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Youngstown State kicked off the 2013 campaign with a 28-10 victory over a scrappy Dayton team.  The defense did a great job of shutting down an experienced spread offense.  The offense looked a bit out of sync, but put together drives when they needed to.  Adaris Bellamy rattled off 203 rushing yards on just 17 carries.

“It is always good to get a win”, said coach Eric Wolford.  “We played very sloppy at times, we had some turnovers and a penalty that hurt us.  We did things, but we have to play better than we did tonight.”

Youngstown State established a strong ground game in the first half by picking up 176 rushing yards.  The Flyers were only able to pick up 27 yards on 16 first half carries.  Andre Stubbs (below) had 2 carries for 66 yards, most of it coming on a 60-yard scamper before the half.

Torrian Pace scored a pair of first half touchdowns.  The first touchdown, from two yards out, came on the Penguins opening drive which covered 75 yards on 15 plays.

Pace again scored for the Penguins with 2:33 left in the first half to stake the Guins to a 14-0 halftime lead.  The eight-yard touchdown was set up by the 60-yard run from Stubbs.

In the second half, Dayton got on the scoreboard as Stubbs fumbled a punt.  The Penguins defense did not allow much penetration, keeping Dayton out of the red zone, and the Flyers had to settle on a 37-yard field goal by William Will.

Bellamy took over on the Penguins next possession.  Bellamy dashed for 30 yards on a first-and-ten from the Flyers 40-yard line.  He got the ball on the next two carries and plunged into the end zone from three yards out at the 6:08 mark of the third quarter.  The touchdown by Bellamy made it 21-3 in favor of the Penguins.

“I felt good coming back, but don’t want to say it felt too good, as we were inconsistent and have to do a better job as a running back core.  We can do better”, said Bellamy.

Kurt Hess (below) did a good job controlling the flow of the game.  Hess, however, did not have his best night ever passing the football.  The senior quarterback threw a first half pick and looked to be on a different page than his receivers at times.  Hess did manage to complete 8-18 passes for 68 yards.

Down 21-3, the Flyers engineered their best offensive drive of the game.  Quarterback Will Bardo found Robert Washington from 19 yards out to cut the Penguins lead to 21-10.

On the next Penguin possession, Hess was picked off by Matt Blanco at the Penguin 48-yard line.  Blanco returned the interception 36 yards to the YSU 12-yard line.  The Penguins defense was faced with a first-and-goal from the three.  Kyle Sirl made back-to-back tackles for no gain and a third and goal pass was incomplete.  On fourth and goal, Bardo tried to pass rolling right but was intercepted by Ali Cheaib.  The Penguins took over after the impressive goal line stand, a definite momentum killer.

“We blitzed the edge”, revealed Cheaib.  “I adjusted my course and when he threw it, I was able to change my course and come up with it.  The goal line stand was big because we showed we can make some plays on defense.  We kept encouraging each other to stop them and not let them score and we came up big.”

The Penguins put an exclamation point on the win when Bellamy broke an 80-yard run on third-and-one and got caught on the three.  The drive was punctuated on Martin Ruiz’s first ever touchdown that made it 28-10 with 6:58 to go in the game.

The most impressive part of this victory was the job that the Penguins defense did against a potent spread offense.  Excluding a drive that the Flyers scored on in the third quarter, Coach Tresey conducted quite a performance with a young defense.  There was constant pressure on Bardo, who proved to be very elusive.

The Penguins did plenty on the ground, finishing the game with 348 yards on 40 carries.  Bellamy had 203 yards on 17 carries.  Bellamy only had 129 yards in the whole 2012 season which was cut short by injury.  Pace added 47 yards on 11 carries.

For the Flyers, Bardo had a nice game and looked every bit the leader of the experienced Flyer spread offense.  He finished the game 17-33 for 172 yards.  He will have a good season for Dayton.

Nick Liste boomed punts of 62 and 64 yards that helped YSU in the battle of field position.

