Penguins Conclude Homestand with Horizon League Series vs. Oakland - Youngstown State University (2024)

The Youngstown State baseball team (8-32, 5-13 HL) will conclude its five-game homestand at Eastwood Field with a three-game Horizon League series against Oakland (22-18, 11-7 HL) beginning on Friday at 5 p.m. The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies will proceed to play on Saturday at 3 p.m. before closing the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Live audio for all three games will be available at YSNLive.com while live stats will be available through links on YSUsports.com. Fans can also follow @YSUBaseball on X for live updates.

Youngstown State vs. Oakland

Opponent	Date	Location	Audio	Live Stats
	Friday April 26 | 5PMET	Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio	YSNLive.com	Live Stats
	Saturday April 27| 3 PM ET	Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio	YSNLive.com	Live Stats
	Sunday April 28 |1 PMET	Eastwood Field Niles, Ohio	YSNLive.com	Live Stats

A Glimpse at the Guins

• Junior right-hander Jacob Gehring will take the ball in the series opener on Friday while junior right-hander Brandon Mikos is scheduled to start on Saturday. Sophom*ore left-hander Sloan Ulrich is slated to take the mound in the series finale on Sunday.
• Friday's series opener will mark the fourth meeting of the season between YSU and Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies won two of three games in a series that was moved to Eastwood Field in late March due to inclement weather. YSU won the series opener 3-2 on March 22 before Oakland swept a doubleheader on March 24 with wins of 14-1 and 13-3.
• Youngstown State has won three of its last five games after a 10-9 walk-off victory over Akron at Eastwood Field on Wednesday. Matt Thompson hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning and scored on Eli Brown's walk-off single to give YSU the season sweep of Akron. The Penguins also won two of three games at Purdue Fort Wayne last weekend in their most-recent Horizon League series.
• Senior outfielder RJ Sherwood batted .563 and slugged 1.438 with nine hits including four home runs over four games played last week while helping lead the Penguins to the Horizon League series victory at Purdue Fort Wayne. The Canton, Mich., native also recorded two doubles, five RBIs, nine runs scored, 23 total bases, two walks and a .611 on-base percentage for the week while homering in three of four contests. Sherwood went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four runs scored in YSU's 12-3 series-clinching win at Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday.
• Redshirt senior shortstop Trey Law is batting .356 while leading the Penguins with 58 hits, eight doubles and a .421 on-base percentage. The Camp Hill, Pa., native currently ranks fifth in the Horizon League with 58 hits and eighth with a .356 batting average. Law has hit safely in 17 of his last 19 contests. He is batting .325 with a team-high 25 hits over 18 games in Horizon League play.
• Freshman outfielder Alejandro Covas is batting .329 and slugging .479 while leading the Horizon League and ranking second nationally with seven triples. The Peninsula, Ohio, native tied the single-season program record with his seventh triple of the season against Kent State on Tuesday. He has become just the third player in program history to triple seven times in a season, joining Turner Grau (2023, 2021) and Lou Vassalotti (1994).
• Covas went 3-for-4 and tied the single-game school record with two triples in the series finale with Purdue Fort Wayne on March 17. He became the 11th player in school history and the first since 2021 to triple twice in a game. Covas is batting .333 and slugging .536 over 18 games played in Horizon League action. He has hit safely in 14 of his last 19 games entering play this weekend. Covas has also reached base safely in 25 consecutive games.
• Junior infielder Brett Stanley is batting .356 and slugging .559 with a team-high 18 RBIs over 16 games played and 15 starts in Horizon League play. The Washington Township, Mich., native has hit safely in seven of his last eight contests heading into play this weekend. Stanley currently ranks seventh in the Horizon League with a team-high 12 stolen bases.
• Junior right-hander Jacob Gehring leads the Penguins with 35 strikeouts and 46.1 innings pitched over a team-high 10 starts through the first 10-plus weeks of the 2024 season. The Canfield, Ohio, native also ranks ninth in the Horizon League with 46.1 innings pitched. Freshman right-hander Chris Domke ranks tied for second in the league with four saves.
• Fifth-year senior right-hander Casey Marshalwitz leads YSU with 18 pitching appearances, all of which have come out of the bullpen. The Gibsonia, Pa., native currently ranks tied for fourth in program history with 82 career appearances. Marshalwitz earned his team-leading third win of the season after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings in YSU's 10-7 victory at Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday.
• The Penguins have been without Preseason Horizon League Freshman of the Year Derrick Tarpley Jr., who has missed the last 24 games due to injury. The freshman outfielder, who was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 2024 MLB Draft, is batting .328 and slugging .517 with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs over 16 games played.
• With its 4-2 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on March 15, YSU has now won four straight Horizon League openers for the first time in program history. The Penguins also won their home opener for the second consecutive campaign.
• With its 7-6 win at Pitt on March 13, Youngstown State has now earned six victories over Power Five opponents in the last three seasons. That victory also marked YSU's seventh win over an ACC opponent during Dan Bertolini's tenure as head coach. The Penguins now have a win over the Panthers in each of the last five seasons that the two programs have faced off. YSU has also won four straight meetings with Pitt at Charles L. Cost Field in Pittsburgh.

Promotions & Fan Information

• Eastwood Field
• 2024 YSU Baseball Promotional Schedule
• Tickets for all three games will be $5 and will be available at the front gate, which will open approximately one hour prior to first pitch.
• Friday's series opener will feature $2 Hot Dog Wally hot dogs and $1 pop at the concession stand.
• Saturday's game will feature a YSU Baseball Championship Reunion as members of the 2004 and 2014 Horizon League championshipteams will return and be recognized during a special ceremony prior to first pitch.
• Saturday's contest will also feature a 2004 and 2014 Horizon League Championship Pennant Giveaway and $4 16 oz. beer at the concession stand.
• Fans at Sunday's series finale will receive a coupon for a free chili dog from the Hot Dog Shoppe and Jib Jab Hot Dog if YSU scores five runs or more.

