The First Pitch
The Youngstown State softball team (24-14, 7-2 HL) hosts Green Bay in its final home Horizon League series, April 17-18, at the Covelli Sports Complex. The Penguins and Phoenix will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 3 p.m. while first pitch on Saturday is set for 12 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Penguins extended their winning streak to five games after a doubleheader sweep over Mercyhurst, 11-1, 9-1 on April 14.
Up Next
Youngstown State plays a pair of mid-week non-conference doubleheaders at Kent State, Tuesday, April 21 at 2 p.m. and hosting Saint Francis (Pa) in a rescheduled twinbill, Wednesday, April 22, at 3 p.m.
About Green Bay
Green Bay enters the game with an overall record of 11-24 and a 5-7 Horizon League record. Lead the Phoenix is Jenna Redders with a batting average of .372 while Gracie Anderson is batting .368 and has five home runs. Ava Schill and Jasmyn Trigueros lead the staff with four victories apiece while Paeton Kringel owns a team-best 4.68 ERA.
The Green Bay Series
Youngstown State and Green Bay have met 75 times previously and the Phoenix own a 38-37 advantage in the all-time series. The Phoenix have won the last three contests – all in Green Bay, Wis. – but the Penguins have won the last eight games played at the Covelli Sports Complex, dating back to 2021.
Penguins' Bats Alive
Overall, Youngstown State is batting .339 as a team and ranks second overall in the Horizon League. In league action, the Penguins are batting .353 as a team and rank behind Green Bay with a .387 team average against league opponents. Youngstown State has nine players hitting .301 or better. Junior Selah Moyer leads the Penguins with a .379 average while seniors Kennedy Dean and Emma Gilkerson are right behind at .378 each. Junior Lydia Wilkerson is batting .376 and sophomore Bella Meyer is at .360.
Dean Sets Single-Season RBI Record
Senior Kennedy Dean became the first Youngstown State player to drive in at least 50 runs in a season and broke the single-season record of 49 after blasting a grand slam against Mercyhurst on April 14. Dean now has 52 RBIs on the year and ranks second in the Horizon League.
Moyer Climbing RBI Chart
Junior Selah Moyer is climbing the YSU single-season RBI chart as well. Moyer ranks fourth on the single-season list with 42 runs batted in. This marks the first time in program history that two players have driven in at least 42 runs in the same season.
Campbell Reaches Career Win 700
Head Coach Brian Campbell, the winningest coach in program history with 418 wins, picked up the 700th victory of his coaching career in the Penguins' 4-3 win over Le Moyne on March 7 and now has 713 wins. 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 143-77 in 220 games in its on-campus facility for a .650 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 93-47 mark (.664) in Horizon League regular-season games played at the YSU Softball Field. Since 2021, the Penguins are 53-21 in conference regular-season contests played on their turf.
Kimball in Control
Freshman Kennedy Kimball has been off to an impressive start during her rookie campaign. The Windham, Maine native, leads the Horizon League with a 5-1 record and a 2.19 earned-run average in league action. Overall, she is 9-5 and owns a league-best 2.23 ERA.
