The First Pitch
The Youngstown State softball team (29-17, 12-3 HL) closes out the 2026 regular season when it visits Oakland in a three-game series, May 1-2, at the Oakland Softball Field in Rochester, Mich. First pitch on Friday is at 12 p.m. while Saturday's doubleheader starts at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
Youngstown State claimed the 2026 Horizon League Regular-Season Championship and earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Horizon League Championship after sweeping IU Indy in a three-game series, April 25-26. The Penguins knocked off the Jaguars, 12-11, 8-5, and 9-6.
Third Title in Six Years
The 2026 Horizon League regular season championship it the third title for the Penguins in the last six seasons and the second in the last three years. Youngstown State won the regular season crown in 2021, 2024 and 2026. The Penguins won the 2006 tournament title for their first NCAA Regional berth.
Up Next
Top-seeded Youngstown State hosts the 2026 Horizon League Championship, May 6-9, at the Covelli Sports Complex in Youngstown, Ohio. The Penguins earned a bye and will play on Thursday, May 7, at 12 p.m. Youngstown State's opponent has not been determined.
Playing Host
The 2026 Horizon League Championship marks the fourth time in the last six season that Youngstown State will serve as host. The Penguins host the championship in 2021, 2022, 2024 and this year. YSU also hosted the 2006 Horizon League Championship.
Dean Named Player of the Week
Youngstown State senior Kennedy Dean has been named the Under Armour Horizon League Softball Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday. This marks Dean's second career weekly honor and the first this season, and it is the third time this year a Youngstown State player has won the award. Dean was also named the player of the week on April 23, 2024. Dean led the Penguins to a 3-2 record last week, including a three-game sweep over IU Indy, and YSU clinched the regular-season championship and No. 1 in the 2026 Horizon League Softball Championship. She batted .368 (7-for-19) on the week with three runs scored, two doubles, three home runs and 11 runs batted in. She went 3-for-4 with two doubles against the Golden Flashes on April 21. Dean hit three three-run home runs against the Jaguars en route to the series sweep. Her first three-run home run came when the Penguins were down to their final out and trailed 11-8 in game one of the series.
About Oakland
Oakland enters the series with an overall record of 24-20 and a league mark of 8-7, The Golden Grizzlies are tied for second place with Robert Morris and Northern Kentucky. Leading the Golden Grizzlies is Maggie Murphy with a .438 batting average, six home runs and 28 runs batted in. Addison Caldwell is batting .409 while Autumn Liebhauser owns a .378 average with 14 doubles, six homers and 29 RBIs. Kenna Bommarito leads the pitching staff with 11 victories, 125 strikeouts and has a 2.98 ERA.
Penguins 30-for-30
With one win over the Golden Grizzlies, Youngstown State will pick up its 30th win of the season. It would mark the eighth time in program history that the Penguins have won at least 30 games is a season. It would be the seventh time Youngstown State reached the 30-win plateau under Head Coach Brian Campbell.
Penguins Set Multiple Offensive 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 (355) and most runs batted in (321). Last weekend, the Penguins broke of old doubles record of 79 and now have 82, and they are on the cusp over breaking the mark for most doubles and batting average. The Penguins own a .336 batting average, which is 18 points ahead of the current standard of .318 set in 2016. Youngstown State's 45 home runs rank second on the list and it needs seven more to tie and eight more to break the record of 52 set in 2016. YSU 422 hits are third on the list and 34 behind the record of 456 set in 2016.
Dean in Select Company
With her three home runs at IU Indy, senior Kennedy Dean became just the fourth player in school history to hit at least 12 home runs in a season. Dean is also just one shy of tying the single-season record of 13 set by Cali Mikovich in 2016, and she needs to more break the mark. She is also just the sixth YSU player to record at least 10 doubles (13) and 10 home runs (12) in the same year.
Penguins' Bats Alive
Overall, Youngstown State is batting .336 as a team and ranks second overall in the Horizon League. In league action, the Penguins are batting .347 as a team and rank behind Green Bay with a .382 team average against league opponents. Youngstown State has nine players hitting .303 or better. The Penguins have five players batting between .355 and .367 led by senior Kennedy Dean at .367 and Emma Gilkerson at .366. Lydia Wilkerson is at .364 while Tai Turner and Selah Moyer are batting .359 and .355, respectively.
No Sophomore Slump
Outfielder Bella Meyer is having an outstanding sophomore for the Penguins. The Champion, Ohio native is batting .344 and is one four Penguins with at least 10 doubles with 10 and has two home runs and 25 runs batted in. She's also batting .341 in league play.
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 65 RBIs on the year and ranks second in the Horizon League. Dean also leads the Penguins with 17 multi-RBI games, including three games with at least five runs batted in and two with four RBIs.
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 720 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.
