The sixth-seeded Youngstown State baseball team (12-42, 9-21 HL) will begin postseason play by facing the third-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies (31-25, 18-12 HL) in the opening round of the 2024 Horizon League Baseball Championship on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio.
All YSU's games throughout the tournament will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and YSNLive.com while live stats will be available through links on YSUsports.com. Fans can also follow @YSUBaseball on X for live updates.
Youngstown State vs. Oakland
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Junior right-hander Jacob Gehring will take the ball to make his team and league-leading 15th start of the season. The Canfield, Ohio, native allowed just two runs while scattering five hits over seven innings to earn the victory in YSU's 3-2 series-opening win over Oakland on March 22. He tossed his first-career complete game in YSU's 10-4 series-opening victory over Oakland on April 26.
- The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies will be meeting for the seventh time this season on Wednesday. The two teams split the six meetings during the regular season, all of which were played at Eastwood Field. Oakland won two of three games in late March before YSU won two of three games in late April.
- YSU snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 12-11 victory at Milwaukee in the regular season finale on Saturday. The Panthers won the series opener 6-3 on Thursday before earning a 5-4 series-clinching win on Friday.
- Junior right-hander Jacob Gehring was named the Horizon League's Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks on April 30 and May 7. He scattered three hits and struck out a career-high seven batters over six scoreless innings to earn his fourth win in YSU's 10-0 victory at NKU on May 3. Gehring leads the Horizon League with two complete games and 14 games started. He also ranks fourth in the league with 74.1 innings pitched and sixth with four wins. Gehring ranks 11th in the nation in complete games while ranking 16th nationally in games started.
- Redshirt senior shortstop Trey Law is batting .349 while leading the Penguins with 76 hits, 12 doubles, 25 walks and 44 runs scored. The Camp Hill, Pa., native ranks third in the Horizon League with 76 hits and ninth with a .349 batting average. Law has hit safely in seven straight games entering tournament play. He batted .333 and slugged .460 with a team-high 42 hits over 30 games in Horizon League action.
- Freshman outfielder Alejandro Covas is batting .343 and slugging .561 while leading the Horizon League and ranking second nationally with nine triples. The Peninsula, Ohio, native set a new single-season school record with his eighth triple of the season in YSU's 10-4 win over Oakland on April 26. He surpassed the previous record of seven that had been achieved three times previously. Covas has reached base safely in 39 consecutive games entering tournament play.
- Covas batted .357 and slugged .661 with six triples, six home runs and 24 RBIs over 30 games in Horizon League play. He has hit safely in each of his last nine games. Covas tied the single-game school record with two triples against Purdue Fort Wayne on March 17.
- Junior infielder Brett Stanley leads the Horizon League with seven sacrifice bunts while ranking tied for sixth with a team-high 15 stolen bases. Stanley batted .305 and slugged .467 with a team-high 24 RBIs over 27 games played in Horizon League action.
- Youngstown State ranks third in the Horizon League and eighth in the nation with 21 triples as a team. YSU's 21 triples are currently tied for the third most in a season in program history. The Penguins hit a school-record 27 triples as a team in 2021.
- Fifth-year senior right-hander Casey Marshalwitz leads YSU with 23 pitching appearances, all of which have come out of the bullpen. The Gibsonia, Pa., native currently ranks third in program history with 87 career appearances.
- The Penguins have been without Preseason Horizon League Freshman of the Year Derrick Tarpley Jr., who has missed the last 38 games with a lower-body injury. The freshman outfielder, who was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 2024 MLB Draft, is batting .328 and slugging .517 with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs over 16 games played.
Ticket Information
- All tickets for the 2024 Horizon League Baseball Championship are mobile. It is recommended that fans purchase ahead of time. Anyone who does not have a smartphone can purchase tickets at the gate. Tickets purchased at the gate will be texted to customers.
- Single Day Pass - $10
- Tournament Pass - $30
- Free admission for 5 & under and Horizon League students with a college ID.
- Purchase Tickets
- Mobile Ticket Guide
Previewing Oakland
A Win on Wednesday Would...
- Give YSU its 13th victory of the 2024 season.
- Advance YSU into the winner's bracket to face top-seeded Wright State on Thursday.
- Give the Penguins two straight victories.
- Be the 367th victory in Dan Bertolini's career and his 138th at Youngstown State.
Scouting The Golden Grizzlies
- Oakland finished the regular season at 31-25 overall and 18-12 in Horizon League play to earn the No. 3 seed in the Horizon League Tournament. The Golden Grizzlies have won six of their last seven contests after winning two of three games at Purdue Fort Wayne this past weekend to close the regular season.
