The Youngstown State baseball team will begin the 70th season in program history on Friday when it opens a three-game series against Texas State at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas. The Penguins and Bobcats will open the campaign on Friday at 7 p.m. ET before proceeding to play on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET and on Sunday at noon ET.

Friday's series opener will mark the first meeting on the diamond between YSU and Texas State. All three games of the series will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available through links on YSUsports.com. Fans can also follow @YSUBaseball on X for live updates.

Youngstown State at Texas State

Opponent	Date	Location	Video	Live Stats
	Friday Feb. 16 | 7 PM ET	Bobcat Ballpark San Marcos, Texas	ESPN+	Live Stats
	Saturday Feb. 17 | 3:30 PM ET	Bobcat Ballpark San Marcos, Texas	ESPN+	Live Stats
	Sunday Feb. 18 | 12 PM ET	Bobcat Ballpark San Marcos, Texas	ESPN+	Live Stats

Weekend Preview

• Junior right-hander and Ohio State transfer Jacob Gehring will take the mound in the season opener on Friday while sophomore left-hander Sloan Ulrich is set start game two of the series on Saturday. Junior right-hander Lane Rhodes is scheduled to take the ball in the series finale on Sunday.
• Redshirt senior shortstop Trey Law and sophomore infielder Matt Thompson were each named to Perfect Game's Horizon League Preseason All-Conference Team in the website's 2024 conference preview.
• Law was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team and the ABCA/Rawlings East All-Region Second Team last season after batting .362 and slugging .452 with 80 hits, 17 doubles, one home run and 29 RBIs. He also recorded 50 runs scored, 24 walks, 100 total bases, a .437 on-base percentage and 10 stolen bases while starting 52 games at shortstop.
• Thompson, who was named the 2023 Horizon League Freshman of the Year, batted .316 and slugged .439 with 54 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 28 RBIs while playing in 47 games and making 46 starts at second base during his debut collegiate campaign.
• Freshman outfielder Derrick Tarpley Jr. was selected as the Preseason Horizon League Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball.com in the website's 2024 conference preview. The Brownsville, Pa., native was drafted by the Oakland Athletics with the 526th overall pick in the 18th round of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft.
• Three Penguins were listed among D1Baseball.com's top MLB Draft prospects in the Horizon League. Senior outfielder RJ Sherwood was ranked as the No. 7 prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft while Gehring was ranked No. 9. Thompson was ranked as the No. 2 prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft. In addition, freshman right-hander Gavin Wilms joined Tarpley Jr. on the website's list of the top-10 Impact Freshmen in the conference.
• Six different Penguins were listed among Perfect Game's Top MLB Draft Prospects in the Horizon League in the website's 2024 conference preview. Gehring was ranked the league's No. 9 prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft. He was joined on the website's top-25 prospects for 2024 by Law (No. 21), Sherwood (No. 23) and junior catcher Ian Francis (No. 25). Thompson was listed as Perfect Game's top 2025 prospect while Tarpley Jr. was ranked as the league's No. 2 prospect for 2026.
• Youngstown State was picked fifth in the 2024 Horizon League Baseball Preseason Poll after a vote of the league's head coaches. Wright State was picked as the preseason favorite after winning the 2023 Horizon League regular season and tournament titles. The Penguins were picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League by D1Baseball.com.

Previewing Texas State

A Win on Friday Would…

• Be YSU's first win in a season opener since 2018.
• Give the Penguins 13 wins in their last 17 games dating back to last season.
• Be the 355th in head coach Dan Bertolini's career and his 126th at Youngstown State.

Scouting The Bobcats

• Texas State posted a 36-23 overall record and a 17-13 mark in Sun Belt Conference play in 2023. The Bobcats went 25-7 at Bobcat Ballpark last season. Texas State went 47-14 overall and 26-4 in SBC play in 2022 on its way to earning a berth in the NCAA Stanford Regional. The Bobcats were picked to finish fifth in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Sophomore Chase Mora was named to the Sun Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference Team at second base. Mora, who was also named to the NCBWA Preseason All-America Second Team, is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he hit .316 and set a Texas State freshman record with 17 home runs.
• Senior left-hander Jack Stroud returns after posting a 3-2 record, a team-best 3.56 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched over 25 appearances and one start in 2023. Senior right-hander Tony Robie also returns after recording a 5-4 record, a 4.33 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 60.1 innings over 20 appearances and 12 starts last season.