“I think I had a 69 yarder at Missouri, but that was in 40 mile an hour wind gusts, so it wasn’t so legit.  Credit the blocking that gave me time to use the proper mechanics to kick the ball”, comment Liste.

“You saw what a weapon Nick Liste is tonight”, remarked Wolford.  “He had two huge punts for us tonight and a good kickoff that they {Dayton} tried to bring out, but we were able to swarm them.  I was unhappy with the botched fair catch, and we have to work on eliminating those mistakes.”

 

The opening game for Youngstown State against Dayton should be a blowout, right?  Not so fast…  Dayton has a respectable football program.  They won five of their final six games last season.  They return eight starters on defense alone.  They have had 35 winning seasons out of the last 36.  They hold a 9-0 series advantage over YSU, and you can bet they have had this day circled on their calendar for months.

“Coach {Rick} Chamberlin is a UD alum, and that program has quite a bit of history”, said Coach Eric Wolford.  “Dayton is in a conference that gets an automatic bid into the playoffs now and they finished last year on a good note, we have to be ready to play.”

“Schematically, they will run a spread offense with four wide, they do some zone read, and they run some counter plays.  Youngstown State has never beaten Dayton at football, and we are taking that to heart.  Some of our alumni know that statistic and they will be watching.  It is a part of this program that involves them.”

The biggest concern that a spread offense poses to YSU is that the secondary will truly be tested.  Donald D’Alessio, Jameel Smith, Julius Childs, and DeVon McKoy will have to make plays.  Will Bardo has been the starting quarterback for Dayton for the past two seasons.  He had a hand in more than half of the offense that the Flyers put up last season.  His favorite target is Branden Johnson who had 28 catches in the first six games of 2012 before missing the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.

One of the Penguins captains, Dom Rich, commented on the opener.

“We are 0-9 against this team,” said Rich.  “With the spread offense, we expect them to pass a lot and try to make big plays.  We have to be ready to play as a team.  As Coach Tresey said, we are ‘more fast and more physical’ this year.”

Kurt Hess is getting a chance to show his skills in front of family and friends making the trip from Dayton, where Hess played high school football.

“It is going to be cool to go up against my hometown team.  I am excited that my family and friends are going to come here to a nice environment.  It will be nice to share this experience with all of them.  You don’t hear about Youngstown State too much there.”

“We are sick of waiting, let’s just play”, said Hess, a self proclaimed nervous energy machine.

“I only have two classes Thursday.  I will do all I can to just get ready and think about the game.  I will listen to music and just focus on what I need to.  Everybody has their own way to get prepared.”

Kickoff is set for 7:30 and there are still some tickets remaining.  Support the Penguins!

 

Saturday’s practice marked the end of camp for the Youngstown State football team. The Penguins open the campaign hosting the Dayton Flyers on Thursday.  They will now transition into a weekly routine… sort of.

“Today was like a Tuesday practice because we are only that many days from Thursday already”, said Penguins Head Coach, Eric Wolford.

“I gave the guys a day off yesterday and we were out here banging pretty good today, but this will be the end of the banging until Thursday.”

Wolford and staff have solidified their depth chart to start the season.  Kurt Hess remains the number one quarterback and will have Torrian Pace (below) and Adaris Bellamy lining up behind him as backfield starters.

The wide receivers to start will be Andre Stubbs, Christian Bryan, and Michael Wheary.  Jelani Berassa, coming back from major surgery, will get some reps on a limited basis in the opener.  Kevin Watts, Marcel Caver, and Andrew Williams are listed as the second group of receivers.

“Whether or not I start or play, we are unselfish and unified as a team.  In order for us to be successful, we must remain selfless”, said Pace.

Up front, preseason All-Conference pick, Chris Elkins, anchors a raw offensive line at center.  Wolford has repeatedly said that this is the most athletic offensive line he has had to work with since he got here.  The rest of the offensive line named as starters are Andrew Sinko and Kyle Bryant at tackle, Brock Eisenhuth and Fred Herdman at guard and Nate Adams and Carson Sharbaugh to pretty much interweave at TE.

