The First Pitch
The Youngstown State softball team (26-17, 9-3 HL) returns to Horizon League action when it visit IU Indy for a three-game series, April 25-26, at the IU Indy Softball Complex in Indianapolis, Ind. First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. while Sunday's single game is slated for a 12 p.m. start.
Last Time Out
The Penguins dropped a doubleheader to Kent State, 7-1 and 11-6, on April 21 in Kent, Ohio.
Up Next
Youngstown State closes out the regular season with a three-game Horizon League series at Oakland, May 1-2, in Rochester, Mich.
Hosting On the Horizon
With at least two wins this weekend, the Penguins will serve as hosts of the 2026 Horizon League Championship, May 6-9. The Penguins could clinch a first-round bye with sweep or two wins and a Detroit Mercy loss. Youngstown State would clinch the No. 1 seed and the regular-season championship with a sweep and two Oakland losses or two wins and three Oakland losses. The Penguins' magic number to clinch a share of the regular-season title is four.
About IU Indy
IU Indy enters the series with an overall record of 7-34 and a 4-8 mark in Horizon League play. Leading the Jaguars is Paige McPherson with a .359 batting average, six home runs and 22 runs batted in. Molly Kable is batting .336 and is tied with McPherson with a team-best 22 RBIs. Lily Roush leads the pitching staff with three victories.
Penguins Set Runs, RBIs Records
The 2026 season is becoming one of the best offensive campaigns in program history. The Penguins have already set the single-season records for most runs scored (326) and most runs batted in (294), and they are on the cusp over breaking the mark for most doubles and batting average. The Penguins have 77 doubles this season and need just three more to break the record, and they own a .337 batting average, which is 19 points ahead of the current standard of .318 set in 2016.
RSIP-Y Business
Youngstown State has been posting solid numbers in crunch time. The Penguins are batting .392 with runners in scoring position, .354 with runners on base and .465 with bases loaded. Of Youngstown State's 294 runs batted in, 123 have come with two outs.
Penguins' Bats Alive
Overall, Youngstown State is batting .337 as a team and ranks second overall in the Horizon League. In league action, the Penguins are batting .355 as a team and rank behind Green Bay with a .375 team average against league opponents. Youngstown State has nine players hitting .310 or better. Junior Selah Moyer leads the Penguins with an average of .388 while senior Kennedy Dean is batting .378 and junior Lydia Wilkerson is batting .364.
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 56 RBIs on the year and ranks second in the Horizon League. Dean also leads the Penguins with 14 multi-RBI games, including three games with at least five runs batted in and two with four RBIs.
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 and ranks third in the league with 47 runs batted in. This marks the first time in program history that two players have driven in at least 47 runs in the same season.
Turn It Up Tai
Junior Tai Turner has been on an offensive tear recently. Turner is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak and is batting .519 (14-for-27) over that stretch. She also slugged at a .778 clip with 13 runs scored, 10 RBIs, two doubles, a triple and home run. She has also reached base in the last 12 games.
Campbell Reaches Career Win 700
Head Coach Brian Campbell, the winningest coach in program history with 430 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 715 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.