Preseason Notes

Looking to Build on Strong Finish to 2023 Season

• Youngstown State posted an overall record of 19-36 with a 13-16 mark in Horizon League play last season. The Penguins will enter 2024 looking to build on a successful conclusion to the 2023 campaign that was highlighted by the program's longest winning streak in 18 years.
• YSU won eight straight games from April 25 to May 9 in 2023 to put together its longest winning streak since the 2005 season. The Penguins won 12 of their final 16 games while earning four consecutive Horizon League series victories to close out the regular season. YSU's season came to an end in the opening round of the 2023 Horizon League Baseball Championship.
• Head Coach Dan Bertolini has now guided the program to double-digit Horizon League wins in three straight seasons for the first time in program history. With 10 road victories in 2023, Youngstown State has also recorded double-digit road wins in three straight seasons for the first time since 2005-07.
• With two wins at Baylor in early March and a victory at Pitt on April 10, YSU has now earned five victories against Power Five opponents over the past two seasons. YSU has collected nine Power Five victories over Bertolini's first seven seasons as head coach. YSU's 7-5 victory at Baylor on March 3, 2023, marked the program's first win over a Big 12 opponent since 2013.

Law Coming Off Breakout 2023 Campaign

• Redshirt senior infielder Trey Law is coming off a breakout 2023 season. The Camp Hill, Pa., native was named to the All-Horizon League Second Team and the ABCA/Rawlings East All-Region Second Team last season after batting .362 and slugging .452 with 80 hits, 17 doubles, one home run and 29 RBIs. He also recorded 50 runs scored, 24 walks, 100 total bases, a .437 on-base percentage and 10 stolen bases while starting 52 games at shortstop.
• Law led the Horizon League in hits in 2023 while ranking second in batting average, fifth in doubles and on-base percentage and sixth in runs scored. Law's 80 hits tied for the third most in a season in program history and were the most by a Penguin since 2010 while his 50 runs scored tied for the eighth most in a single season in school history. Law's .362 batting average was the highest mark by a Penguin since 2015.
• Law hit safely in 43 of his final 49 games last season. He put together a season-best 15-game hitting streak from April 15 to May 18. Law led the team with 22 multi-hit games while batting .375 against left-handed pitching and .400 with runners in scoring position. He batted .350 and slugged .444 with eight doubles, one home run and 16 RBIs over 27 starts in Horizon League play. Law was named Horizon League Co-Batter of the Week on Feb. 28.
• Law had played in a total of 57 games and made 31 starts for the Penguins prior to the 2023 season.

Thompson Returns After Stellar Debut Season

• Sophomore infielder Matt Thompson became the first player in YSU history to be named Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2023. Thompson, who was also selected to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team, batted .316 and slugged .439 with 54 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 28 RBIs. He played in 47 games and made 46 starts at second base during his debut collegiate campaign.
• Thompson ranked eighth in the Horizon League with a .316 batting average and a .421 on-base percentage last season. The Akron, Ohio, native became just the seventh YSU freshman to bat at least .300 since YSU joined the Horizon League in 2002. He was the first YSU freshman to bat at least .300 since Jason Shirley hit .303 in 2012. Thompson batted .324 and slugged .480 with five doubles, three home runs and 20 RBIs in Horizon League play.

Penguin Power Surge Continues

• Youngstown State set a new single-season school record with 123 doubles as a team in 2023. The previous record of 115 was set in 2010. The Penguins ranked 49th nationally in total doubles while ranking 31st in the country with 2.24 doubles per game. YSU also set a new single-season school record with 190 extra-base hits in 2023, surpassing the previous mark of 183 that was also set in 2010.
• In addition, YSU's 54 home runs as a team in 2023 rank as the second most in a season in program history behind the school record of 60 that was set in 2010. The 2023 season marked just the fourth time in school history that the Penguins have hit at least 50 home runs – three of those occurrences have come during Dan Bertolini's tenure as head coach.
• Furthermore, four of the program's five-highest home run totals have come in Bertolini's first seven seasons at the helm. The 2023 season also marked the only campaign in YSU history that four different players hit at least eight homers.
• YSU tied the single-game school record with six home runs as a team in a 12-4 victory at Northern Kentucky on May 13, 2023. YSU hit six homers in a game for the third time in school history and for the first time since May 6, 2001, at Oakland.

Pitching Staff Returns Key Pieces

• Youngstown State returns several key pieces from last year's pitching staff that was hit hard by injuries throughout the 2023 season. The Penguins bring back seven pitchers who logged at least 23 innings on the mound last season.
• Sophomore left-hander Braden Gebhardt headlines the group of returners after earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team in 2023. The Howland, Ohio, native posted a 3-3 record, a 6.29 ERA, one save and 54 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched over 21 appearances and nine starts. Gebhardt's 54 strikeouts are the most by a YSU freshman since Collin Floyd had 58 in 2016. He became just the fourth YSU freshman to record at least 50 strikeouts since YSU joined the Horizon League in 2002.
• After making 29 relief appearances in 2022, senior right-hander Casey Marshalwitz made a career-high 30 appearances out of the bullpen in 2023. Marshalwitz's 30 appearances are tied for the second most in a season in program history. The Gibsonia, Pa., native made the most pitching appearances by a Penguin since Kevin McCulloh set the single-season school record with 32 appearances in 2012. Marshalwitz became just the third player in YSU history to make at least 30 appearances in a single season.
• Marshalwitz's six saves in 2023 are tied for the sixth most in a season in program history. The senior's six saves last season also ranked second in the Horizon League. He is expected to anchor the back end of YSU's bullpen as a fifth-year senior in 2024. Marshalwitz enters the 2024 campaign ranking 20th in YSU history with 64 career appearances. He needs 10 appearances to move into the top 10 on the YSU career appearances list.

