Wednesday, May 7
Toledo, OH
3 p.m.
Youngstown State University
at
Toledo
Photo by: Bryson Chavez
Penguins Travel to Toledo for Non-Conference Contest on Wednesday
5/6/2025 9:45:00 AM | Baseball
The Youngstown State baseball team (12-34, 9-15 Horizon League) will travel to Toledo (22-26, 12-12 MAC) on Wednesday for a midweek non-conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Scott Park in Toledo, Ohio.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and live audio will be available at YSNLive.com. Live stats will be available through links posted on YSUsports.com. Fans can also follow @YSUBaseball on X for live updates.
Youngstown State at Toledo
| Opponent | Date | Location | Video | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Wednesday May 7 | 3 PM |
Scott Park Toledo, Ohio |
ESPN+ | YSNLive.com | Live Stats |
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Freshman right-hander Tyler Heflin will take the ball for the Penguins on Wednesday to make his 14th appearance and ninth start of the season.
- The Penguins have lost three straight decisions after being swept in a three-game Horizon League series against league-leading Wright State at Eastwood Field this past weekend. The Raiders won both games of a doubleheader on Friday by scores of 20-8 and 12-4, respectively, before holding on for a 12-8 victory in the series finale on Sunday. Wright State has clinched the top seed in the 2025 Horizon League Baseball Championship, which will officially be played at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio, on May 21-24.
- YSU will be going for the season sweep of Toledo after defeating the Rockets 13-3 in seven innings at Eastwood Field back on April 1. The Penguins pounded out 13 hits while limiting the Rockets to just four to snap a four-game losing streak in the series.
- Youngstown State has hit 56 home runs as a team in 2025, which currently ranks third in the Horizon League and as the second most in a season in program history. The Penguins hit a school-record 60 home runs in 2010. YSU has also recorded 257 walks in 2025, which is tied for the Horizon League lead and ranks as the second most in a season in school history. The Guins drew a school-record 272 walks in 2018.
- Senior outfielder and Washington transfer Kyle Fossum is putting together one of the most prolific seasons at the plate in Youngstown State history. The Seattle, Wash., native became YSU's single-season home run king with his 18th home run of the 2025 season on the first pitch of the series opener at Purdue Fort Wayne on April 25. Fossum surpassed the previous single-season school record of 17 home runs, which was set by Andrew Kendrick in 2017. Fossum hit his league-leading 19th home run of the season in the second game of a doubleheader against Wright State on Friday.
- Fossum surpassed another school record against Wright State on Friday when he recorded his 138th total base of the season. He broke the previous mark of 137 total bases, which was set by Mark Thomas back in 1999. Fossum enters Wednesday's contest at Toledo with 144 total bases through 46 games played. The senior is currently tied for fifth on YSU's single-season list with 52 RBIs, needing eight more to break Jacke Healey's mark of 59 in 2010. Fossum is currently tied for fourth in school history with 52 runs scored, needing 12 more to surpass Healey's record of 63 in 2010. He is also tied for tied for fourth in program history with 39 walks, needing 14 more to break Steve Mefferd's record of 52 in 2001.
- At the outset of the week, Fossum leads the Horizon League in hits (70) and home runs (19) while ranking second in batting average (.398), slugging percentage (.818), on-base percentage (.511), OPS (1.329), walks (39) and runs scored (52). He also ranks third in the league in RBIs (52) doubles (17). Fossum owns national rankings of third in total bases (144), fifth in home runs (19) and seventh in slugging percentage (.818). He has twice been named the Horizon League Batter of the Week during the 2025 season. Fossum is slashing .455/.567/.949 with 13 doubles, 12 home runs and 31 RBIs over 24 games in Horizon League play. He leads the Penguins with 23 multi-hit games and 17 multi-RBI performances.
- Redshirt senior infielder Tommy Rover is batting .326 and slugging .576 with nine home runs and 31 RBIs over 36 games played. Rover ranks fourth in the Horizon League with a .483 on-base percentage, fifth with a 1.059 OPS and 10th with a .326 batting average and nine home runs. The Brentwood, Calif., native ranks second in the Horizon League and has set a new single-season school record having been hit by a pitch 18 times in 2025. He surpassed the previous mark of 15, which was set by Dustin Thomas in 2006. Rover is slashing .359/.524/.717 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs over 24 games played in Horizon League action.
- Freshman infielder Jay Wrona is batting .327 and slugging .418 with seven doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs over 34 games played and 29 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 had reached base safely in 30 straight games before the impressive streak came to end on Sunday. He ranks ninth in the Horizon League with a .327 batting average and a .452 on-base percentage.
- Senior right-hander Jacob Gehring ranks fourth in the Horizon League with team highs of 56 strikeouts and 61.1 innings pitched over 12 starts in 2025. The Canfield, Ohio, native 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 and Kansas transfer JJ Tylicki ranks fifth in the Horizon League with 55 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 matched his season and career high with nine strikeouts while allowing just one hit over 5.1 strong innings of relief in the second game of a doubleheader against Wright State on Friday.
- Senior infielder Cole Smith is batting .300 and slugging .494 over 45 games played. The Dothan, Ala., native and UT Martin transfer ranks fourth in the HL with 16 doubles and fifth with 38 walks. Smith is batting .360 and slugging .584 with eight doubles, four home runs and 23 RBIs over 24 games played in Horizon League action. He has hit safely in six straight games while reaching base safely in 13 consecutive contests.
- Junior outfielder and Nicholls transfer Brayden Kuriger has hit safely in seven straight games to improve his batting average to .292 through 40 games played and 38 starts. The Gonzales, La., native is slugging .500 with six doubles, three triples, six home runs, 35 RBIs and a team-high 11 stolen bases. Kuriger ranks tied for second in the Horizon League with a team-high three triples. He is slashing .342/.420/.521 with two home runs and 22 RBIs over 20 games played in Horizon League action.
