 against league foes at the YSU Softball Complex.
• 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 Climbing K's Chart
Junior Sophie Howell is quickly climbing the Youngstown State all-time strikeout chart.
She currently ranks eighth with 267 career strikeouts and needs 33 more to become the eighth pitcher in program history to record at least 300 career strikeouts.
Howell has a career-best 115 strikeouts this season, which ranks fourth in the Horizon League.
Bats Improved in League Play
• Youngstown State's offensive production has certainly increased during Horizon League play.
• The Penguins are batting .296 with 22 doubles, nine home runs, and 56 runs batted in against league foes.
• Sara Fessler, Megan Turner, and Taylor Truran are all batting .350 against the league.
• Fessler boasts a .455 average against the league while Turner is at .353, and Truran is batting .381.
• Turner has five home runs with 13 RBIs, a .853 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 1.248 in league contests.
Fessler Feasting
• Youngstown State junior Sara Fessler has had quite an first season with the Penguins.
• Fessler leads the Horizon League with 31 runs scored, a .507 on-base percentage, and is tied for the league lead with 44 hits.
• She ranks second with a.393 batting average and a 1.043 OPS, is tied for third with 10 doubles, and ranks fourth with a .536 slugging percentage.
• Fessler turned a 4-6 triple play against Robert Morris on April 11.
Saving Private Ryan
• Junior Devan Ryan has been impressive in the circle during her first season with the Penguins.
• Ryan has seven wins and has a team-best 1.93 earned-run average.
She also ranks second in the Horizon League in ERA and is tied for fourth in victories.
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.
• That 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.
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.
2023 #HLSB Preseason Poll
Pl. Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1. Oakland (8) – 77
2. RMU (1) – 68
3. Cleveland State – 61
4. Green Bay – 51
5. Youngstown State – 50
6. Northern Kentucky – 43
7. IUPUI – 22
8. Purdue Fort Wayne – 20
9. Detroit Mercy – 13
