Eric Bunnell, a Northeast Ohio native, will be in his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Youngstown State baseball program in 2023-24. Bunnell served as the team's primary hitting coach for the first time in 2022.
Bunnell served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Chicago in 2018 and has 19Â years of collegiate coaching experience.
Most recently in 2023, Bunnell helped guide YSU to a 19-36 overall record and a 13-16 mark in Horizon League play to achieve double-digit Horizon League wins in three straight seasons for the first time in program history. With 10 road victories in 2023, Youngstown State has also recorded double-digit road wins in three straight seasons for the first time since 2005-07.
The 2023 campaign was highlighted by the program’s longest winning streak in 18 years. YSU won eight straight games from April 25 to May 9 to put together its longest winning streak since the 2005 season. The Penguins won 12 of their final 16 games while earning four consecutive Horizon League series victories to close out the regular season. With two wins at Baylor in early March and a victory at Pitt on April 10, YSU has now earned five victories against Power Five opponents over the past two seasons. YSU's 7-5 victory at Baylor on March 3, 2023, marked the program's first win over a Big 12 opponent since 2013.
Youngstown State set a new single-season school record with 123 doubles as a team in 2023. The previous record of 115 was set in 2010. The Penguins ranked 49th nationally in total doubles while ranking 31st in the country with 2.24 doubles per game. YSU also set a new single-season school record with 190 extra-base hits in 2023, surpassing the previous mark of 183 that was also set in 2010.
In addition, YSU's 54 home runs as a team in 2023 rank as the second most in a season in program history behind the school record of 60 that was set in 2010. The 2023 season also marks the only campaign in YSU history that four different players hit at least eight homers. Youngstown State posted 330 RBIs and 360 runs scored as a team in 2023, each of which rank as the fourth most in a season in program history. The Penguins also recorded 230 walks, which ranks as the fifth most in a season in school history.
Youngstown State tied the single-game school record with six home runs as a team in a 12-4 victory at Northern Kentucky on May 13, 2023. YSU hit six homers in a game for the third time in school history and for the first time since May 6, 2001, at Oakland. Senior outfielder Andre Good tied the single-game school record with three home runs in a 17-13 victory at Northern Kentucky on May 14, 2023. Good hit three of YSU's five home runs in the game to become just the fourth player in school history to hit three homers in a game. He became the first Penguin to blast three dingers in a single contest since Lorenzo Arcuri at Morehead State on March 7, 2017.
Second baseman Matt Thompson became the first player in YSU history to be named Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2023. Thompson, who was also selected to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team, batted .316 and slugged .439 with 54 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 28 RBIs. He ranked eighth in the Horizon League with a .316 batting average and a .421 on-base percentage. Thompson became just the seventh YSU freshman to bat at least .300 since YSU joined the Horizon League in 2002. He was the first YSU freshman to bat at least .300 since Jason Shirley hit .303 in 2012. Thompson batted .324 and slugged .480 with five doubles, three home runs and 20 RBIs in Horizon League play.
Bunnell helped coach junior shortstop Trey Law to a breakout season in 2023. Law was named Second-Team All-Horizon League and to the ABCA/Rawlings East All-Region Second Team after batting .362 and slugging .452 with 80 hits, 17 doubles, one home run, 29 RBIs, 24 walks, 50 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He led the Horizon League with 80 hits while ranking second with a .362 batting average, fifth with 17 doubles and a .437 on-base percentage and sixth with 50 runs scored. Law's 80 hits are tied for the third most in a season in program history. He became the first Penguin to record at least 80 hits in a season since Jacke Healey had 83 in 2010. Law was named Horizon League Co-Batter of the Week on Feb. 28, 2023.
Senior Padraig O’Shaughnessy was named First-Team All-Horizon League in his sixth and final collegiate season in 2023. The Poland, Ohio, native became the first YSU player to earn all-league honors as a designated hitter since Jeremy Banks in 2012. O'Shaughnessy batted .274 and slugged .487 with 13 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 36 walks and 53 RBIs in 2023. O'Shaughnessy's 53 RBIs are tied for the third most in a season in program history. He became just the second Penguin since 2010 to record at least 50 RBIs in a season.
