YSU Baseball Announces Nine Signees for 2024
8/24/2023 11:15:00 AM | Baseball
Nine baseball student-athletes have each signed to continue their academic and baseball futures at Youngstown State University, YSU head coach Dan Bertolini announced on Thursday.
The group of signees includes Colin Casteel (Butler, Pa.), Jacob Gehring (Canfield, Ohio), Nolan Kubilus (Wadsworth, Ohio), Mikey Rodriques (Sharon, Pa.), Teddy Ruffner (Mars, Pa.), Brett Stanley (Washington Township, Mich.), Niall Todd (Marietta, Ga.), Sloan Ulrich (Solon, Ohio) and Gavin Wilms (Salem, Ohio). All nine of the student-athletes who signed will join the program this fall in preparation for the 2024 season.
Bertolini on Signing Class: "We are extremely excited to welcome these new Penguins into our program for the 2024 season. There is a great mix of outstanding freshmen as well as high-impact transfers. As a coaching staff, we are really looking forward to having the opportunity to work with them beginning this fall."
Information on each of the student-athletes who committed during the signing period is below:
Colin Casteel
RHP | 6'4 | 185 | Freshman | R/R | Butler, Pa. | Butler High School
High School: Three-year varsity letterwinner at Butler High School… Posted a 3-0 record with two saves in nine appearances on the mound as a junior in 2022… Led the team with a 0.38 ERA while allowing only one earned run… Recorded 24 strikeouts and a .159 opponent batting average in 18.1 innings pitched… Posted a 2-3 record and a 2.21 ERA in 38 innings pitched over eight appearances and one start as a senior in 2023… Struck out 52 batters while walking 14… Played summer ball for the Astro Falcons under Coach Don Pletcher in the Youngstown Class B League… Helped lead the Astro Falcons to the 2023 Palomino World Series Championship.
Personal: Parents are Mark and Kristan… Major is business administration.
Jacob Gehring
RHP | 6'1 | 230 | Junior | R/R | Canfield, Ohio | South Range High School | Ohio State
Ohio State: Played two seasons for the Buckeyes… Made five relief appearances and four starts as a freshman in 2022… Finished with an 0-3 record and an 8.64 ERA in 25 innings pitched… Struck out 16 batters while walking 11… Opponents batted .287 against him… Pitched a scoreless inning in his first collegiate appearance at UNCW on March 17, 2022… Allowed one run and struck out five in a three-inning start vs. YSU on April 5, 2022… Made 20 relief appearances and one start as a sophomore in 2023… Finished with a 1-3 record and a 10.07 ERA in 19.2 innings pitched… Struck out 21 batters while walking 14… Opponents batted .313 against him… Earned his first career win after tossing two innings vs. Central Michigan on May 10, 2023.
High School: Was a three-sport athlete at South Range High School… Also played football and basketball… Posted a career ERA of 0.98 with 191 career strikeouts, a 16-2 career record and one perfect game during his high school career… Helped lead the Raiders to an Ohio Division III state championship in 2018 with a 3-2 win over Coldwater in the finals… Named the 2019 NE8 Player of the Year… Named First-Team All-NE8 in 2019… Two-time Prep Baseball Report All-State honoree… Helped lead South Range to a school record 24 wins in 2019… Posted an 8-0 record on the mound and set a new single-season school record with 100 strikeouts in 2019… Also batted .415 at the plate during the 2019 season… Registered eight wins, 91 strikeouts and a 0.85 ERA on the mound as a freshman in 2018… Also batted .306 with a team-high 26 RBIs and 16 runs scored… Member of the 2018 WKBN Diamond Dawgs… Sat out the 2021 spring season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Personal: Parents are Bill and Trinetta… Has two brothers (Luke and Will)… Major is psychology.
