April 24 vs. Bowling Green – 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch
April 24 vs. Bowling Green – 5 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch
April 25 at Cleveland State – 3 p.m. | Live Stats
April 26 at Cleveland State – 2 p.m. | Live Stats
April 26 at Cleveland State – 4 p.m. | Live Stats 

The Youngstown State softball team (29-14, 15-3 Horizon League) is geared up for a busy week with five games in three days on the slate.

The Penguins host Bowling Green in a non-league doubleheader, Wednesday, April 24, at 3 p.m. before visiting Cleveland State for a three-game series, April 25-26.

Up Next
The Penguins close out the regular season with a three-game league series against IUPUI, May 3-4, at the Covelli Sports Complex.

Last Time Out
The Penguins won the season series over Northern Kentucky last weekend. The Penguins won the opener, 2-1, before dropping game two, 8-5. YSU rallied late in game three for an 11-9 victory.

About Bowling Green
Bowling Green enters the doubleheader with on overall record of 5-30. The Falcons are led by Aaralyn Nogay with a .310 batting average. Peyton Dolejs owns a .302 batting average.

The Bowling Green Series
Youngstown State and Bowling Green have met 10 times previously and the Penguins own an 7-3 advantage in the all-time series. The Penguins and Falcons have not met since 2013.

About Cleveland State
Cleveland State enters the week with an overall record of 15-19 and an 11-7 mark in Horizon League play. Becky Hurosky leads the Vikings with a .337 batting average while Emma Gilkerson has five home runs and a .333 average. Melissa Holzopfel leads the staff with a 12-7 record and a 2.22 earned-run average.

The CSU Series
The Penguins and Vikings have met 122 times previously and YSU owns a 68-54 lead in the all-time series. The Penguins won the season series last season and have won six of the last eight contests.

30-Win Seasons
Youngstown State is one win shy of posting the seventh 30-win campaign in program history. Five of the six 30-win seasons have been under the direction of Brian Campbell. The last time YSU won at least 30 games in a year was in 2022 with 32. It would also mark the third time in four season the Penguins won at least 30 games. The single-season record for wins is 36 in 2021 and 2003.

Historic Howell
Senior pitcher Sophie Howell is having one of the best seasons in program history. Howell has 19 wins with 155 strikeouts and a 1.98 earned-run average. Her 19 victories ranked tied for fourth on the single-season list, and she is one win shy of becoming the third pitcher in school history to win at least 20 games. She also needs four more wins to break the single-season wins record of 22 set by Kelly Murphy in 2003.

Dean Player of the Week
Sophomore Kennedy Dean was named the Horizon League player of the Week on April 23. Dean led the Penguins to a 3-2 record last week including a series win over Northern Kentucky. For the week, she batted .462 (6-for-13) with four runs scored, two doubles, a triple, two home runs and eight runs batted in. She also slugged 1.231 and had an on-base percentage of .533 for an OPS of 1.764. Dean clubbed two home runs, including a grand slam, in a 9-1 win over Niagara, and she batted .500 (4-for-8) with three runs batted in during NKU series.

Easy E
Senior Elyssa Imler is having the best season of her career at the plate. Imler leads the Penguins with a .358 batting average with seven doubles, a home run, and 15 RBIs. She also has a team-high 14 stolen bases. In league play, Imler ranks in the top 11 in seven statistical categories.

Niederkohr Among Leaders
Senior Hailey Niederkohr is batting an impressive .347 against Horizon League foes with four triples and 16 runs batted in. She leads the league in triples and ranks sixth in RBIs.

Wilkerson Impressive Rookie Campaign
Freshman Lydia Wilkerson is having an incredible first collegiate season. She ranks second the team with an overall batting average of .336. In league play, she is even better sporting a .386 clips at the plate.

Rinaldi Rakin'
Fifth-year senior Conchetta Rinaldi is having her best season at the plate in 2024.  Rinaldi is batting .322 with 27 runs batted in, eight doubles and one home run. She ranked tied for fifth in the league in RBIs.

Howell Approaching 50, 500
Senior Sophie Howell has the chance to become just the third pitcher in school history to record 50 wins and 500 strikeouts in a career. Howell currently ranks third all-time with 475 career strikeouts and fifth with 46 wins. The only other pitchers to earn 50 wins with 500 strikeouts were Elle Buffenbarger (2018-22) and Casey Crozier (2011-14).

Penguins Picked Fourth in Horizon League
The Youngstown State softball team was predicted to finish fourth in the Horizon League after a vote by the league's head coaches. The Penguins earned 48 points and finished behind Northern Kentucky and Oakland, who were picked tied for first with 75 points, and Robert Morris, who was third. Green Bay earned 43 points to place fifth while IUPUI was sixth with 37 points, Cleveland State was seventh with 32, Purdue Fort Wayne ranked eighth with 21 points and Detroit Mercy was ninth with 10 points.

Place. Team (First Place Votes) – Points
T1. Northern Kentucky (5) – 75
T1. Oakland (4) – 75
3. RMU – 64
4. Youngtown State – 48
5. Green Bay – 43
6. IUPUI – 37
7. Cleveland State – 32
8. Purdue Fort Wayne – 21
9. Detroit Mercy – 10