Bunnell also helped senior infielder Braeden O’Shaughnessy garner All-Horizon League honors for the second straight season in 2023. The Poland, Ohio, native was named Second-Team All-Horizon League as a third baseman after earning first-team honors as a second baseman in 2022. O’Shaughnessy batted .288 and slugged .486 with 15 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 43 RBIs. He was named Horizon League Batter of the Week for the first time in his career on May 9, 2023.
Senior outfielder Turner Grau tied the single-season school record of seven triples for the second time in his career in 2023. Grau's seven triples in 2021 and 2023 match the single-season program record that was set by Lou Vassalotti in 1994. With seven triples in 2023, he finished his YSU career with 15 to surpass the previous career record of nine that had been held by Chris Durkin (1989-91) and Mark Thomas (1997-99).
In 2022, Bunnell helped guide YSU to a 21-36 record to achieve back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2005-06. The Penguins won 13 road contests for the second straight season in 2022 to reach double-digit road wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2006-07.
Youngstown State earned a pair of road wins over Power Five opponents in 2022. YSU defeated ACC member Pitt 5-2 on March 16 before beating Big Ten member Penn State 2-1 on March 22. The win against Penn State marked YSU's first win over a Big Ten opponent since 1996. YSU placed third in the 2022 Horizon League Baseball Championship, which was its best finish since winning the tournament in 2014. The Penguins also won multiple games in the tournament for the first time since that championship season.
Bunnell helped junior infielder Braeden O’Shaughnessy enjoy a breakout season in 2022. O’Shaughnessy was named First-Team All-Horizon League after being one of the league's top-producing hitters throughout the 2022 season. He led the Penguins with a .357 batting average, 79 hits, 16 doubles, seven home runs, 41 RBIs, 36 runs scored, a .543 slugging percentage, a .434 on-base percentage, a .977 OPS, 120 total bases and 221 at bats. O'Shaughnessy finished the season ranking second in the Horizon League in batting average and hits, fourth in at bats, tied for fourth in doubles, fifth in OPS, seventh in on-base percentage, ninth in slugging percentage and ninth in RBIs. He became just the second YSU infielder since 2013 to be named First-Team All-Horizon League.
O'Shaughnessy was the only Penguin to start all 57 games in 2022. He set new single-season school records for games played and games started. O'Shaughnessy's 79 hits are tied for the sixth most in a season in program history. He became the first Penguin to record at least 79 hits in a campaign since Drew Dosch had 79 in 2012. O'Shaughnessy also became the first Penguin to record at least 16 doubles in a season since Jeremy Banks had 16 in 2012. Senior third baseman Steven D'Eusanio tied the YSU single-game hits record with six hits against Milwaukee on April 15. D'Eusanio hit four singles, a double and a home run to go 6-for-6 to match John Koehnlein's six-hit effort in seven at bats on May 24, 2007.
Bunnell helped two different Penguins earn Horizon League Batter of the Week honors in 2022. Sophomore infielder Seth Lucero was named Horizon League Batter of the Week on March 22 after batting .500 and slugging .850 with 10 hits in 20 at bats over four games played at Pitt and Purdue Fort Wayne. He recorded two doubles, a triple, a home run and five RBIs. Senior catcher Dylan Swarmer was named Horizon League Batter of the Week on May 17 after batting .385 and slugging 1.077 with five hits including three home runs and six RBIs in 13 at bats over four games played. He went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in YSU's 5-3 win in game one of a doubleheader at Northern Kentucky on May 15.
Offensively, YSU ranked tied for second in the Horizon League with 14 triples and third with 249 walks in 2022. YSU's 249 walks rank as the second most in a season in program history. Senior first baseman Padraig O'Shaughnessy led the Horizon League and ranked 41st nationally with 46 walks in 2022. O'Shaughnessy's 46 walks rank as the second most in a season in program history, and they are the most by a Penguin since Steve Mefferd set the single-season YSU record with 52 free passes in 2001.
In 2021, YSU went 32-24 to post its best record in 26 years. The Penguins reached the 30-win plateau for just the second time in program history and for the first time since going 37-17 in 1995. Youngstown State also reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2010.
The Penguins went 24-16 in Horizon League play to set a new program record for Horizon League and conference wins. The previous record of 16 Horizon League wins was set in 2006 while the previous mark of 18 conference wins was set in 1995. YSU finished the season with a winning record for the first time since 2005, and it secured a winning record in league play for the first time since 2008.
