The First Pitch
The Youngstown State softball team (11-10, 0-0 HL) opens the home portion of its schedule with a three-game series against Detroit Mercy (6-16, 0-0 HL), March 20-21, in the home and Horizon League opener at the YSU Softball Field. The Penguins and Titans play a single game on Friday at 3 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. All three games will be aired on ESPN+. 

Last Time Out
The Penguins have not played since March 7, but went 5-2 over their last seven games of their spring break trip. Youngstown State was led offensively by junior Selah Moyer who batted .471 (8-for-17) with four runs, two doubles, two home runs and nine runs batted in. Senior Emma Gilkerson batted .391 going 9-for-23 with two doubles, home run and four RBIs. Four different pitchers picked up a victory and sophomore Isabella O'Brien paced the pitching staff with a 2-0 record and had 13 strikeouts in 17.1 innings pitched. Freshman Kennedy Kimball fanned 17 batters in 18.1 innings. As a staff, the Penguins limited their opponents to a .234 a batting average.

Up Next
Youngstown State visits St. Bonaventure for a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 24, at 3 p.m. before hosting Northern Kentucky in a three-game league series, March 27-28.

About Detroit Mercy
Detroit Mercy enters the league's opening weekend with an overall record of 6-16. Trinity Fessler leads the Titans with a .353 batting average, a home run and 11 RBIs. Pitcher Savannah Schultz leads the staff with four victories and 45 strikeouts.

The Detroit Mercy Series
Youngstown State and Detroit Mercy have met 63 times previously and the Penguins own a 43-19-1 advantage in the all-time series. Last season, the Titans won the season series taking two of three games in Detroit, Mich.

Penguins' Cats Come Alive
Overall, Youngstown State is batting .320 as a team and has six players hitting .320 or better. Senior Kennedy Dean leads the Penguins with a .404 batting average with 16 runs scored, seven doubles, two home runs and 18 runs batted in. Gilkerson leads the team and ranks second in the Horizon League with five home runs.

Campbell Reaches Career Win 700
Head Coach Brian Campbell, the winningest coach in program history with 415 wins, picked up the 700th victory of his coaching career in the Penguins' 4-3 win over Le Moyne on March 7. Campbell is a three-time Horizon League Coach of the Year winning the award in 2012, 2021, and 2024. He led the Penguins to a 20-4 Horizon League record and tied the program single-season wins record with 36 in 2024. In 2021, Campbell led the Penguins to the first regular-season conference championship in program history with a 36-15 overall record and a 28-8 mark in league play. He has led the Penguins to six 30-win seasons and is the only coach in school history to win at least 30 games in consecutive seasons - 2021, 2022 and 2016, 2017.

Home Sweet Home
Since the Penguins began playing their home games at the YSU Softball Field in 2014, they have found a lot of success in their home ballpark. Youngstown State is 133-75 in 208 games in its on-campus facility for a .639 winning percentage. YSU secured its 100th victory at the complex with a 5-2 victory over Green Bay on April 23, 2022.  Youngstown State has a 88-46 mark (.657) in Horizon League regular-season games played at the YSU Softball Field. Since 2021, the Penguins are 48-20 in conference regular-season contests played on their turf.

Dean Dominating
Youngstown State senior Kennedy Dean is off to an explosive start for the Penguins. The Winfield, W.Va. native leads the Penguins with a .404 batting average and has seven doubles, two home runs and 18 runs batted in. She is tied for the league lead with seven doubles, and her OPS of 1.125 ranks eighth in the Horizon League.

Tai It Up
Junior Tai Turner has been one of the Penguins top offensive threats this season. Turner is batting .353 with 20 runs scored, three home runs, and 15 runs batted in. She also has a team-best nine multi-hit games.