Friday, May 2
Niles, Ohio
1 p.m.
Youngstown State University
vs
Wright State
Photo by: Bryson Chavez
Penguins Return Home to Host Raiders for Horizon League Series
4/30/2025 1:31:00 PM | Baseball
The Youngstown State baseball team (12-31, 9-12 HL) will open a three-game Horizon League series with Wright State (27-15, 18-3 HL) at Eastwood Field on Friday at 1 p.m. ET. The Penguins and Raiders will proceed to play on Saturday at 3 p.m. before closing the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Live audio will be available for all three games 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. Wright State
| Opponent | Date | Location | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Friday May 2 | 1 PM ET |
Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio |
YSNLive.com | Live Stats |
|
Saturday May 3 | 3 PM ET |
Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio |
YSNLive.com | Live Stats |
|
Sunday May 4 | 1 PM ET |
Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio |
YSNLive.com | Live Stats |
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Senior right-hander Jacob Gehring will take the mound in the series opener on Friday while Saturday's starter is to be determined. Redshirt junior right-hander Brandon Mikos is scheduled to start on the hill for the Penguins in the series finale on Sunday.
- The Penguins are coming off their second straight Horizon League series victory after winning two of three games at Purdue Fort Wayne this past weekend. YSU won the series opener 13-6 before clinching the series win with a 16-7 triumph in the series finale on Sunday.
- Senior outfielder and Washington transfer Kyle Fossum was named the Horizon League Batter of the Week for the second time this season on Tuesday. Fossum, who is putting together one of the most prolific seasons at the plate in program history, batted .500 and slugged .813 with eight hits including a home run in 16 at bats over five games played last week. The senior totaled two doubles, one home run, six RBIs, six runs scored, 13 total bases, seven walks and a .652 on-base percentage for the week. Fossum was also named the Horizon League Batter of the Week on March 25.
- Through games played on April 29, Fossum leads the Horizon League in hits (66), home runs (18), slugging percentage (.846) and walks (37) while ranking second in batting average (.407), OPS (1.368), on-base percentage (.522), doubles (17) and runs scored (49) and fourth in RBIs (49). The senior also ranks third in the nation in home runs and slugging percentage, fourth in total bases (137), 18th in on-base percentage and 22nd in batting average. Fossum has also tied the single-season school record of 137 total bases set by Mark Thomas back in 1999.
- Freshman infielder Jay Wrona is batting .352 and slugging .451 with seven doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs over 31 games played and 27 starts. The New Castle, Pa., native set the single-game school record with five walks in YSU's 20-14 win at Milwaukee on April 18. Wrona has reached base safely in 28 straight games entering Friday's series opener against Wright State.
- Redshirt sophomore outfielder/first baseman Brady Shannon has hit multiple home runs in a game twice during 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, who is also a quarterback on the YSU football team, also hit a pair of solo home runs in YSU's 10-7 victory over Milwaukee on March 15.
- Senior right-hander Jacob Gehring ranks third in the Horizon League with 59 innings pitched and fourth with a team-high 51 strikeouts. Gehring struck out a career-high nine batters over six innings against Purdue Fort Wayne on March 21. He registered seven strikeouts while matching his season high with seven innings pitched to earn his first win of the season in YSU's 4-3 victory in the series opener at Oakland on April 4.
- Redshirt senior right-hander JJ Tylicki ranks sixth in the Horizon League with 46 strikeouts. The Shawnee, Kan., native picked up his first win of the season in YSU's 7-4 victory in game two of a doubleheader at Oakland on April 4. Tylicki fanned a career-high nine batters over five innings against Milwaukee on March 14.
- Redshirt senior infielder Tommy Rover is batting .308 and slugging .525 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs over 33 games played. Rover ranks sixth in the Horizon League with a .471 on-base percentage and seventh with a .996 OPS. The Brentwood, Calif., native leads the Horizon League and has set a new single-season school record having been hit by a pitch 16 times in 2025. He surpassed the previous mark of 15, which was set by Dustin Thomas in 2006. Rover is slashing .338/.514/.663 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs over 21 games played in Horizon League play.
- Senior infielder Cole Smith is batting .289 and slugging .463 over 42 games played. The Dothan, Ala., native ranks fifth in the HL with 14 doubles and 35 walks while ranking eighth with 36 runs scored. Smith is batting .346 and slugging .538 with 21 RBIs over 21 games played in Horizon League action. He has reached base safely in 10 consecutive contests.
- Redshirt junior right-hander Brandon Mikos pitched a career-high seven innings in YSU's 7-5 victory at Milwaukee on April 19. Mikos has now won his last three decisions with wins over NKU, Milwaukee and Purdue Fort Wayne. The Canfield, Ohio, native was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on March 12.
- 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 in 2024. At 31 years old, Charpie is the third-youngest Division I head baseball coach in the country in 2025.
Promotions & Fan Information
- Eastwood Field
- 2025 YSU Baseball Promotional Schedule
- Friday's series opener will feature $2 hot dogs at the concession stand and a YSU T-Shirt Giveaway for the first 50 YSU students.
- Saturday will be YSU Alumni Day with former players and coaches being invited back to Eastwood Field. There will also be $4 16-ounce beer and a Stadium Cup Giveaway.
- Sunday's series finale will feature a Cooling Towel Giveaway.
