The First Pitch
After 22 games played in the State of South Carolina, the Youngstown State softball team returns home to host Cleveland State in its 2025 home and Horizon League openers, March 13-14, at the YSU Softball Field in the Covelli Sports Complex.

At-Bat
The Penguins and Vikings will play a single game on Thursday at 3 p.m. followed by a doubleheader on Friday at 3 p.m.

Up Next
Youngstown State heads back on the road to face in-state foe Ohio State, Wednesday, March 19 at 4 p.m., and then the Penguins visit Detroit Mercy, March 21-22, in Detroit, Mich.

About Cleveland State
Cleveland State enters the series with a 5-12 overall record and is coming off losses to Akron, 9-1, and Murray State, 9-0, on March 8. Leading the Vikings is Brooke Albaugh with a .373 batting average.

Campbell Nearing Milestones
Head Coach Brian Campbell is in his 17th season at Youngstown State and his 25th as a college head coach. Campbell owns a career record of 679-546-2 and a 394-417-1 mark at Youngstown State. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Campbell needs 21 more wins to reach 700 for his career and six more to reach 400 at Youngstown State.

Ogin Picks Up First Career Win, Shutout
Freshman pitcher Kelsey Ogin turned in an impressive performance in the Penguins win over Furman on March 8. Ogin fired a three-hit, complete-game shutout with six strikeouts against the Paladins.

Behlke Named Pitcher of the Week
Youngstown State sophomore Autumn Behlke has been named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced on March 3. This is the first weekly award of Behlke's career. Behlke went 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA last week while striking out 11 batters. she fired a complete game four-hitter with seven strikeouts in a win over St. Bonaventure on Feb. 28. She also picked up the win against Southern Indiana on March 2.

Wilkerson Staying Hot
Wilkerson continues to swing a hot bat at the plate for the Penguins. She leads the team with a .338 batting average and 13 runs batted in. She is tied with Macy Littler for most runs scored with 10 and Kennedy Dean with two home runs.

Littler Still Lit
Sophomore Macy Littler continued staying hot from year one to year two. Littler is second on the team with a .300 batting average and 10 runs scored this season. Littler also has the team's only triple.

Imler Looking to Continue High-Level Play
Fifth-year senior Elyssa Imler was named the 2024 Horizon League Player of the Year, All-Horizon League First-Team, and led the Penguins with a .340 batting average with 36 runs scored, 51 hits, 21 RBIs, 10 doubles and a home run. She stole 14 bases. Imler also hit .444 with 16 runs, 32 hits five doubles, a home run, and 15 RBIs against Horizon League foes.

Wilkerson Posted Solid Frosh Campaign
Sophomore Lydia Wilkerson was named All-Horizon League Second Team and All-Freshman Team last season. She batted .331 with 19 runs, nine doubles, two home runs and 17 runs batted. Wilkerson also slugged .422 with an on-base percentage of .389. She led the team with 55 hits and recorded 14 multi-hit games…Wilkerson batted. 377 against Horizon League opponents with four doubles and two homers.

What Returns
The Penguins return15 letterwinners and five starters from last year's squad that tied the school record for wins with an overall record of 36-17. The Penguins also won their second regular-season championship with a Horizon League record of 15-5 in 2024.

Penguins Welcome Several Newcomers
Along with 15 returning letterwinners, the Penguins welcome six new players to the 2025 squad. Joining the Penguins this season are Alivia Boothe, Autumn Boyd, Kami Diaz, Bella Myer, Kelsey Ogin, and Ayla Ray.