- Senior outfielder Eli Brown has hit safely in nine straight games while reaching base safely in 10 consecutive contests. The Bowling Green, Ohio, native went 2-for-3 with a double, a two-run home run and three runs scored in the series finale with Wright State on Sunday. Brown has played in 158 games and made 128 starts during his four-year YSU career.
- 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 three of his last four 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. Mikos owns a 4-2 record with career highs of 34 strikeouts and 46 innings pitched over 12 appearances and nine 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 in 2024. At 31 years old, Charpie is the third-youngest Division I head baseball coach in the country in 2025.
Previewing Toledo
A Win on Wednesday Would…
- Improve YSU's overall record to 13-34.
- Snap a three-game losing streak.
- Give YSU the two-game season sweep of the Rockets.
- Give the Guins their eighth road victory of the season.
Scouting The Rockets
- Toledo is 22-26 overall and 12-12 in Mid-American Conference play after winning two of three games against Bowling Green at Scott Park this past weekend. The Rockets have won five of their last seven contests entering Wednesday's matchup with the Penguins.
- Toledo was picked sixth in the 2025 MAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll after going 27-32 overall and 16-14 in conference play last season.
- Senior outfielder Caden Konczak is batting .278 and slugging .466 while leading the Rockets with 49 hits and eight home runs. Redshirt sophomore infielder Troy Sudbrook is batting .258 and slugging .421 while leading Toledo with 49 hits and 31 RBIs. The Rockets own a team batting average of .239 heading into Wednesday's contest.
- Freshman right-hander Braden Curry boasts a 2-0 record and two saves with a 3.22 ERA and a team-high 38 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched over 14 appearances out of the bullpen. Senior right-hander Logan Jones has a 2-2 record, a 3.73 ERA and four saves with 38 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched over a team-high 16 appearances.
Series History
- Overall: Youngstown State leads 19-13
- Charpie: 1-0 // H: 10-8 // A: 8-4 // N: 1-1
- Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State
- Last Meeting: April 1, 2025 (W, 13-3)
- First Meeting: May 11, 1993 (W, 7-4)
- The Rockets had won four straight games in the series before the Penguins earned a 13-3 seven-inning victory earlier this season on April 1 at Eastwood Field. It marked YSU's first victory in the series since a 5-3 triumph on April 10, 2019.
- The Rockets swept a pair of meetings with the Penguins during the 2024 season. Toledo won a 19-6 decision at Scott Park in Toledo before collecting an 18-8 win at Eastwood Field.
Recapping Last Weekend
vs. Wright State – Friday, May 2 (Game 1) // L, 8-20
- In a game that featured 10 total home runs, Wright State was able to outslug Youngstown State for a 20-8 victory in game one of Friday's doubleheader at Eastwood Field.
- The Raiders hit six home runs while the Penguins belted four two-run homers to account for all eight of their runs in the series opener.
- Wright State went ahead 3-0 before Cole Smith's two-run homer in the home half of the first inning pulled YSU within a run. The Raiders held leads of 7-2 and 8-4 before the Penguins evened the score at 8-8 with a four-run bottom of the fourth. After Brayden Kuriger hit a two-run home run in the third inning, Eli Brown and Tommy Rover each went deep in the fourth. Wright State went on to score the final 12 runs of the game.
- Rover finished the game 3-for-5 with three runs scored while Smith and Caleb Hadley each went 2-for-4.
- YSU starter Jacob Gehring allowed five runs on six hits with five strikeouts over 2.1 innings in a no-decision. Braden Gebhardt suffered the loss after surrendering eight runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings out of the bullpen.
vs. Wright State – Friday, May 2 (Game 2) // L, 4-12
- Wright State scored six runs in the third inning on its way to a 12-4 victory over Youngstown State in game two of Friday's Horizon League doubleheader at Eastwood Field.
- Kuriger, Smith and Rover each had two hits to pace the Penguins offensively while Fossum and Rover each went yard.
- YSU starter Sloan Ulrich allowed six runs on three hits and five walks over two innings in a losing effort. JJ Tylicki was responsible for three runs, only one of them earned, on one hit while matching his career with nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings of relief.
vs. Wright State – Sunday, May 4 // L, 8-12
- Youngstown State battled but dropped a 12-8 decision to Wright State on Sunday in the Horizon League series finale at Eastwood Field.
- The Raiders held a 5-2 lead when the contest entered a weather delay due to heavy rainfall in the top of the fourth inning. After a delay of just over an hour, Cam Gilkerson hit the first pitch he saw when the game resumed over the wall in right center field to put Wright State ahead 7-2. The Raiders added one run in the fifth and two in the seventh while holding off the Penguins to secure the three-game series sweep.
- After trailing 10-4, YSU struck for one run in the seventh and two in the eighth to pull within striking distance heading into the ninth inning. Wright State added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth before Caleb Hadley hit a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning for the final margin.
- Eli Brown went 2-for-3 with a double, a two-run homer and three runs scored to lead YSU offensively while Kyle Fossum recorded two hits including an RBI single.
- YSU starter Brandon Mikos suffered the loss after allowing six runs on four hits with four strikeouts over 3.1 innings. Mikey Rodriques was responsible for four runs on six hits and five walks in 2.1 innings while Colin Casteel came on to surrender two runs over 3.2 innings of work.
Up Next
The Penguins will conclude their 2025 home schedule at Eastwood Field this weekend with a three-game Horizon League series against Oakland. The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies will open the series on Friday at 11 a.m. before proceeding to play on Saturday at 3 p.m. and on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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