The Youngstown State baseball team (1-14) will open its 2025 home and Horizon League schedules this weekend with a three-game series against Milwaukee (1-14) at Eastwood Field. The Penguins and Panthers will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 3 p.m. before closing the series with a single game on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Live audio for all three games will be available at 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. Milwaukee
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Senior right-hander Jacob Gehring will take the mound in the series opener on Friday while redshirt senior right-hander JJ Tylicki will start game two of Friday's doubleheader. Freshman right-hander Tyler Heflin is scheduled to start for the Penguins in the series finale on Saturday.
- YSU has lost nine straight contests after dropping a 17-7 decision at Pitt on Wednesday. The Penguins battled back from a seven-run deficit with a seven-run fifth inning that featured a two-out, game-tying grand slam from junior outfielder and Nicholls transfer Brayden Kuriger. The Gonzales, La., native has hit three home runs and recorded nine RBIs while starting all 15 games in center field.
- Senior outfielder and Washington transfer Kyle Fossum ranks fourth in the Horizon League with a .396 batting average while ranking third in slugging (.698), on-base percentage (.492) and OPS (1.190). The Seattle, Wash., native also ranks fourth in the league in hits (21) and RBIs (14) while ranking fifth in home runs (4) and sixth in walks (9) and runs scored (12).
- Redshirt junior right-hander Brandon Mikos was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career on Wednesday. The Canfield, Ohio, native faced the minimum over three scoreless innings of relief at Gardner-Webb on Saturday. Mikos has recorded nine strikeouts in 10.1 innings pitched over three appearances and one start heading into this weekend.
- Redshirt sophomore outfielder/first baseman Brady Shannon went yard twice in the second game of a doubleheader at UTSA on March 1 for his first two home runs in a Penguin uniform. The Youngstown, Ohio, native and dual-sport athlete at YSU has played in 12 games and made nine starts in his first action on the diamond since his freshman year at UCF in 2023. Shannon is also a quarterback on the YSU football team. He blasted a two-run go-ahead home run in the top of the eighth inning in the series finale at Gardner-Webb on Sunday. Shannon ranked tied-for-sixth in the Horizon League with three home runs and ninth with a .514 slugging percentage heading into the weekend.
- Senior right-hander Jacob Gehring leads YSU and ranks second in the Horizon League with 20.1 innings pitched heading into the weekend. The Canfield, Ohio, native also ranked seventh in the league with 15 strikeouts at the outset of the week. Redshirt senior right-hander JJ Tylicki ranked tied-for-third in the Horizon League with a team-high 17 strikeouts at the start of the week.
- YSU earned its first victory of the 2025 season after an 8-5 triumph in the series finale at Abilene Christian on Feb 23. Five Penguins recorded multiple hits as YSU outhit ACU 13-3 for its first victory under new head coach Trevor Charpie.
- YSU is under the direction of first-year head coach Trevor Charpie. The Anaheim Hills, Calif., native was named the 10th head coach in program history in June after serving as an assistant for the Penguins during the 2024 season. At 31 years old, Charpie is the third-youngest Division I head coach in the country in 2025.
- YSU's 2025 roster features a large group of 21 newcomers as well as 19 returners from last year's team that finished as the runner-up at the 2024 Horizon League Baseball Championship. The Penguins won four games in the Horizon League Tournament for the first time since winning the championship in 2014.
Promotions & Fan Information
- Eastwood Field
- 2025Â YSU Baseball Promotions Schedule
- Tickets for both days at Eastwood Field are $5 and are available at the front gate, which will open approximately one hour prior to first pitch.
- Friday's doubleheader will feature a Schedule Magnet Giveaway courtesy of Mercy Health and $2 hot dogs at the concession stand.
- Saturday's series finale will be a "Varsity Club Youngstown Saturday" with fans receiving a $5 off app coupon if YSU scores five runs or more. There will also be a YSU Team Poster Giveaway.
Previewing Milwaukee
A Win in Game One on Friday Would...
- Improve YSU to 2-14 overall and 1-0 in HL play.
- Snap a nine-game losing streak.
- Be YSU's fifth straight victory in its Horizon League opener.
- Be YSU's third straight victory in its home opener.
- Be YSU's third straight victory in the series with Milwaukee.
Scouting The Panthers
- Milwaukee is 1-14 overall on the season after being swept in a four-game series at Kansas this past weekend. The Panthers have dropped 14 straight contests after earning a 6-3 win at Mercer in their 2025 season opener.
- Milwaukee was picked fourth in the 2025 Horizon League Baseball Preseason Poll after going 19-36 overall and 13-17 in Horizon League play last season. The Panthers have 19 returning letterwinners and 19 newcomers in 2025.
- Freshman infielder Tate Schmidt leads Milwaukee with a .333 batting average while junior outfielder Charlie Marion paces the Panthers with three home runs and 12 RBIs. MKE is batting .185 as a team through 15 games.
- Junior right-hander Gavin Theis owns a 1-1 record and a 5.68 ERA with 15 strikeouts in a team-high 19 innings pitched over four starts. Senior right-hander Logan Schulfer has a team-high 16 strikeouts in 18.2 innings over four starts.
Series History
- Overall: Milwaukee leads 74-49
- Charpie: 0-0 // H: 28-32 // A: 14-30 // N: 7-12
- Current Win Streak: 2 by Youngstown State
- Last Meeting: May 24, 2024 (W, 3-2)
- First Meeting: April 2, 1994 (L, 0-4)
- YSU went 3-4 against Milwaukee during the 2024 season. The Penguins won a 3-2 decision in the 2024 Horizon League Baseball Championship at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio, in the most recent meeting.
- The Penguins dropped two of three games against the Panthers at Eastwood Field last April before losing two of three games at Franklin Field in Wisconsin in May.
Recapping Last Game
at Pitt – Wednesday, March 12 // L, 7-17
- Youngstown State erased a seven-run deficit before falling 17-7 in a midweek non-conference contest at Pitt on Wednesday at Charles L. Cost Field in Pittsburgh, Pa.
- The Panthers scored in each of their first three at bats to build a 7-0 lead after four innings. The Penguins posted a seven-run top of the fifth to tie the game before the Panthers scored the final 10 runs to pick up the midweek victory in eight innings.
- Brayden Kuriger hit a game-tying two-out grand slam to highlight YSU's seven-run fifth inning. Garrett Cutting went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Eli Brown added a pair of hits including a double and Jay Wrona doubled home a run for his first career RBI.
- YSU starter Harun Pelja allowed five runs, two of which were earned, on two hits and three walks in one inning on the mound. Mark Henderson was responsible for two runs in 1.1 innings while Mikey Rodriques tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief. Gavin Wilms suffered the loss after giving up a pair of the runs in the fifth, Colin Casteel surrendered three runs on two innings out of the bullpen and Nate Ross permitted five runs while facing five batters.
Up Next
Youngstown State will continue its season-long seven-game homestand at Eastwood Field on Tuesday by hosting Mercyhurst in a non-conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. and live audio will be available at YSNLive.com.