Joey Cejudo offers a very strong leg as the Penguins placekicker.  Even though seven is greater than three, Wolford seems like he is comfortable with Cejudo and will use him more than he has used a kicker in the past few seasons.  Nick Liste resumes his duties as the punter and kickoff specialist.

Stubbs and Bryan will return punts and kicks to round out the special teams for the Penguins.

Defensively, Joe Tresey (below) has the defensive units working in the right direction. Tresey is one of the most animated and vocal coaches I have had the pleasure of watching and to his credit, never quits coaching.  After practice on Saturday, Tresey was out there running suicides with his defense after practice.  He is a stand-up guy who is accountable and accepts when all is less than perfect as his responsibility.

Teven Williams, Travis Williams, and Dom Rich comprise the most experienced and battle-tested part of the defense at the linebacker spots.  Ali Cheaib should see some time as well.

Up front, Terrell Williams and Eric Myers will start at the defensive end spots. Emmanuel Kromah will be the tackle, and Octavius Brown will start at nose.  D. J. Moss is a little banged up but should see action at nose for the ‘Guins on Thursday. Kyle Sirl, the Penguins wildcard on defense can line up just about anywhere and contribute.

The question marks that raise the biggest concern are the secondary spots.  Donald D’Alesio was banged up for most of camp but is working hard to get into game shape and is listed on the depth chart as the #1 strong safety.

“I’m not a hundred percent yet, but getting real close to it”, said D’Alesio.  “We have had a great camp and we are really looking forward to hitting someone else besides our own guys.”

Jamarious Boatwright is still a little wobbly but closing in on a return.  While he mends, Jameel Smith will handle the work at free safety.  Julius Childs and DeVon McKoy (below) will start at the cornerback positions.

McKoy, a transfer from Bowling Green, has had to learn the Penguins defense at a rapid clip.  The capable native of Columbus has met the challenge head-on and is excited with the opportunity.

“Right away, when I got here, I was thrown into the mix”, said McKoy.  “When I talked on the phone with the coaches, they told me there would be opportunities to step right in and here it is.  They threw me right into the fire, and I still have some little technique things to brush up on, but I am very excited with this chance.”

Wolford said that the coaching staff did something different in the locker room setup that he hopes will help keep the team unified.

“A lot of people don’t know that we arranged the locker room differently this season. We tried to put people from different positions next to each other, guys that would not normally talk much are now next to each other in the locker room.  I like the move in the sense that it has strengthened the unity of the guys and really helped them grow as teammates.”

Youngstown State University will uncork a brand new season a week from Thursday when they host Dayton.  The Penguins have never beaten the Flyers in a football game (0-9), but the last contest was played way back in the seventies.  Things have changed, and it is a mark of progress to see how the Youngstown State team has advanced almost 40 years later.

There have been National Championships and years to brag about.  This is the year that YSU Football gets back into the playoffs, and regains some of its national charisma.  I will not wait to tell you I am predicting a 10-2 season for the Guins.  If you do not think the Missouri Valley Football Conference is tough, you have not been keeping up for the past decade or so.

So why two losses?  Why doesn’t the “homer”, as I have been affectionately named by other members of the media, pick these Penguins to run the table and put up a perfect season?  I will tell you why…

Michigan State is a program that is in much better shape than Pitt was last year.  They have an established coach using his own recruits.  Last season Pitt was ripe.  They had a new coach and little motivation as they were just trying to find a team identity.  That does not take away from the fact that the win was still considered a big upset, and a notch in the program’s belt.  Keep in mind, those same Panthers ended up getting their act together and taking Notre Dame to the wire.

I believe that the Michigan State game, win or lose, is a good measuring stick to see what  level of competition YSU can provide.  Don’t think for a minute MSU will not use the Penguins win over Pitt as motivation.  They got a taste in East Lansing two years ago, and Youngstown State was in the game until midway through the fourth quarter. I’m not saying it can’t happen again, but it would have to be a flawless effort this time around.

