Tuesday, April 25
Niles, Ohio
5 p.m.
Youngstown State University
vs
Akron
Penguins Return Home to Host Akron on Tuesday
4/23/2023 9:06:00 PM | Baseball
Youngstown State vs. Akron
| Opponent | Date | Location | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Tuesday April 25 | 5 PM ET |
Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio |
YSNLive.com | Live Stats |
Game Preview
- The Youngstown State baseball team (7-32, 3-14 Horizon League) will host Akron (14-25, 6-15 MAC) in a non-conference contest on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Eastwood Field.
- Live audio will be available at YSNLive.com while live stats will be available through links on YSUsports.com. Fans can also follow @YSUBaseball on Twitter for live updates.
- Redshirt junior left-hander Kenny Misik will take the ball to make his 20th appearance and second start of the season. The Austintown, Ohio, native made his first-career start on April 18 at Penn State after coming out of the bullpen in his first 49 career appearances.
- The Penguins and Zips will be meeting for the first time in nearly eight years. The last meeting between the two programs was a 4-2 Akron win on April 29, 2015, at Eastwood Field. Tuesday's contest will be the 150th all-time meeting between YSU and Akron in a series that dates back to 1950.
- The Penguins have dropped their last eight decisions after being swept in a three-game Horizon League series at Oakland last week. YSU's most recent victory was a 9-4 triumph at Pitt on April 10 that marked YSU's third win over a Power Five opponent this season. It was also YSU's third straight win at Charles L. Cost Field and its fifth victory over the Panthers in the last eight meetings.
- The Penguins split a four-game series at Baylor on March 3-5. YSU's 7-5 victory on March 3 marked its first win over a Big 12 opponent since 2013. The Penguins now have five wins over Power Five opponents in the last two seasons and nine during Dan Bertolini's tenure as head coach.
- In YSU's 15-14 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on April 1, Steven D'Eusanio went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and tied the single-game school record with three doubles. He became just the second Penguin since 2010 to double three times in a game. The Willoughby, Ohio, native is the first Penguin to double three times in a game since Blaze Glenn on March 21, 2021.
- The Penguins won their 2023 home and Horizon League opener with an 18-3 victory over Oakland at Eastwood Field on March 16. YSU set new season highs with 18 runs and 21 hits while winning its league opener for the third straight season. The Guins recorded at least 18 runs and 21 hits for the first time since posting 22 runs and 21 hits in a 22-6 victory over St. Bonaventure on March 21, 2021. YSU has won its Horizon League opener in three straight seasons for the first time in program history.
- Redshirt junior shortstop Trey Law was named Horizon League Co-Batter of the Week on Feb. 28 after batting .556 and slugging .611 with 10 hits in 18 at bats over four games played at Memphis on Feb. 24-26. In addition, senior right-hander Travis Perry was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Week after leading YSU to a 6-2 victory in the series opener at Memphis on Feb. 24. Perry allowed one run on two hits with a career-high 10 strikeouts over six innings.
- Senior right-hander Travis Perry ranks third in the Horizon League with a .243 opponent batting average while ranking seventh with 44 strikeouts, eighth with a 4.94 ERA and ninth with 47.1 innings pitched. Junior right-hander Nick Perez ranks sixth in the league with a team-high 46 strikeouts and eighth with 50.1 innings pitched.
- Junior shortstop Trey Law leads the Horizon League with 60 hits while ranking third with a .375 batting average, fourth with 13 doubles and ninth with 29 runs scored and a .441 on-base percentage. Law has now hit safely in 30 of his last 34 games. He hit safely in a career-best nine straight games from Feb. 19 to March 5 before putting together an eight-game hitting streak from March 10-24. Law is batting .357 with 25 hits over 15 games in Horizon League play.
- Senior infielder Steven D'Eusanio leads the Horizon League with 16 doubles. D'Eusanio has hit safely in 19 of his last 25 games after putting together a 12-game hitting streak from March 11 to April 2. He has also reached base safely in 25 consecutive contests.
- Senior first baseman Padraig O'Shaughnessy ranks sixth in the Horizon League with 36 RBIs, 12 doubles and 25 walks while ranking seventh with six home runs. O'Shaughnessy also leads the league with five sacrifice flies. Senior infielder Braeden O'Shaughnessy ranks seventh in the league with 45 hits.
- Senior outfielder Turner Grau leads the Horizon League with four triples while ranking fourth with a team-high 13 stolen bases and ninth with 22 walks. Grau has set a new YSU career record for triples with 12. With four triples this season, he has surpassed the previous mark of nine that had been held by Chris Durkin (1989-91) and Mark Thomas (1997-99). Grau also tied the single-season school record with seven triples as a sophomore in 2021.
Promotions & Fan Information
- Eastwood Field
- 2023 YSU Baseball Promotional Schedule
- Tuesday's contest will feature $2 game tickets at the front gate, which will open approximately one hour prior to first pitch.
YSU vs. Akron
A Win on Tuesday Would…
- Give YSU its eighth victory of the 2023 season.
- Snap an eight-game losing streak.
- Improve YSU's home record to 3-9.
- Be the 343rd in head coach Dan Bertolini's career and his 114th at Youngstown State.
Scouting The Zips
- Akron is 14-25 overall and 6-15 in Mid-American Conference play after being swept in a three-game MAC series against Central Michigan this past weekend. The Zips have dropped 12 of their last 14 games after starting the season 12-13 through their first 25 contests. Akron has earned two victories over Power Five opponents this season – one against Michigan and one against Purdue.
- Junior outfielder Jack Poist is batting .299 and slugging .403 with a team-high 40 hits, nine doubles and 17 RBIs to lead Akron offensively. Junior outfielder Jack Firestone is batting .253 and slugging .575 while leading the Zips with 13 home runs and 26 RBIs.
- Freshman right-hander Emmett Gillies has a 2-3 record, three saves, a 5.46 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched over a team-high 17 appearances and one start. Junior left-hander Brett Dietrich has a 1-2 record, 7.52 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched over 13 appearances and four starts.
- Akron posted a 15-41 overall record and an 11-29 mark in MAC play in 2022. The Zips were picked 11th out of 11 teams in the 2023 MAC Baseball Preseason Poll.
Series History
- Overall: Akron leads 91-58
- Bertolini: 0-0 // Home: 38-30 // Away: 20-58 // Neutral: 0-3
- Current Win Streak: 1 by Akron
- Last meeting: April 29, 2015 (L 2-4)
- First meeting: May 6, 1950 (L 5-6)
- Last YSU win: March 24, 2015 (W 8-7)
- The Penguins and Zips will be meeting for the first time since the 2015 season in a series that dates back to 1950. The two teams split a pair of matchups that season in the most recent encounters.
- YSU's last win in the series was an 8-7 victory at Akron on March 24, 2015. The Penguins had dropped three straight games to the Zips before their win in 2015. YSU's last win over Akron at Eastwood Field was an 8-4 triumph on March 27, 2012.
Up Next
Youngstown State will remain at home on Friday to begin a three-game Horizon League series against Milwaukee at 5 p.m. The Penguins and Panthers will proceed to play on Saturday at 3 p.m. before closing the series on Sunday at noon.
Players Mentioned
IF
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OF
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IF
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