Youngstown State finished the 2021 season with a 19-4 record at Eastwood Field to set a new program record for home wins. The previous mark of 18 home wins was set in 1977. YSU also won 13 road games in 2021, which was its most since winning 14 in 2006. It marked the first season since 2010 in which the Penguins won at least 10 road contests.
Bunnell, who worked closely with YSU’s catchers, helped coach senior Nick Caruso to a career year in 2021. Caruso set new career highs with a .310 batting average, a .472 slugging percentage, 10 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 31 RBIs and a .375 on-base percentage. He also recorded a .989 fielding percentage with just four errors in 380 chances behind the plate. In addition, Caruso was named Horizon League Batter of the Week on April 20. Following the season, Caruso signed a professional contract with the Westside Woolly Mammoths of the United Shore Professional Basseball League (USPBL).
In 2020, YSU went 7-7 before the season was ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Penguins won three of their first four weekend series and a midweek contest at ACC member Pitt for their best start since 2010. YSU won two out of three games at preseason No. 35 Houston on opening weekend to begin the season 2-1 for the first time since 2001. Youngstown State had the most wins and the best winning percentage in the Horizon League when the season came to an end.
In his first season with the Penguins, Bunnell helped coach four players to postseason Horizon League recognition. Blaze Glenn and Jeff Wehler were voted to the All-Horizon League Second Team for the second straight season, and Phillip Glasser and Dylan Swarmer earned nods to the All-Freshman Team. Bunnell helped guide Swarmer to an impressive debut season in 2019. The true freshman started 41 of 54 games behind the plate after being pressed into full-time duty early in the season due to injuries.
In a win over Wright State on May 4, Swarmer became the first YSU catcher to hit two home runs in a game since 2004. For his performance, he was named a National Top 30 Performer for May 4 by D1Baseball.com. Swarmer also became the first Penguin since 2012 to record five hits in a game when he went 5-for-5Â with two RBIs and three runs scored at Penn State on April 9.
Swarmer led the Penguins and finished the season ranked tied for fourth in the Horizon League with three triples. Defensively, he ranked tied for fourth in the league with 11 runners caught stealing, and eighth with 256 putouts. He was also second on the team among regular starters with a .982 fielding percentage.
With Bunnell on the staff in 2018, UChicago tied the school record for wins in a season by posting a 26-13 record while the offense scored eight runs per game. Outfielder Maximiliano Larsen was named as an All-Region selection by D3baseball.com after ranking second in the nation with 23 doubles. Larsen also broke the school record for career doubles with 60.
In addition to working with the Maroons’ hitters, Bunnell also worked with the defense and base runners.
Bunnell spent the 2014-17 seasons as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., where he worked with infielders and base runners. The Pumas went 35-22 in 2017 on their way to earning berths in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. The Pumas posted a .968 fielding percentage in 2015, which was the program’s highest mark in more than a decade.
Prior to joining the staff at SJC, Bunnell served as the top assistant at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, from 2011-13. During his tenure, the program won 66 games over a three-year span and qualified for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament in back-to-back seasons. The Storm set a school record for wins in 2012 with 27. Bunnell worked closely with shortstop Ryan Rua, who was selected in the 17th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. Rua made his MLB debut in the infield in 2014 against Kansas City, eventually earning a starting outfield position in the Rangers' opening day lineup in 2015.
In 2009 and 2010, Bunnell was an assistant coach at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. The Cardinals won the 2010 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championship on their way to a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Bunnell got his start in coaching at his alma mater, Mount Union, during the 2005-08 seasons. During that span, the Purple Raiders tied the school record for wins twice and made two conference tournament appearances.
In 2008, Bunnell was named Manager of the Year in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League after guiding the Stark County Terriers to a franchise-best 27 victories. Since 2004, 20 of his former players have gone on to play professionally.
During his playing career at Mount Union, Bunnell earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors in 2003 and was named to the All-Tournament team in 2002 after helping lead the Purple Raiders to the conference championship game.
A native of Conneaut, Ohio, Bunnell earned a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from Mount Union as well as a master’s degree in liberal studies from North Central College. Bunnell is married to Alyson (Kieffer) Bunnell and they have a daughter named Everly.
