Wednesday, April 9
Niles, Ohio
5 p.m.
Youngstown State University
vs
Bowling Green
Photo by: Bryson Chavez
Penguins Host Bowling Green Wednesday to Start Four-Game Homestand
4/8/2025 3:42:00 PM | Baseball
The Youngstown State baseball team (7-23 overall, 4-8 Horizon League) will start a four-game homestand at Eastwood Field on Wednesday with a non-conference contest against Bowling Green (21-9 overall, 11-4 MAC) 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. Bowling Green
| Opponent | Date | Location | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Wednesday April 9 | 5 PM ET |
Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio |
YSNLive.com | Live Stats |
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Senior right-hander Harun Pelja is scheduled to make his ninth overall appearance and second start on the mound for the Penguins on Wednesday. The Melbourne, Australia, native owns a 2-0 record and seven strikeouts in 14 innings pitched this season.
- Youngstown State has won three of its last four games after taking two of three contests in a Horizon League series at Oakland this past weekend. The Penguins swept a doubleheader on Friday with wins of 4-3 and 7-4 before having their three-game winning streak snapped with a 15-5 setback in the series finale on Sunday.
- YSU hit a combined five home runs to back strong pitching as it swept Friday's Horizon League doubleheader at Oakland. Tommy Rover hit a home run in each game while Kyle Fossum went yard twice in game two. Jay Wrona collected two hits in each game including the go-ahead RBI single in the series opener while Eli Brown hit a grand slam in game two.
- Jacob Gehring had seven strikeouts over seven strong innings in game one while Braden Gebhardt saved the series-opening win with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. JJ Tylicki scattered three hits over five innings to earn his first win in the nightcap while Sloan Ulrich registered his second save with two scoreless frames out of the bullpen.
- Senior outfielder and Washington transfer Kyle Fossum leads the Horizon League in batting average (.440), slugging percentage (.914), on-base percentage (.535), OPS (1.449), hits (51) and home runs (14). The Seattle, Wash., native also ranks second in the league with 36 RBIs and 13 doubles, third with 33 runs scored and fifth with 21 walks.
- Fossum also owns national rankings of third in slugging percentage (.914), fourth in home runs per game (0.47), fifth in home runs (14), fifth in total bases (106), 10th in batting average (.440) and 24th in hits (51). The senior is slashing .520/.607/1.120 with nine doubles, seven home runs and 15 RBIs over 12 games in Horizon League play. He was named the Horizon League Batter of the Week on March 25.
- Fossum has become just the second player in program history to hit at least 14 home runs in a season, joining Andrew Kendrick, who set the single-season school record with 17 homers in 2017. He has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games while reaching base safely in 22 consecutive contests. Fossum leads the Penguins with 17 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI performances.
- Senior infielder Tommy Rover has hit safely in nine straight games to improve his batting average to .319 over 20 games played. The Brentwood, Calif., native is batting .341 and slugging .780 with five home runs and 13 RBIs over 12 games in Horizon League action. Rover ranks fifth in the Horizon League with a .500 on-base percentage, sixth with a 1.080 OPS and seventh with a .580 slugging percentage. He has also now reached base safely in 18 consecutive contests.
- Redshirt sophomore outfielder Brady Shannon has now hit multiple home runs in a game twice through the first eight 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 also hit a pair of solo home runs in YSU's 10-7 victory over Milwaukee on March 15. He is batting .268 and slugging .526 with 13 RBIs over 27 games played and 24 starts. Shannon ranks second in the Horizon League with two triples, sixth with a .588 slugging percentage, eighth with six home runs and ninth with a team-high eight stolen bases.
- Senior right-hander Jacob Gehring leads the Horizon League with 45 innings pitched. The Canfield, Ohio, native also ranks fourth in the league with 38 strikeouts. Gehring struck out a career-high nine batters over six innings in a no-decision against Purdue Fort Wayne on March 21. He allowed three runs on five hits with 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 at Oakland in the series opener on Friday.
- Redshirt senior right-hander JJ Tylicki ranks second in the Horizon League with a team-high 40 strikeouts while ranking eighth with 32.2 innings pitched. The Shawnee, Kan., native recorded a season-high nine strikeouts in the second game of a doubleheader against Milwaukee on March 14. Tylicki picked up his first win of the season in YSU's 7-4 victory at Oakland on Friday.
- Senior infielder Cole Smith ranks fourth in the Horizon League with a team-high 23 walks while ranking third with 11 doubles. Junior infielder Garrett Cutting has now reached base safely in 13 straight games.
- Freshman infielder Jay Wrona has hit safely in eight straight games while reaching base safely in 15 consecutive contests. Wrona is batting .365 and slugging .462 over 18 games played and 14 starts.
- 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.
Promotions & Fan Information
- Eastwood Field
- 2025 YSU Baseball Promotional Schedule
- Wednesday's game will feature $2 tickets as well as a YSU lanyard giveaway. There will also be a Foul-Ball Trade-In promotion where fans who catch or find a foul ball can trade it in at the front gate for a YSU Beanie Hat.
Previewing Bowling Green
A Win on Wednesday Would…
- Improve YSU's overall record to 8-23.
- Give YSU four wins in its last five games.
- Improve YSU's home record to 5-4.
- Snap a two-game losing skid against the Falcons.