Nolan Kubilus
RHP | 6'2 | 190 | Junior | R/R | Wadsworth, Ohio | Wadsworth High School | San Diego City College
San Diego City College: Played two seasons for the Knights under Coach Chris Brown… Made a total of 15 relief appearances and two starts on the mound… Made 10 relief appearances and three starts as a freshman in 2022… Posted a 1-3 record, one save and a 5.57 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched… Struck out 33 batters while walking 21… Finished with an 0-1 record and six strikeouts in five innings pitched over four relief appearances as a sophomore in 2023.
High School: Two-time All-Suburban League selection at Wadsworth High School… Played with current YSU infielder Matt Thompson at Wadsworth… Named Second-Team All-Suburban League as a senior in 2021… Recorded a 1.12 ERA on the mound during his senior season… Posted a 0.81 ERA as a sophomore in 2019… Played travel ball for IVL… Member of National Honor Society.
Personal: Parents are Daryl and Bonnie… Has a brother (Dylan) and a sister (Molly)… Major is exercise science.
Mikey Rodriques
RHP | 6'1 | 185 | Freshman | R/R | Sharon, Pa. | Sharon High School
High School: Was a standout in both baseball and football at Sharon High School… Named a PIAA District 10 Region 2 Baseball All-Star as a junior in 2022… Named a PIAA District 10 Region 2 Baseball All-Star as a sophomore in 2021… Posted a 2-0 record, a 3.35 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched over seven appearances in 2021… Batted .471 and slugged .666 with 25 RBIs and 18 runs scored over 16 games in 2021… Played summer ball for Ohio Supreme… Registered 32 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched during the summer of 2022… Accounted for more than 1,600 yards and 25 touchdowns as the senior quarterback of the football team in 2022… Passed for 926 yards and eight touchdowns while rushing for 737 yards and 17 touchdowns… Member of National Honor Society.
Personal: Parents are Mike and Kelly… Has a sister (Katarina)… Major is civil engineering.
Teddy Ruffner
C/OF | 5'10 | 210 | Junior | R/R | Mars, Pa. | Mars Area High School | UNC Wilmington
UNC Wilmington: Played in nine games over two seasons for the Seahawks… Played in six games and made one start as a freshman in 2022… Drew three walks and scored a run in seven at bats… Saw action in three games as a sophomore in 2023.
High School: Played three seasons of varsity baseball at Mars Area High School… Batted .302 in 22 games for the Fightin' Planets as a sophomore… As a senior, hit .367 and scored eight runs over a 10-game season… Finished six-for-six in stolen base attempts during his final season… Also played football for Mars Area… Rushed for 1,570 yards as a senior after compiling 1,919 yards during his junior season… Played four seasons of varsity football, averaging 7.1 yards per carry… Played travel baseball for EagleWear 18U and the Pittsburgh Diamond Dawgs… Competed in the Under Armor Preseason All-America Tournament.
Personal: Parents are Todd and Christine… Has a brother (Zack)… Major is mechanical engineering.
Brett Stanley
IF | 5'8 | 185 | Junior | R/R | Washington Township, Mich. | De La Salle High School | Kellogg CC
Kellogg Community College: Played in 100 games over two seasons for the Bruins under Coach Eric Laskovy… Batted .319 and slugged .406 with 51 hits, five doubles, three home runs and 29 RBIs over 50 games played as a freshman in 2022… Recorded 41 runs scored, 20 walks, 65 total bases, a .405 on-base percentage and 13 stolen bases… Batted .369 and slugged .564 with 66 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 48 RBIs over 50 games played as a sophomore in 2023… Recorded 66 runs scored, 35 walks, 101 total bases, a .493 on-base percentage and 21 stolen bases… Named MCCAA First-Team All-Western Conference in 2023… Earned Academic All-MCCAA honors in 2023.