Impact Group of Transfers

• YSU brought in five talented transfers for the 2024 season who are expected to make an immediate impact. The group of transfers includes junior right-hander and Ohio State transfer Jacob Gehring, who returns home to the Mahoning Valley after spending two seasons with the Buckeyes. The Canfield, Ohio, native and South Range High School graduate made 25 relief appearances and five starts for OSU over the past two seasons.
• Junior infielder Brett Stanley played in 100 games over the past two seasons at Kellogg Community College. He 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. Stanley batted .369 and slugged .564 with 66 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 48 RBIs over 50 games as a sophomore in 2023.
• Sophomore left-hander Sloan Ulrich was named the 2023 Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) Pitcher of the Year last season at Cuyahoga Community College. He finished with a 3-1 record, a 3.88 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 48.2 innings pitched. Junior outfielder Teddy Ruffner played in nine games over two seasons at UNC Wilmington while junior right-hander Nolan Kubilus made 17 appearances over two seasons at San Diego City College.

Youth Movement

• Youngstown State will boast a relatively young roster in 2024 with 15 freshmen and 11 sophomores. In addition, the Penguins have 10 juniors and only four players listed as seniors on this year's squad. The group of freshmen includes 12 true freshmen and three redshirt freshmen. The Guins also return nine players who saw the first action of their collegiate careers during the 2023 campaign.
• YSU's large group of incoming freshmen is highlighted by outfielder Derrick Tarpley Jr., who was drafted by the Oakland Athletics with the 526th overall pick in the 18th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The Brownsville, Pa., native played for Coach Scott Roebuck at Brownsville Area High School. He batted .651 and slugged 1.069 with 28 hits, two home runs, three doubles, five triples, 22 runs scored, 13 stolen bases and a .700 on-base percentage as a junior in 2022.

Success Against Power Five Opponents

• With two wins at Baylor in early March and a win at Pitt on April 10 in 2023, YSU now has five wins over Power Five opponents over the last two campaigns. YSU has collected nine Power Five victories during Dan Bertolini's tenure as head coach. YSU's 7-5 victory at Baylor on March 3, 2023, marked its first win over a Big 12 opponent since 2013.
• YSU earned two road wins over Power Five opponents in 2022. YSU defeated ACC member Pitt 5-2 on March 16 before beating Big Ten member Penn State 2-1 on March 22. The win against Penn State was YSU's first win over a Big Ten opponent since 1996.
• With a 9-4 victory at Pitt on April 10, 2023, the Penguins have now won three straight games over the Panthers in Pittsburgh. YSU also has five wins in the last eight meetings. The Penguins have a win over the Panthers in each of the last four seasons the programs have faced off. The Penguins also earned a 12-3 victory at Georgia Tech on Feb. 26, 2017, that was Bertolini's first win as YSU's head coach.

Replacing Key Pieces

• Several of YSU's younger players will have the opportunity to step in and fill the void left from a number of key departures to graduation and the transfer portal. The Penguins lost five starting position players from last season as well as their top pitcher in terms of games started and innings pitched.
• Youngstown State will look to replace five position players who each started at least 43 games in 2023. The Guins also lost Travis Perry to graduation, who led the team with 14 starts and 73.1 innings pitched last season.

Roster Composition

• There are 40 players on YSU's roster in 2024, and 23 of them were with the program last year. The Penguins return 18 letterwinners from last year's team and have 17 newcomers to the roster. The 2024 roster consists of four seniors, 10 juniors, 11 sophomores and 15 freshmen. The group of 17 newcomers includes 12 true freshmen and five transfers.
• Youngstown State's 2024 roster includes 19 players from Ohio and 15 from Pennsylvania. The roster also features 12 players from the greater Mahoning Valley and 10 who hail from Western Pennsylvania.

Schedule Notes

• Youngstown State opens the 2024 season on Friday, Feb. 16, at Texas State as part of a three-game series. The Penguins will proceed to play their first 16 games of the season on the road.
• The Penguins' home and Horizon League opener at Eastwood Field is March 15 against Purdue Fort Wayne. YSU is scheduled for 20 home games and 30 Horizon League contests as part of its 55-game slate. The Guins will also play 10 games against four different opponents from Power Five conferences. Youngstown State is scheduled to play contests across nine different states.

Up Next

Following opening weekend, Youngstown State will return to action with a three-game series at College of Charleston on Feb. 23-25.