The Penguins should, in all probability, be 3-1 after the non-conference games.  I think the average margin of victory against Dayton, Morehead State, and Duquesne could be in the thirty point range.  After that, the conference games start and anything seems to happen at some point every year.

The hardest part of the conference schedule seems to be at the end, beginning with a road game against Northern Iowa.  That game is followed by two home games against last years #1, North Dakota State, and a good South Dakota State team.  To make my 10-2 prediction valid, the Penguins have to win two of these three games.

The other game to put a mark next to is the November 2 contest at South Dakota.  The reason why is because it follows a bye week, which is when everything fell apart last season.  Eric Wolford knows he will have to keep his team in rhythm through that two week stretch, and it did not go so well last season.

“We talked about maybe doing a little scrimmage in between, to kind of keep our edge this time”, said Wolford.  “I want to keep guys healthy, at the same point, but we are going to have to get into a little more active situations out here.  The most glaring thing after the bye week last season, even though we coaches harped on it, was that we lost our edge.  We had eleven turnovers in three quarters of football, and you just can’t do that.”

Wolford critics are circling Stambaugh Stadium more rapidly in our constant “win right now” atmosphere.  Some say Wolford has to make the playoffs to keep his job this season.  Get your pen ready coach.

Timing and mistakes will go away with repeatability.  This is obviously a very young offensive line and a very young defensive front.  A healthy Kyle Sirl and Steve Zaborsky will pay dividends on the defensive side of the ball.  With a rash of injuries and legal problems in the secondary, Coach Davis has his work cut out.  However, anyone who knows the game will tell you that the best pass coverage is a good rush on the opposing quarterback.

The strength of the offense is Kurt Hess, period.  Hess has the tools to carry this offense following the blueprint.  He can throw accurately and takes care of the ball.  He has the experience to find a fourth read, and he can tuck it and go if he has to.

New running backs coach, Eric Gallon, has the difficulty of figuring out which running backs to recommend to get playing time.  Torrian Pace, Adaris Bellamy, and Demond Hymes were the three that figured to get the reps.  An injury to Hymes has made everyone look deeper to where at least two more backs have stuck their flag in the dirt. Redshirt freshman, Jody Webb, has had a great camp and has turned heads.  True freshman, Ryan Mosora has also made a good impression.

Don’t be surprised to see all five running backs get reps against first-team defenses all season.

Keep an eye on Carson Sharbaugh at tight end.  Under the tutelage of Coach Mangino, Sharbaugh will prosper.  Sharbaugh is already a very good blocking tight end who would sneak out into the open spot of a zone once in the while to catch a pass.  This season, he will be utilized more as a threat to score.

The new coaches (four in all) have seemed focused and have experience in pressure situations.  Gallon and Mangino are joined by Kurt Beathard and Jamie Bryant. Beathard was with Wolford at Illinois when a Rose Bowl berth was captured.  Bryant was a defensive coordinator in the SEC spending nine years at Vanderbilt.

Last Summer, things looked too good.  The team seemed to max out against Pitt, and never really recovered their demeanor until Indiana State toward the end of the schedule when they decisively won a “must-win” game to have any chance of a playoff berth.

Some feel the Penguins should have made the playoff field, others felt that they blew the chance and did not.  Either way, Coach Wolford knows that winning can take the guesswork out of the equation.

“Our approach is going to be that we control our own destiny.  We can’t leave it up to some jury, to some committee, sitting in some room.  There is nobody on that committee that wants Youngstown State back in the playoffs.  We can’t bank on beating Pitt counting for two wins because it is a BCS team.  We are done relying on that system.  All we can do is strive to get better every day, play hard, and take care of our bodies.  That is what we control.  As of today, we control our destiny.  If we start losing, we give up that control.  We control our own destiny, and I plan on not giving that up.”

Wolford recently had to suspend Dale Peterman because of legal problems.

“In this day and age, you have to be accountable for your own actions”, said Wolford.

