Friday, May 9
Niles, Ohio
11 a.m.
Youngstown State University
vs
Oakland
Photo by: Bryson Chavez
Penguins Host Oakland to Conclude 2025 Home Schedule at Eastwood Field
5/8/2025 11:20:00 AM | Baseball
The Youngstown State baseball team (12-35, 9-15 HL) will open a three-game Horizon League series with Oakland (14-35, 7-17 HL) at Eastwood Field on Friday at 11 a.m. ET. The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies 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. Oakland
| Opponent | Date | Location | Audio | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Friday May 9 | 11 AM ET |
Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio |
YSNLive.com | Live Stats |
|
Saturday May 10 | 3 PM ET |
Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio |
YSNLive.com | Live Stats |
|
Sunday May 11 | 1 PM ET |
Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio |
YSNLive.com | Live Stats |
A Glimpse at the Guins
- Junior left-hander Braden Gebhardt will take the mound in the series opener on Friday while junior left-hander Sloan Ulrich will start game two of the series on Saturday. Redshirt junior right-hander Brandon Mikos is scheduled to start on the hill for the Penguins in the series finale on Sunday.
- The Penguins have dropped four straight games after falling 12-1 at Toledo in a non-conference contest on Wednesday. YSU was swept in a three-game Horizon League series with Wright State at Eastwood Field last weekend.
- YSU 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 262 walks in 2025, which ranks second in the HL and 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 YSU 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 is currently fourth on YSU's single-season list with 53 RBIs, needing seven more to break Jacke Healey's mark of 59 in 2010.
- Through games played on May 7, Fossum leads the Horizon League in hits (72) and home runs (19) while ranking second in batting average (.402), slugging percentage (.816), on-base percentage (.516), OPS (1.332), RBIs (53), walks (40) and runs scored (52). He also ranks third in the league in doubles (17). Fossum owns national rankings of fourth in total bases (146), fifth in home runs (19) and sixth in slugging percentage (.816). 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 24 multi-hit games and 17 multi-RBI performances.
- 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 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 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.
- Redshirt senior infielder Tommy Rover is batting .326 and slugging .570 with nine home runs and 31 RBIs over 37 games played. The Brentwood, Calif., native ranks in the top 10 in the Horizon League in batting average, slugging, OBP, OPS and home runs. Rover is slashing .359/.524/.717 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs over 24 games played in Horizon League action. He 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.
- Freshman infielder Jay Wrona is batting .317 and slugging .406 with seven doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs over 35 games played and 30 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 10th in the Horizon League with a .445 on-base percentage.
- Senior infielder Cole Smith is batting .299 and slugging .494 over 46 games played. The Dothan, Ala., native and UT Martin transfer ranks tied-for-third in the HL with 17 doubles and sixth 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 seven straight games while reaching base safely in 14 consecutive contests.
- Junior outfielder and Nicholls transfer Brayden Kuriger has hit safely in seven of his last eight games to improve his batting average to .284 through 41 games played and 39 starts. The Gonzales, La., native is slugging .486 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 10 straight games while reaching base safely in 11 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 159 games and made 129 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.
Promotions & Fan Information
- Eastwood Field
- 2025 YSU Baseball Promotional Schedule
- Friday's game will be the annual Akron Children's Hospital of Mahoning Valley School Day Game with thousands of area students in attendance.
- Saturday will be a "Varsity Club Youngstown Saturday" with fans receiving a $5 off app coupon if YSU scores five runs or more. There will also be $4 16-ounce beer at the concession stand.
- Sunday's series finale will mark "Senior Day" as YSU's senior class will be honored during a special ceremony prior to first pitch.
Previewing Oakland
A Win on Friday Would...
- Improve YSU to 13-35 overall and 10-15 in Horizon League play.
- Snap a four-game losing skid.
- Improve YSU's home record to 6-10.
- Give YSU six wins in its last eight meetings with Oakland.
Scouting The Golden Grizzlies
- Oakland enters the weekend at 14-35 overall and 7-17 in HL play after dropping two of three games to Purdue Fort Wayne this past weekend in Rochester, Mich. The Golden Grizzlies are sixth in the league standings entering play on Friday.
- Senior outfielder John Lauinger is batting .350 with a team-high 63 hits to go along with 22 stolen bases. Senior catcher Matthew McGann is batting .320 and slugging .531 while leading Oakland with seven home runs and 39 RBIs. The Golden Grizzlies rank fourth in the HL with a .264 team batting average entering the weekend.
- Freshman left-hander Grant Garman owns a 3-4 record and a 5.51 ERA while leading Oakland with 58 strikeouts and 65.1 innings pitched over 12 starts on the mound. Senior right-hander Hunter Pidek has a 7.34 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 61.1 innings pitched over 12 starts. Sophomore left-hander Ryan Donley has made a team-high 20 appearances out of the bullpen.
Series History
- Overall: Youngstown State leads 32-31
- Charpie: 2-1 // H: 21-15 // A: 9-13 // N: 2-3
- Current Win Streak: 1 by Oakland
- Last Meeting: April 6, 2025 (L, 5-15)
- First Meeting: May 8, 1999 (W, 12-5)
- YSU won two of three games at Oakland earlier this season in early April in the first series between the teams in 2025. The Penguins swept a doubleheader with wins of 4-3 and 7-4 on April 4 before falling 15-5 in the series finale on April 6.
- YSU went 4-3 against Oakland during the 2024 season. Each team won two of three games during a pair of series that took place at Eastwood Field last season before YSU earned a 13-10 victory in the opening round of the 2024 Horizon League Baseball Championship at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. The Penguins have won five of the last seven encounters overall.
Recapping Last Game
at Toledo – Wednesday, May 7 // L, 1-12 (7 innings)
- Toledo's seven-run fifth inning propelled the Rockets to a 12-1 win over Youngstown State in a midweek non-conference affair on Wednesday afternoon at Scott Park.
- The Rockets posted a single run in the bottom of the first inning before the Penguins tied the game with a single tally of their own in the top of the second. Toledo struck for seven runs in the home half of the fifth before adding four in the seventh to secure the seven-inning victory.
- Kyle Fossum went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI single and a stolen base while Caleb Hadley singled, stole a base and scored a run. Tommy Rover and Eli Brown each singled and walked while Cole Smith doubled for the Penguins.
- YSU starter Tyler Heflin allowed one run on one hit in one inning on the mound while Phil Brennaman, Nolan Kubilus and Gavin Wilms each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Lane Rhodes was the losing pitcher after surrendering five runs in the fifth while a pair of unearned runs went on Olindo Pezzone's record. Nate Ross and Aidan English were each responsible for a pair of runs out of the bullpen.
Up Next
Youngstown State will face Akron on Tuesday in a non-conference contest at Canal Park in Akron, Ohio. First pitch is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and the game will be broadcast live on the Zips Digital Network and YSNLive.com.
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