High School: Was a three-sport standout at De La Salle High School… Served as a team captain in baseball, football and wrestling… Helped lead the football team to the Michigan Division 2 state finals in 2020… Rushed for 822 yards and 11 touchdowns while also amassed 1,918 all-purpose yards over 12 games during the 2020 season… Recorded a team-high 198 all-purpose yards in the Pilots' loss to Muskegon Mona Shores in the Division 2 state title game… Defensively, totaled 42 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a sack during the 2020 football season… Named First-Team All-Catholic League in 2019 and 2020 on the football field… Named to the Detroit Free Press 2020 Division 2 All-State Team at defensive back… Helped lead the baseball team to back-to-back district championships in 2018 and 2019… Received All-Catholic League accolades and Honorable Mention All-Macomb County honors on the diamond in 2019… Became the first three-time state wrestling qualifier in school history… Garnered all-state honors as both a sophomore and junior… Finished fifth in the 160-pound division at the 2020 MHSAA state tournament… Finished with a 24-2 wrestling record in 2021… Posted 155 wrestling victories during his high school career.
Personal: Parents are Mark and Linda… Has a sister (Taylor)… Major is general studies with a concentration in business.
Niall Todd
LHP | 6'2 | 165 | Freshman | L/L | Marietta, Ga. | Woodridge High School
High School: Played for Coach Dennis Dever at Woodridge High School in Peninsula, Ohio… Ranked as the No. 121 overall player and the No. 12 left-handed pitcher in Ohio by Perfect Game… Earned First-Team All-Metro Athletic Conference honors as a senior in 2023… Posted a 0.97 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP in 50.2 innings pitched during his senior season… Opponents batted .132 against him… Finished the campaign with three complete games and two shutouts… Also batted .324 and slugged .544 with five doubles, two triples, two home runs and 11 RBIs at the plate over 21 games played in 2023… Recorded 16 runs scored, 15 walks, a .453 on-base percentage and four stolen bases… Played summer ball for Team Ohio Pro Select and Release… Coached by Coach Check, Brian Chad, Rex Ross, Gene Ross and Brandon Swedelson.
Personal: Parents are Sean and Christine… Has a sister (Gabrielle)… Major is finance.
Sloan Ulrich
LHP | 6'0 | 185 | Sophomore | L/L | Solon, Ohio | Solon High School | Cuyahoga CC
Cuyahoga Community College: Played the 2023 season for Tri-C under Coach Kyle Stahlberg… Named the 2023 Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) Pitcher of the Year… Named to the 2023 NJCAA Division II Region XII All-Region Team… Made 10 appearances on the mound, all of which came out of the bullpen… Finished with a 3-1 record and a 3.88 ERA in 48.2 innings pitched… Struck out 55 batters while walking 27… Posted 10.17 K/9… Helped lead the Triceratops to a 28-12 overall record and a 21-3 mark in OCCAC play… Recorded a 1.07 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched during conference action.
Indiana State: Attended Indiana State from the fall of 2020 to the fall of 2022… Did not see action for the Sycamores… Suffered a season-ending injury during the fall of 2021.
High School: Played for Head Coach Damien Kopkas at Solon High School… Ranked as the No. 10 left-handed pitcher in Ohio by Perfect Game… Named First-Team All-Greater Cleveland Conference as a junior in 2019… Tossed a perfect game vs. Euclid that featured nine strikeouts… Finished his junior campaign with a 1.10 ERA… Did not play his senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic… Played travel ball for the Brownlee Lookouts.
Personal: Parents are Todd and Judy… Has a sister (Brooke)… Major is business administration.
Gavin Wilms
RHP | 6'3 | 225 | Freshman | R/R | Salem, Ohio | Salem High School
High School: Two-time all-state selection at Salem High School… Named Second-Team All-Eastern Buckeye Conference as a senior in 2023… Named to the 2023 All-YSN Baseball Team… Posted a 1.41 ERA and 10 K/9… Named Second-Team All-Eastern Buckeye Conference as a junior in 2022… Tossed a five-inning no-hitter that featured seven strikeouts in a win over Minerva in April 2022… Earned Division II Honorable Mention All-State honors from Prep Baseball Report Ohio as a sophomore in 2021… Played summer ball for the Brownlee Lookouts under coaches Mike Skripac and Dalton Davis.
Personal: Parents are John and Lisa… Has two brothers (Branson and Logan)… Major is business administration.
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