Youngstown State University
Northern Kentucky
Penguins Close Out Season at Northern Kentucky This Weekend
5/1/2025 12:08:00 PM | Softball
The First Pitch
The Youngstown State softball team (13-38, 5-16 Horizon League) closes out the 2025 season when it visits Northern Kentucky (21-24, 11-9) in a three-game Horizon League series this weekend.
At-Bat
The Penguins and Norse will play a single game on Friday, May 2, at 3 p.m. and will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, May 3, beginning at 12 p.m.
About Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky enters the series with an overall record of 21-24 and an 11-9 mark in the Horizon League. The Norse are currently fifth in the league standings but are just 1.5 games out of third place. Leading the Norse is Olivia Pasten with a .333 batting average, six home runs and 37 RBIs. Brooklyn Ballis leads the team with eight victories.
Campbell Notches 400th YSU Win, Nearing Career 700
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 688-566-2 and a 403-437-1 mark at Youngstown State. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Campbell needs 12 more wins to reach 700 for his career. He became the first coach in program history to win 400 games.
Wilkerson Among League Leaders
Sophomore Lydia Wilkerson is having one of the best all-around seasons in the Horizon League. She leads the league with 61 hits, leads the league with 61 hits, ranks fifth with a .370 batting average, seventh with 79 total bases, and tied for eighth with 28 RBIs.
Ogin Notches Two Wins
Freshman pitcher Kelsey Ogin picked up a pair of victories last week, knocking off league foe Oakland twice. Ogin leads the Penguins with six wins and 80 strikeouts.
Carlson Has Big Week
Graduate Cassie Carlson posted her best performance during YSU's 2025 senior weekend. Carlson led the Penguins to a series win over Oakland last weekend. She batted .714 with a double, two runs scored and four RBIs in the series. In game one, Carlson went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a run batted in. Her RBI in the opener tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth inning. She was 1-for-2 in game two. Carlson went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the Penguins' 9-3 series-clinching win.
Ray of Sunshine
Freshman Ayla Ray has been impressive during her rookie campaign. Ray boasts a .325 batting average with 24 runs scored, five doubles, two home runs and 22 runs batted in. Against league foes, Ray is batting .314 with three doubles, two home runs, and nine runs batted in.
Littler Still Lit
Sophomore Macy Littler continued staying hot from year one to year two. Littler pushed her overall batting average up to .342 and has scored a team-high 29 runs. Littler is also batting .368 in Horizon League play, which is a team-high and ranks seventh in the league.
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.