Previewing Wright State
A Win on Friday Would...
- Improve YSU to 13-31 overall and 10-12 in Horizon League play.
- Give the Guins their second straight win and five wins in their last eight games.
- Give YSU five wins in its last six HL contests.
- Snap a three-game losing skid against the Raiders.
Scouting The Raiders
- Wright State, the defending Horizon League regular season champion, enters the weekend at 27-15 overall and 18-3 in HL play to hold a six-game lead in the league standings. The Raiders have won six of their last seven games after taking two of three contests against Milwaukee at Nischwitz Stadium last weekend.
- Redshirt freshman infielder Hunter Warren is batting .370 and slugging .461 while leading the Raiders with 61 hits and 10 doubles. Sophomore infielder JP Peltier is batting .297 and slugging .639 with team highs of 14 home runs, 44 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Wright State ranks second in the HL with a .289 team batting average.
- Sophomore right-hander Cam Allen owns a 4-2 record and a 5.36 ERA while leading the Raiders with 43 strikeouts and 43.2 innings pitched over 11 appearances and eight starts. Senior left-hander Garrett Peters has a 4-0 record and four saves with a 5.01 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 32.1 innings over 15 appearances and one start.
Series History
- Overall: Wright State leads 103-42
- Charpie: 0-3 // H: 19-45 // A: 20-57 // N: 3-1
- Current Win Streak: 3 by Wright State
- Last Meeting: March 29, 2025 (L, 9-10)
- First Meeting: April 30, 1986 (L, 2-14)
- Wright State swept a three-game series with YSU earlier this season at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. The Raiders won the opener 10-9 on March 28 before picking up wins of 9-5 and 10-9 in a doubleheader on March 29.
- YSU went 1-7 against Wright State last season with its lone win eliminating the Raiders from the 2024 Horizon League Baseball Championship at Nischwitz Stadium. Wright State swept a pair of series during the regular season before defeating YSU 12-2 in the first meeting between the teams in last season's league tournament.
Recapping Purdue Fort Wayne
at Purdue Fort Wayne – Friday, April 25 // W, 13-6
- Senior outfielder Kyle Fossum broke Youngstown State's single-season home run record as YSU earned a 13-6 series-opening win at Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday afternoon at Mastodon Field.
- The Penguins won their third straight Horizon League contest in a game that spanned two different dates on the calendar. The series opener began on Friday at noon before being delayed by inclement weather for more than two hours in the middle of the fifth inning. The game resumed until more heavy rainfall in the top of the eighth inning caused a suspension until Saturday at 1 p.m.
- Fossum wasted no time in putting the Penguins on the scoreboard as he hit the first pitch of the game over the wall in right center field to become YSU's single-season home run king. He surpassed the previous record of 17 that was set by Andrew Kendrick in 2017. Fossum finished the contest 3-for-3 with three RBIs and was a triple shy of the cycle while walking twice and scoring three times.
- Cole Smith went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer, four RBIs and three runs scored while Brayden Kuriger singled, walked three times and drove in three runs. Tommy Rover added a pair of RBIs from the second spot in the lineup as YSU outhit Purdue Fort Wayne 13-8.
- YSU starter Jacob Gehring surrendered four runs on five hits over four innings on the mound. Braden Gebhardt was awarded the victory after allowing two runs on three hits over three innings while Mikey Rodriques fanned five batters over two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the save.
at Purdue Fort Wayne – Saturday, April 26 // L, 4-14 (7 innings)
- Purdue Fort Wayne scored the final 10 runs of the game on its way to a 14-4 victory over Youngstown State on Saturday afternoon at Mastodon Field.
- The Mastodons used a four-run second inning to grab an early lead before the Penguins posted four runs of their own in the top of the third to tie the contest. Purdue Fort Wayne erupted for six runs in the home half of the third to regain the lead before scoring twice in the fourth and twice in the fifth to secure the win in seven innings and even the three-game Horizon League series.
- Brayden Kuriger went 2-for-4 with a two-run double while Kyle Fossum, Jay Wrona and Jack Johnson added two hits apiece for the Penguins offensively.
- YSU starter JJ Tylicki was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs on five hits over two innings. Sloan Ulrich was responsible for four runs in one inning of relief while Colin Casteel and Nolan Kubilus each permitted a pair of runs.
at Purdue Fort Wayne – Sunday, April 27 // W, 16-7
- Youngstown State exploded for 10 runs on six hits in the top of the sixth inning in route to a 16-7 series-clinching victory at Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday afternoon at Mastodon Field.
- The Mastodons scored twice in the bottom of the third to take a 2-0 edge before the Penguins erupted for 10 runs in the top of the sixth to gain the advantage. YSU earned its second consecutive Horizon League series win.
- Tommy Rover went 4-for-6 with a walk and two RBIs while Kyle Fossum was 3-for-5 with two walks and three RBIs. Cole Smith went 3-for-6 with a three-run homer and drove in a season-high five runs while Jed Stange-Tregear went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
- YSU starter Brandon Mikos allowed six runs, five of them earned, on 11 hits with three strikeouts over six innings to earn his fourth win of the season. Harun Pelja was responsible for one run over three innings of relief to pick up his first save.
Up Next
Youngstown State will play a non-conference contest at Toledo on Tuesday. First pitch at Scott Park is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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