“We are under the microscope now more than ever.  Hopefully they change some of these NCAA rules moving forward.  We are not allowed to be around our players in the Summer.  You don’t read about college basketball players getting in trouble over the Summer because they are allowed to be around their coaches, they changed that rule.  We need to change the rule for football.  You mean to tell me that all of these kids that got in trouble over the Summer would have been in trouble if their coaches were allowed around them on a regular basis?  I don’t think so.  Changes need to be made.”

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers used the momentum of a ninth inning comeback one night earlier to win their second in a row, a 6-1 conquest of struggling Hudson Valley.  With the win the Scrappers improved to 22-28, inching closer to the .500 mark.  Hudson Valley tallied six errors to help the Scrappers come away with a win.

Dace Kime (bottom photo) got a plethora of run support that the Scrappers have failed to give starting pitchers all year.

Hudson Valley hit the scoreboard in the top of the first inning.  Ariel Soriano doubled down the left field line to start the game.  He would score later in the inning on a single off the bat of Darryl George.

In the bottom of the first, the Scrappers responded with three runs of their own.  Joel Mejia reached safely on a throwing error.  Mejia stole second and then advanced to third when Hudsn Valley’s catcher, Omar Narvaez, threw the ball away on the steal attempt.  Mejia would score the Scrappers first run on a clean single from James Roberts.

Nellie Rodriguez then followed the Roberts single with his own one-bagger to put runners on first and second.  Roberts and Rodriguez both scored when Friday’s hero, Paul Hendrix, tripled to make it 3-1 in favor of Mahoning Valley.

The Scrappers would take a 4-1 lead when they tacked on a run in the fourth.  Cody Ferrell singled with two outs.  Ferrell advanced to second on a fielding error, the fifth of the game for the Renegades.  Mejia then knocked in Ferrell with a single.

The Mahoning Valley offense continued to produce in the bottom of the seventh inning.  Roberts and Rodriguez both had RBI singles for the Scrappers.

Kime picked up his first win of the season despite having a decent 2.87 ERA coming into the game.  Kyle Blair and Trevor Frank pitched solidly in relief.  All three Scrapper pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts.

The Scrappers and Renegades play one more game on Sunday to close out the series.

 

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers season has been a roller coaster ride.  Unfortunately, Ted Kubiak and company seem to spend more time in the valleys than the peeks.  Friday night was another spent anticipating the thrills that would not come offensively until the ninth inning.  Paul Hendrix doubled home the winning runs in the bottom of the ninth to boost the Scrappers to a 3-2 victory.

In the third inning, Hudson Valley touched Scrapper starter Caleb Hamrick (above) for a run.  James Harris hit one to deep right field to put the Renegades ahead 1-0.  The home run was the only damage Hamrick would surrender through five innings before being replaced by Ben Heller.

In the bottom of the sixth and trailing 2-0, the Scrappers got something going.  Renegades starter Chris Hirsch put up goose eggs until the Scrappers touched him for a run.  Cody Ferrell started the frame with a clean single.  Ferrell advanced to second on a wild pitch.  James Roberts singled to right plating Ferrell to make it a 2-1 Hudson Valley lead.

As has been the pattern all season, the Scrappers did just enough to beat themselves, but escaped thanks to Hendrix.  The most costly mistakes in this game were Roberts getting picked off at first and the usually reliable Claudio Bautista throwing the ball into right field allowing the second run to score.

In the ninth, Roberts got his third single of the night to start the inning.  Nellie Rodriguez then singled to put runners on first and second.  Paul Hendrix then doubled home both Roberts and Rodriguez for the win.

Ferrell finished the game with a pair of singles in three official at-bats for the Scrappers.  Roberts was 3-4 with three singles, and Bautista had a nine-game hitting streak broken with an 0-4 night.

The Scrappers currently sit in fifth place in the Pinckney division, and they will have to really strap ’em up if there will be a playoff run.The chances are not probable, but possible.