- Senior catcher Brandon Heidal is batting .358 and slugging .602 with 14 doubles, nine home runs and 40 RBIs. Redshirt freshman infielder Lucas Day is batting .316 and slugging .556 with a team-high 10 home runs. Oakland leads the Horizon League and ranks third nationally with 156 stolen bases as a team.
- Senior right-hander Brandon Decker has a 7-6 record, seven saves and a 5.47 ERA while leading the Horizon League with 104 strikeouts and 102 innings pitched over 28 appearances and 13 starts. Junior right-hander Hunter Pidek has a 4-7 record and a 7.15 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched over 14 starts.
Series History
- Overall: Oakland leads 30-29
- Bertolini: 16-20 // H: 21-15 // A: 7-12 // N: 1-3
- Current Win Streak: 1 by Oakland
- Last Meeting: April 28, 2024 (L, 2-11)
- First Meeting: May 8, 1999 (W, 12-5)
- YSU and Oakland split the six regular season meetings in 2024, all of which took place at Eastwood Field. The Golden Grizzlies won two of three games in late March before the Penguins took two of three contests in late April.
- YSU owns a 1-2 all-time record against Oakland in the HL Tournament with the most-recent postseason meetings coming in 2022.
- The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies met each year from 1999-2001 when both teams were members of the Mid-Continent Conference. The series resumed in 2014 when Oakland joined the Horizon League.
Recapping Milwaukee
at Milwaukee – Thursday, May 16 // L, 3-6
- Missed scoring opportunities doomed Youngstown State in a 6-3 loss to Milwaukee in the Horizon League series opener on Thursday at Franklin Field in Franklin, Wis.
- Milwaukee led 2-1 after the first and it put together another two-run inning in the second to build a 4-1 edge. YSU posted a single tally in the third to get within 4-2 before MKE scored twice in the fifth. The Guins pushed across a single run in seventh, and the Panthers were able to hold on for the series-opening victory.
- The Penguins outhit the Panthers 10-7, but YSU left the bases loaded on three occasions and stranded a total of 14 baserunners. Trey Law went 3-for-5 while Alejandro Covas doubled and hit his sixth home run of the season. Ian Francis had two hits including an RBI single, and Teddy Ruffner recorded an RBI triple.
- YSU starter Jacob Gehring suffered the loss after allowing four runs on five hits over four innings while Braden Gebhardt was responsible for two runs without recording an out. Nick Perez allowed one hit with a pair of strikeouts over three strong innings of relief, and Gavin Wilms retired the side in order in the eighth.
at Milwaukee – Friday, May 17 // L, 4-5
- Milwaukee scored the final three runs of the game to rally for a 5-4 victory over Youngstown State on Friday afternoon at Franklin Field in Franklin, Wis.
- The Penguins held leads of 3-0, 3-2 and 4-2 before the Panthers scored twice in the fourth and once in the sixth to come back for the series-clinching win. Milwaukee topped YSU 6-3 in the Horizon League series opener on Friday at Frankin Field.
- Seven different Penguins recorded a single hit as the visitors were bested in the hit column 9-7. Trey Law doubled and scored two runs while Brett Stanley, Joe Suarez and Matt Thompson each recorded an RBI double.
- YSU starter Brandon Mikos was tagged with four runs, two of which were earned, on seven hits over four innings in a no-decision. Aidan English suffered the loss after surrendering one run on two hits in two innings of relief. Mitchell Seymour and Casey Marshalwitz each tossed a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.
at Milwaukee – Saturday, May 18 // W, 12-11
- Youngstown State scored seven consecutive runs to overcome a three-run deficit and held on for a 12-11 victory over Milwaukee in the regular season finale for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field in Franklin, Wis.
- The Penguins trailed 3-0 and 7-4 before scoring in each of their final four at bats to take a 12-8 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. YSU closer Chris Domke issued a pair of walks around a pop up before Tai Walton hit a three-run home run down the left field line to pull the Panthers within a run. YSU's freshman right-hander bounced back with a strikeout of Gabe Roessler before getting Andrew Jiminez to ground out to third to end the game.
- Alejandro Covas went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to pace four Penguins with multiple hits while Chase Franken hit his fourth home run of the season. Matt Thompson went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI while RJ Sherwood had two hits, drove in a run and scored three times.
- YSU starter Sloan Ulrich allowed four runs on six hits over three innings in a no-decision. Colin Casteel was responsible for one run in one inning as the first of six relievers to appear for the Penguins. Gavin Wilms struck out five batters over two scoreless innings to earn his first-career victory.
Up Next
If the Penguins defeat Oakland on Wednesday, they would move into the winner's bracket to face top-seeded Wright State on Thursday at 11 a.m. If YSU loses to Oakland, it would play in an elimination game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the loser of fourth-seeded Milwaukee and fifth-seeded Purdue Fort Wayne.
