Penguins Continue Homestand by Hosting Mercyhurst on Tuesday

Tuesday, March 18

Niles, Ohio

5 p.m.

Youngstown State University

Mercyhurst

Photo by: Bryson Chavez

Penguins Continue Homestand by Hosting Mercyhurst on Tuesday

3/17/2025 1:55:00 PM | Baseball

The Youngstown State baseball team (2-16, 1-2 Horizon League) will continue its seven-game homestand at Eastwood Field on Tuesday with a midweek non-conference contest against Mercyhurst (4-14, 3-3 NEC) at 5 p.m.

Live audio will be available at YSNLive.com while live stats will be available through links posted on YSUsports.com. Fans can also follow @YSUBaseball on X for live updates.

Youngstown State vs. Mercyhurst

Opponent	Date	Location	Audio	Live Stats
	Tuesday March 18 \| 5 PM ET	Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio	YSNLive.com	Live Stats

A Glimpse at the Guins

Redshirt junior right-hander Brandon Mikos will take the ball to make his fifth appearance and second start of the season on Tuesday. The Canfield, Ohio, native was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on March 12 after tossing three scoreless innings of relief at Gardner-Webb on March 8. Mikos has 10 strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched through the first five weeks of the 2025 season.
Youngstown State snapped an 11-game losing skid and picked up its first conference win with a 10-7 victory in the Horizon League series finale with Milwaukee on Saturday at Eastwood Field. The Penguins hit three home runs and totaled seven extra-base hits while limiting the Panthers to just one earned run. Milwaukee won decisions of 7-4 and 15-7 to sweep both games of a doubleheader on Friday.
Tuesday's game will mark the first meeting on the diamond between YSU and Mercyhurst since May 14, 1985, in a series that dates back to the 1973 season. The Lakers are in their first season at the Division I level as a member of the Northeast Conference.
Senior outfielder and Washington transfer Kyle Fossum leads the Horizon League with a .462 batting average and a .550 on-base percentage while ranking second in the league in OPS (1.396) and hits (30). The Seattle, Wash., native also ranks third in the circuit in slugging percentage (.846), tied-for-third in home runs (6), fourth in doubles (7), tied-for-fourth in RBIs (18), tied-for-fifth in runs scored (16) and tied-for-eighth in walks (11).
Fossum also ranks 10th nationally in batting average (.462), 25th in slugging percentage (.846), 41st in hits per game (1.67) and 41st in on-base percentage (.550). He is slashing .750/.800/1.500 with nine hits in 12 at bats over three games played in Horizon League action. Fossum recorded three doubles, two home runs and four RBIs during the league-opening series against Milwaukee this past weekend. He has hit safely in three straight games and in nine of his last 10 contests. Fossum also leads the Penguins with 10 multi-hit games and six games with multiple RBIs while reaching base in 10 consecutive contests.
Redshirt sophomore first baseman/outfielder Brady Shannon has now hit multiple home runs in a game twice through the first five weeks of the 2025 season. The Youngstown, Ohio, native and dual-sport athlete at YSU 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. Shannon is also a quarterback on the YSU football team.
Shannon hit a pair of solo home runs in YSU's 10-7 victory over Milwaukee on Saturday to push his season total to five through 15 games played and 12 starts. He is batting .283 and slugging .696 with eight RBIs while having hit safely in seven straight games. Shannon ranks sixth in the Horizon League with a .696 slugging percentage and five home runs while ranking seventh with a 1.073 OPS.
Redshirt senior right-hander JJ Tylicki leads the Penguins and ranks second in the Horizon League with 26 strikeouts through the first five weeks of the 2025 season. The Shawnee, Kan., native allowed two earned runs while striking out a season-high nine batters over five innings in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against Milwaukee.
Senior right-hander Jacob Gehring leads YSU and ranks second in the Horizon League with 27.1 innings pitched heading into this week of action. The Canfield, Ohio, native also ranks tied-for-seventh in the league with 18 strikeouts.
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 baseball 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
2025 YSU Baseball Promotional Schedule
Tuesday's contest will feature $2 game tickets at the front gate, which will open approximately one hour prior to first pitch.
There will also be a YSU Clear Tote Bag Giveaway at the front gate for all fans.

Previewing Mercyhurst

A Win on Tuesday Would…

Give YSU its second straight victory.
Improve YSU to 3-16 overall on the 2025 season.
Improve YSU's home record to 2-2.
Be YSU's first victory over Mercyhurst since the 1985 season.

Scouting The Lakers

Mercyhurst is 4-14 overall and 3-3 in Northeast Conference play in its first season as a Division I program. The Lakers won two of three games at Delaware State this past weekend in NEC play. Mercyhurst posted a 21-20 overall record and an 18-10 mark in PSAC action last season at the Division II level. The Lakers were picked seventh out of 11 teams in the 2025 NEC Preseason Poll.
Senior outfielder Eric Chorba is batting .277 and slugging .415 while leading Mercyhurst with 18 total hits. Senior utility player Jayden Walker is batting .266 with 17 hits including two home runs. Chorba and Walker are tied for the team lead with eight RBIs. The Lakers own a team batting average of .205 heading into Tuesday's game.
Senior right-hander Ben Berdine owns a team-best 3.60 ERA in five innings pitched over four appearances out of the bullpen. Sophomore left-hander Dylan Skidmore has a 5.02 ERA with a .146 opponent batting average and 11 strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitched over a team-high seven appearances out of the bullpen. The Lakers own a team ERA of 7.58 heading into Tuesday's contest.