Before the game Friday, the Scrappers (21-28) inducted their inaugural Hall of Champions class.  Honored during the pregame as charter members to the new society were former Scrapper players Victor Martinez and CC Sabathia.

Eight days of camp have elapsed for the 2013 Youngstown State University Football program.  So far, there have been no major injuries that will sideline a player for the season, but there are a few bumps and bruises to report as the team prepares for its first scrimmage action Saturday morning.

Demond Hymes (below) rolled an ankle during a red zone drill on Thursday morning. Hymes will be evaluated before an official status will be reported.  At the team’s evening stretch later the same day, Hymes was on crutches and the depth chart for first year running backs coach, Eric Gallon, took another twist.

“Having depth at running back is a must and a key for any program”, remarked Gallon.  “Hymes had some  swelling today, but I can’t really comment on what his status is.  I’m hopeful that he can bounce back.”

Gallon (above) commented on the depth chart situation for his running backs.

“The depth chart has changed quite a bit.  People are up and down.  I am looking for consistency in not only our running game, but also our passing game.  The running backs have to be able to step up and protect our quarterback against blitzing defenses. The depth chart changes based on performance, and there is a lot of ‘what have you done for me lately?’ involved with that.

Joining Hymes on crutches is Donald D’Alessio.  The junior free safety is not expected to miss any regular season action but will not be rushed back anytime soon.

“It was a good day today, but obviously we are worried about injuries and keeping our guys healthy”, said Coach Eric Wolford.

” {Dale} Peterman looks like he will be back for conference play.  D’Alessio should be back in time to start the regular season.  Tre’ Moore, John James and Justin Gallegos are going to have to be ready to step in.  Plus you have to remember we have Jameel Smith and David Rivers, and Jamarious Boatwright can play corner too.  We know we will get those guys {Peterman and D’Alessio} back, so all these other guys getting some experience is a bonus.”

The Penguins, picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley preseason poll, are mixing it up at practices already.  There is a ton of live hitting going on and Wolford seems very enthusiastic to get to Saturday.

“I’m very excited about where we are through eight practices.  This is probably the farthest we have been at this point since I have been here.  Injuries are a part of the game, the next guy has to step up, and that establishes quality depth.”

The Penguins open the 2013 season at home against Dayton on a Thursday night.  They will then host Morehead State before traveling to East Lansing for a matchup with the Michigan State Spartans.  This is the first time the FCS games come before the FBS game.  When asked how to keep his team focused on the first two opponents without looking toward Michigan State, Wolford had a good reply.

“We have never won a football game against Dayton.  That should be decent motivation.”

The Penguins are 0-9 all time against the Flyers with the most recent loss coming in 1977, a 27-23 setback.

Kurt Hess realizes that this is it.  The senior QB has had a storybook career through his three seasons as a starter.  If Hess can put up the numbers he did two seasons ago as a sophomore, he may get serious consideration to be drafted into the NFL.

In his most productive season, 2011, Hess was a statistical machine.  It was in that season that he threw for 26 touchdowns and completed his passes at a clip of  64.8%, both school records.  In fact, Hess could break the all-time yardage mark this season, needing just under 1,000 yards, to pretty much own the YSU record book in passing categories.

Ron Jaworski played at YSU before playing quarterback in the NFL.  Jaws had a nice professional stint before moving on to television.  Jaworski was good, but Hess is better.  So does that mean that Hess gets a free pass into the NFL?  No.  But it is certainly the beginning of a good argument.

When asked about the possibility of playing on Sunday afternoons, Hess downplayed the question in an unselfish way.

“My sophomore year was very productive.  We put up some big stats that year.  The thing that the NFL people look for is a winner.  It will be that much harder coming from the FCS.  If we go 6-5 like we did my sophomore year, there is no chance.  Coach Montgomery has experience with guys who have made it and he knows what it takes. Him and I have talked and the success of the team this year would be the biggest thing I would have going forward.  I think there is an outside chance and I am proud to have an opportunity to be in that discussion.”