Scouting The Falcons
- Bowling Green enters the week at 21-9 overall and 11-4 in Mid-American Conference play after dropping two of three games against Miami Ohio at Steller Field this past weekend. The Falcons had won four straight games before falling 5-2 to the Redhawks in game one of a doubleheader on Friday.
- Bowling Green was picked fourth out of 11 teams in the 2025 MAC Baseball Preseason Poll after going 33-20 overall and 24-6 in MAC play in 2024. The Falcons claimed the MAC regular season title last season.
- Sophomore catcher Garrett Wright is batting .426 and slugging .722 with a team-high 46 hits and 35 runs scored. Junior outfielder DJ Newman is batting .419 and slugging .645 while sophomore infielder Brady Birchmeier leads the Falcons with eight home runs and 40 RBIs. BGSU boasts a team batting average of .303 heading into Wednesday's contest.
- Senior right-hander Logan Bell will make his first start of the season for BGSU on Wednesday. He owns a 21.32 ERA with five strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched over eight appearances out of the bullpen. Senior right-hander Connar Penrod has a 3-1 record and a 0.98 ERA with eight saves and 27 strikeouts in 18.1 innings over a team-high 13 relief appearances.
Series History
- Overall: Youngstown State leads 13-8
- Charpie: 0-1 // H: 7-2 // A: 6-6 // N: 0-0
- Current Win Streak: 2 by Bowling Green
- Last Meeting: March 25, 2025 (L, 7-12)
- First Meeting: March 21, 1989 (L, 6-14)
- Wednesday's contest will mark the 22nd all-time meeting between YSU and Bowling Green in a series that dates back to 1989. The Falcons won a 12-7 decision at Steller Field in Bowling Green earlier this season on March 25 for their second straight win in the series.
- The Penguins picked up a 5-1 victory over the Falcons in the last meeting at Eastwood Field on May 9, 2023. YSU had won 10 straight games over BGSU before a 15-5 loss at Steller Field in Bowling Green on March 26, 2019. The Falcons had won three straight encounters until the Penguins' 5-1 win during the 2023 campaign.
Recapping Oakland
at Oakland – Friday, April 4 (Game 1) // W, 4-3
- Jay Wrona delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the seventh inning and Gehring tossed seven strong innings as Youngstown State defeated Oakland 4-3 in the Horizon League series opener on Friday at the Oakland Baseball Field in Rochester, Mich.
- The Golden Grizzlies scored a single run in the bottom of the first inning before the Penguins moved ahead with a three-run top of the third. Oakland evened the score with a pair of runs in the home half of the sixth before Wrona's RBI single lifted YSU back in front in the top of the seventh.
- Jacob Gehring allowed three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts while matching his season high with seven innings pitched to earn his first win of the season. The senior right-hander retired 11 straight batters at one point while blanking the Golden Grizzlies over four straight frames. Gehring retired the side in order in four different innings.
- Braden Gebhardt tossed two scoreless innings of relief to collect his first save of the season. The junior left-hander struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth after working out of a jam in the bottom of the eighth.
- Wrona went 2-for-3 with the decisive RBI single in the seventh while Tommy Rover hit his fourth home run of the season. Nathan Beckley doubled home a run while Brady Shannon added an RBI single.
at Oakland – Friday, April 4 (Game 2) // W, 7-4
- Youngstown State smashed four home runs on its way to a 7-4 victory in game two of Friday's Horizon League doubleheader at the Oakland Baseball Field.
- Kyle Fossum hit home runs in each of his first two at bats while Rover followed Fossum's second dinger with his second blast of the day to give the Penguins a 3-0 lead. After the Golden Grizzlies scored twice in the third to pull within a run, Eli Brown hit a two-out grand slam in the seventh to put YSU ahead 7-2. Oakland manufactured two runs in the home half of the seventh for the final margin.
- JJ Tylicki allowed two runs on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks over five innings of work to pick up his first win of the season. Colin Casteel permitted two runs on two hits in two innings while Sloan Ulrich pitched two scoreless innings of relief to earn his second save.
at Oakland – Sunday, April 6 // L, 5-15 (7 innings)
- Oakland scored eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to erase a three-run deficit and defeat Youngstown State 15-5 in the Horizon League series finale on Sunday at the Oakland Baseball Field in Rochester, Mich.
- The Penguins built a 4-1 lead before the Golden Grizzlies erupted for eight runs in home half of the fourth to take control of the contest. Oakland salvaged the series finale in seven innings after being swept by YSU in a doubleheader on Friday.
- Kyle Fossum went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and his 14th home run of the season. The senior outfielder became just the second player in program history to hit at least 14 home runs in a season, joining Andrew Kendrick who set the single-season school record with 17 homers in 2017.
- YSU starter Brandon Mikos allowed one run on two hits and two walks over three innings. Ulrich was responsible for three runs while Phil Brennaman was the losing pitcher after permitting five runs during Oakland eight-run fourth inning.
Up Next
Youngstown State will continue its homestand at Eastwood Field on Friday when it opens a three-game Horizon League series against Northern Kentucky at 6 p.m. Friday's series opener features a special "Pack Eastwood" promotion presented by Key Kutterz and 21 WFMJ with free admission and YSU rally towels for the first 150 fans. There will also be a YSU key chain giveaway courtesy of Key Kutterz.
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