Series History

Overall: Youngstown State leads 28-11
Charpie: 0-0 // H: 13-6 // A: 15-5 // N: 0-0
Current Win Streak: 1 by Mercyhurst
Last Meeting: May 14, 1985 (L, 2-3)
First Meeting: May 16, 1973 (W, 4-2)
Youngstown State and Mercyhurst will be meeting on the diamond for the first time since the Lakers picked up a 3-2 win in the second game of a doubleheader in Erie, Pa., on May 14, 1985.
The Penguins own a 28-11 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1973 season.

Recapping Milwaukee

vs. Milwaukee – Friday, March 14 (Game 1) // L, 4-7

In game one, Milwaukee broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run single with two outs in the seventh inning and went on to win 7-4.
The Penguins took a 1-0 lead after just three pitches in the bottom of the first inning. Garrett Cutting doubled inside the third-base bag on a 1-0 pitch, and Nathan Beckley served the first pitch of his at bat into centerfield for an RBI single.
YSU starter Jacob Gehring worked around a leadoff double in the second, but the Panthers were able to take the lead with three runs on five hits in the third. Tate Schmidt tied the score with a one-out double to left-center, and Tyler Bickers followed with a two-run single to right to make the score 3-1.
The Penguins cut their two-run deficit in half in the bottom of the inning as Cutting hit a one-out triple off the wall in center, and he scored two batters later on Kyle Fossum's single to left. Fossum then tied the game with another RBI single in the fifth that brought in Beckley. Beckley was hit by a pitch with one out and advanced to second on a passed ball, and Fossum delivered the tying run with his single to left.
Gehring retired the Panthers in order in the sixth, and he got the first two in the seventh before the game tilted in Milwaukee's favor with three straight hits. Schmidt and Bickers started the rally with back-to-back singles, and cleanup batter Charlie Manuel brought in both runners with a double to right. The Panthers added another run on a two-out RBI single in the eighth to extend their lead to 6-3.
Two hit batters and two walks allowed the Penguins to get a run across in the bottom of the eighth, but they hit into a double play and left the bases loaded to hurt their chances of a big inning. Milwaukee immediately got its three-run cushion back with a solo blast in the ninth.
Gehring was charged with five runs on 10 hits in his seven innings of work, and Braden Gebhardt allowed two runs in his two innings of relief.
Milwaukee starter Gavin Theis allowed two earned runs on six hits in six innings to collect his second win of the season, and Logan Snow got the final four outs to record his first save.

vs. Milwaukee – Friday, March 14 (Game 2) // L, 7-15

In game two, Milwaukee scored seven of its eight runs in the sixth inning on two swings, and that big inning propelled the Panthers to their 15-7 victory.
Milwaukee scored an unearned run and left the bases loaded in the top of the first off starter JJ Tylicki, but the first-year Penguin settled in and struck out nine batters in five innings of work.
Youngstown State tied the score on Brayden Kuriger's leadoff homer in the second, and Tommy Rover's home run with Fossum aboard in the third gave the Penguins a 3-1 lead.
Milwaukee got within 3-2 with a two-out RBI single in the fourth, but YSU answered with three runs in the bottom half to go up 5-2. Cole Smith led off with a ground-rule double, and Brady Shannon followed with a triple to left center. Shannon then scored on a sacrifice fly by Caleb Hadley to give the Penguins a three-run lead.
Tylicki allowed a leadoff single in the sixth to his final batter of the night, and the Panthers did most of their damage against the bullpen. Two singles and a walk brought in Milwaukee's first run of the inning, and Gabe Roessler gave the Panthers a 7-5 lead with a grand slam to left off Brandon Mikos. Q Phillips later hit a three-run homer with two outs off Sloan Ulrich to up the margin to 10-5.
Smith led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and scored on another sacrifice fly by Hadley to allow the Penguins to get within 10-6.
Milwaukee added three insurance runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, and Fossum's homer for the Penguins came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Tylicki finished with a career-high nine strikeouts in his five innings of work for the Penguins, and he did not factor in the decision. The loss was charged to Mikos, and YSU used six relievers in the game.
Logan Schulfer got the win for Milwaukee despite surrendering five runs on eight hits, and Aric Ehmke and Aiden Fishnick allowed two runs over four innings of relief.

vs. Milwaukee – Saturday, March 15 // W, 10-7

Youngstown State hit three home runs and had seven extra-base hits en route to salvaging the Horizon League series finale with a 10-7 victory over Milwaukee on Saturday at Eastwood Field.
Brady Shannon hit a pair of home runs while Kyle Fossum went 2-for-3 with a home run, two walks and two runs scored. Tommy Rover finished 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored while Brayden Kuriger drove in a team-high three runs.
The Panthers jumped out to an early lead with a six-run second inning before the Penguins struck for the next 10 runs of the contest. Milwaukee scored a single run in the top of the ninth for the final margin.
YSU starter Tyler Heflin allowed six unearned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks over four innings in a no-decision. Phil Brennaman scattered two hits and had four strikeouts over 3.1 innings of scoreless relief. Harun Pelja was responsible for one run in one inning while Mikey Rodriques recorded the final two outs in the ninth for his first career save.

Up Next

Youngstown State will conclude its season-long seven-game homestand at Eastwood Field this weekend with a three-game Horizon League series against Purdue Fort Wayne. The Penguins and Mastodons will open the series on Friday at 5 p.m. before proceeding to play on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.