Offensive coordinator, Shane Montgomery, has had Hess as his starting quarterback ever since the day he put on his first Penguins Under Armour shirt.  This will be the final season of that marriage where Montgomery does not have to look for a new quarterback to lead his offense.

“He will get a look from the NFL.  He has the size, he runs well, and is in an offense that throws the ball.  Some people want a big arm quarterback, some want a West Coast offense-type”, remarked Montgomery.

“He has to be more consistent this year. At this level, one of the most important things is to take care of the football, and Kurt has done a pretty good job of that throughout his career.  He is a guy that the younger guys will look at because he not only leads vocally, but also by example.  We have 100 players, and you always worry about some of the guys off of the field.  Kurt Hess has never been a problem off of the field, he is on time to everything he is supposed to be at, he doesn’t get into trouble.  He is a hard worker, and when he is on the field, we know we can count on him.”

Hess may get more chances to throw the ball this season with the departure of Jamaine Cook.  Hess and Cook were a nice 50/50 run-pass mix last season.  Torrian Pace and Adaris Bellamy will pick up a lot of slack left behind by Cook this season, but with the game on the line, expect Hess to be the individual making the plays to win the games in crucial situations.

“He {Hess} has been here a long time.  He is a great quarterback, and if he stays healthy this season, he has a chance to rewrite the record books.  He is the leader of this team and he has a good supporting cast this season.  We might not have the experience, on paper, but our offensive line is very athletic and very strong.  I think he will have a huge year at the quarterback spot for us this season.”, said Eric Wolford.

Hess has an arsenal of weapons he can throw the ball to this season.  The two that stand out the most are Jelani Berassa and Christian Bryan.  Expect bigger offensive production from senior TE Carson Sharbaugh this season also.

The unselfish Hess is now a senior and cannot use the “we will want to involve our seniors” excuse anymore, since he is finally one himself.

You will not meet a more likable guy, it is hard not to root for Kurt Hess, who epitomizes the words student and athlete like few else.

Figure this one out… The Mahoning Valley Scrappers tied the mark of futility with their tenth straight loss Friday, a 2-1 setback to Tri-City.  It is the tenth loss in a row for the Scrappers tying the all-time consecutive loss record set in 2001.

Here comes the twist, attendance is up about 400 fans a game this season.  Credit Scrappers GM Jordan Taylor and staff for keeping their nose to the grindstone and performing.  It is hard to put bodies in seats when the home team has a batting average of .185.

Friday night the people showed up to enjoy fireworks after the game.  They showed up to admire Luke Holko’s progress as the youngster threw out the opening pitch.  They showed up for the mystery ball auction.  Saturday they will show up for Victor Martinez bobblehead night.  Martinez, a Tiger these days, was a Scrapper in those days.

They had a chance.  Martin Cervenka started the inning with a single.  Robel Garcia was called upon to pinch-run for Cervenka.  Garcia moved to second on a Josh McAdams sac bunt.  A wild pitch advanced Garcia to third.  With two outs, Claudio Bautista came to bat with the tying run 90 feet away.  Unfortunately, Bautista struck out to end the game – it’s how things go during a ten game losing streak.

Luis Lugo is having a decent year. Most of the Scrappers starting pitchers have fared better than the other facets of the team.  Lugo pitched five complete innings for the Scrappers giving up two runs, one earned.  Lugo threw 78 pitches, 47 were strikes.  He lowered his ERA to 2.08.  He, again, got no run support.

James Ramsey reached first trying to move the runner with a bunt for Tri-City.  Conrad Gregor then walked to make it first and second with one out.  Michael Martinez hit a ball to Scrappers shortstop Juan Herrera threw away, allowing Ramsey to score and put the Valley Cats ahead, 1-0.  Ryan Dineen then hit a ground rule double to plate Gregor.

Lugo then clamped down to shut Tri-City out for the rest of his start.  Manuel Carmona started the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings for the Scrappers.  Ben Heller finished the game for Mahoning Valley.

