Elle Buffenbarger, Youngstown State softball’s all-time wins and strikeouts leader, is in her second season as an assistant coach with the Penguins' softball program.
In her first season on staff, Buffenbarger coached junior Sophie Howell to one of the top pitching seasons in program history.
Howell turned in an impressive season in the circle going 17-12 with a 2.48 earned-run average and a 173 strikeouts in 200.2 innings pitched. Her 17 wins ranked tied for fifth on the YSU single-season chart while her 173 strikeouts rank sixth, and she became the fifth player in school history to throw more than 200 innings in a season.
Junior Devan Ryan also picked up seven wins and boasted an earned-run average of 2.70 with 61 strikeouts.
Buffenbarger, who will serve as the Penguins’ pitching coach, finished her career with a 63-33 record and a 3.01 earned run average, and set the school records for career wins and career strikeouts with 744.
During her final season in 2022, she was named All-Horizon League Second-Team, and went 21-10 with a single-season record 224 strikeouts and a 2.88 earned-run average. She led the Horizon League in strikeouts, ranked second in wins and sixth in earned-run average. She fanned eight in 6.2 innings and broke the YSU career strikeout record against Penn on Feb. 25.
Buffenbarger broke the all-time wins record and fired her second career no-hitter with five strikeouts against Purdue Fort Wayne on April 30.
She posted her best season in 2021 and was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Year and All-Horizon League First-Team. The Mason, Ohio, native earned NFCA All-Region Third-Team laurels and went 20-4 with 212 strikeouts, a 2.16 earned run average, and an opponent batting average of .198.
She became the first player in school history to record 20 wins and 200 strikeouts in the same season. Her 20 wins and 212 strikeouts both ranked second on the YSU single-season list. She led the Horizon League in wins, strikeouts, opponents' batting average, shutouts, and starts, was second with 19 complete games, and fourth in ERA.
She was also a second-team all-conference selection and all-freshman team pick in 2018.
Buffenbarger also served as a summer league coach for the Ohio Hawks since 2016 and as a private pitching instructor for players ages 6-18.
Buffenbarger earned her bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State on 2021.