Previewing Oakland

Scouting The Golden Grizzlies

• Oakland is 22-18 overall and 11-7 in Horizon League play after a 14-11 non-conference victory over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday. The Golden Grizzlies won two of three home games against Northern Kentucky this past weekend in their most-recent Horizon League action. After dropping the series opener 24-3, Oakland responded with wins of 7-3 and 10-9 to earn the series victory. The Golden Grizzlies are one game back of first-place Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League standings.
• Junior infielder Carter Hain is batting .349 and slugging .570 with four home runs and 38 RBIs. Junior infielder Brandon Nigh is batting .309 and slugging .572 while leading Oakland with 14 doubles, eight home runs and 39 RBIs. Redshirt freshman infielder Lucas Day is batting .324 and slugging .581 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs. Freshman outfielder Trent Rice leads the Horizon League with 31 stolen bases while sophom*ore outfielder Reggie Bussey ranks second with 28 steals.
• Senior right-hander Brandon Decker has a 4-3 record, a 5.58 ERA and a league-high six saves while leading the Golden Grizzlies with 55 strikeouts and 69.1 innings pitched. Decker leads the Horizon League in innings pitched while ranking second in strikeouts. Junior right-hander Hunter Pidek owns a 3-6 record and an 8.21 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 49.1 innings pitched over 10 starts. Redshirt senior right-hander Sean Fekete has a 3-3 record and a 9.50 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched over 12 appearances and 10 starts.

Series History

• Overall: Oakland leads 29-27
• Bertolini: 14-19 // H: 19-14 // A: 7-12 // N: 1-3
• Current Win Streak: 2 by Oakland
• Last Meeting: March 24, 2024 (L, 3-13)
• First Meeting: May 8, 1999 (W, 12-5)
• Oakland had won five straight meetings in the series before YSU won the series opener 3-2 at Eastwood Field earlier this season on March 22. The Golden Grizzlies proceeded to sweep a doubleheader on March 24 with wins of 14-1 and 13-3 to claim the series victory.
• The Golden Grizzlies won two of three games at Eastwood Field last season before sweeping a three-game series in Rochester, Mich.
• The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies met each year from 1999-2001 when both teams were members of the Mid-Continent Conference. The series resumed in 2014 when Oakland joined the Horizon League.

Recapping Kent State, Akron

vs. Kent State – Tuesday, April 23 // L 8-13

• Youngstown State held a 13-11 edge in the hits column, but the Penguins issued 11 walks and couldn't take advantage of scoring opportunities in the middle innings as they fell 13-8 to Kent State on Tuesday afternoon at Eastwood Field.
• Trey Law had a game-high three hits, and Youngstown State's top five hitters in the lineup each had two hits or more.
• The Penguins trailed 10-0 early, but they kept battling and got to within 10-7 after eight innings. Inning-ending double plays in the seventh and eighth hurt their chances of closing the gap even more, and Kent State scored three runs in the top of the ninth to gain late separation.
• The Penguins hit three triples in the game, and freshman Alejandro Covas tied the program's single-season record with his seventh triple. He ties Turner Grau (2021 and 2023) and Lou Vassalotti (1994) with at least a month left in the season.
• YSU starter Colin Casteel allowed four runs in 1.1 innings and was charged with the loss, and the Golden Flashes scored six runs off of Cam Marshalwitz. Gavin Wilms had the best day of any pitcher on Tuesday, blanking the Golden Flashes over 4.2 innings while striking out six batters. Brandin Anderson was charged with the three runs in the ninth.

vs. Akron – Wednesday, April 24 // W 10-9

• Eli Brown hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Youngstown State rallied to beat Akron 10-9 on Wednesday evening at Eastwood Field.
• The Penguins trailed 6-0 after two innings, but they scored the next nine runs to take a 9-6 lead. Akron tied the game in the eighth, and Brown's RBI single in the ninth plated Matt Thompson from third and gave Youngstown State a season sweep of the Zips.
• After YSU's Chris Domke got a big flyout to end the top of the ninth with the bases loaded, Thompson singled up the middle on an 0-2 pitch to start the bottom half of the inning. Two wild pitches allowed Thompson to move to third and forced the infield to play in, and Brown lined a single over the second baseman's head with the count full for the game-winner.
• Brown finished 4-for-5 at the plate and drove in four runs, and Thompson and Ian Francis both had two hits. That trio helped the Penguins hold a 12-6 advantage in the hits column.
• YSU starter Lane Rhodes was charged with all six runs in the second inning in a no-decision. The Penguins got outstanding middle relief from Nolan Kubilus and Mitchell Seymour, who kept the Zips scoreless in 5.1 combined innings. Kubilus came on in the second inning and proceeded to get 12 outs while allowing just one hit, and Seymour got the final out of the sixth and pitched a shutout seventh. Marshalwitz had three runs on his record from the eighth, and Domke earned his first career victory.

Up Next

Youngstown State will not play a midweek contest next week as it focuses on final exams. The Penguins will return to action on Friday, May 3 to begin a three-game Horizon League series at Northern Kentucky at 2 p.m. The Penguins and Norse will proceed to play on Saturday at 1 p.m. before closing the series on Sunday at noon.