For Tri-City, Michael Feliz was tough on the Scrappers bats.  Every time Mahoning Valley would get someone on base, the Scrappers seemed to squander the chance to score.  Feliz threw 77 pitches in his five innings of work to get the win.

Nellie Rodriguez took some frustration out with a high blast that cleared the left field wall in the eighth, but the Scrappers could not muster more in the loss.

So the all-time mark in futility has been tied with ten consecutive losses.  I believe in Ted Kubiak.  I believe him when he says that these kids are out there trying every night.  I believe that the people will keep coming no matter how many losses in a row.

Come Saturday….  Victor Martinez bobble heads (below) are limited to the first 1,000 fans, and I would bet my bottom dollar that Taylor and the Scrappers staff can keep ’em coming.

The Youngstown State Penguin Club is now accepting renewals and new memberships for the 2013-14 campaign. Being a part of the Penguin Club offers fans benefits while funds go directly to supporting our student-athletes.

 

The Penguin Club is the primary Athletics fund-raising organization and works diligently to enhance the student-athlete experience at YSU for Penguins from all sports. Members can join to assist the football program, the “Gridiron Club”, or the men’s and women’s basketball programs, the “Courtside Coaches”, or just have a general membership which provides support for all other teams.

 

For more information contact Tom Morella at (330) 941-2351 or via email at tmorella@ysu.edu or Jim Morrison at (330) 941-3720 or jwmorrison@ysu.edu.

 

Members who join the “Gridiron Club” have access to tailgating permits and mid-field Chairback seating at YSU football games. Members who sign up for the “Courtside Coaches” group have access to the best seats as well as The Coaches Court, a room that provides refreshments to members before and during games.

 

Membership levels in the “Girdiron Club” are as follows: Booster Level ($75), Royal Level ($250), Emperor Level ($475), Kingbird Level ($950), Coaches Level ($1,425), Captains Level ($2,500) and Champions Level ($5,000). This year the Penguins play seven regular-season home games for just the second time in school history so prices have been adjusted accordingly.

 

The different membership levels include tickets, access to parking, priority seating, post-season ticket availability and other benefits.

 

Membership levels in the “Courtside Coaches” are as follows: Booster Level ($75), Royal Level ($300), Emperor Level ($600), Kingbird Level ($1,050), Coaches Level ($1,500) and Captains Level ($2,500). All benefits are for men’s and women’s basketball games.

 

The Penguin Club has also created an easy way to be a member and spread out your contribution through an ACH Recurring Payment plan.

 

Once again the ACH Recurring Payment feature is available for 2013-14. Through an Automated Clearing House (or ACH), YSU fans can pay for a membership with ease and are now able to spread out their membership dues over a period of months.

 

The option of paying for a membership in one payment still exists, however fans now have the convenience of having membership dues come directly from a checking or savings account automatically each month for an amount that works for them. Authorized regularly-scheduled payments, or “ACH Debits” to the Penguin Club will be made on the 15th day of each month.

 

For example, a $75 membership can be spread out over a five-to-seven month period for a payment of about $12-15 each month. Plus with a regularly-scheduled payment, fans save time, postage and don’t have to worry about late charges or any other hassles. Charges for each month must be the same.

 

The Penguin Club is a crucial part of YSU Athletics. Revenues from memberships generated by the organization cover costs of athletic grant-in-aid provided to student-athletes, which is the single-largest investment made by the Athletic Department. Athletic grant-in-aid can cover tuition, books, room and board. In addition, Penguin Club revenues support and enhance the Athletic Department’s general fund.

 

Here is a schedule of Penguin Club events for the 2013-14 academic year:

 

July 21 – Debra L. Hinkle Scholarship Bocce Social at Cassese’s MVR
Nov. 7 – Penguin Club Jamboree
Nov. 16 – Hall of Fame Ceremony
Feb. 18 – Scholarship Ring Banquet at Mr. Anthony’s
June 11, 2014 – Penguin Club Scholarship Golf Outing at Youngstown Country Club