Posts Tagged ‘Youngstown State University’

Freshman Kayla Haslett pitched her first career shutout allowing just five hits with one strikeout as the Youngstown State softball team defeated Wright State, 10-0, to split a doubleheader and win the season series against the Raiders. The Penguins dropped the first game, 8-0.

Sophomore Samantha Snodgrass went 2-for-3 with a double and four runs batted in while junior Vicky Rumph was 2-for-3 and drove in three runs for the Penguins.

The Guins improve to 25-13-1 overall and 10-8 in the Horizon League while the Raiders fall to 20-26 overall and 8-10 in the league.

Rumph began the scoring for the Guins with a single through the right side to plate  Caroline Krombach with the game’s first run.

Youngstown State used six unearned runs to the bottom of the third to cushion their lead to 7-0 with the help of four Wright State errors in the frame.

Snodgrass’ two-out bases-clearing double put the Penguins ahead 4-0, then senior  Kristen Philen single through the left side to score Snodgrass and sophomore Sarah Ingalls added a two-run single up the middle driving in Sarah Gabel and Philen.

In the bottom of the fourth, Rumph drove in senior Haley Thomas and Krombach with a single up the middle and moved to second on the play at the plate.

Snodgrass plated pinch-runner Kelly Fox with a single up the middle to give the Guins a 10-0 lead.

Wright State only threatened Haslett once with bases-loaded and two outs in the top of the fourth, but the right-hander induced an infield pop out to squelch the scoring opportunity.

In game one, Wright State’s Krystian DeWitt fired a two-hit, complete-game performance with eight strinkeouts to pick up her 13th win of the season.

The Guins face Toledo, Tuesday, April 24, in doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. in Toledo, Ohio.

The Youngstown State men’s tennis team picked up its first win over Butler since joining the Horizon League knocking off the Bulldogs 5-2 on a chilly Sunday afternoon at the YSU Tennis Courts.

The Penguins came out strong winning the doubles point by taking two of three matches. Butler won two of the first three singles matches, before YSU clinched the victory with strong three-set wins at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 singles.

At No. 2, Silviu Mistreanu (above) picked up a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Tommy Marx. At. No. 1, Tariq Ismail suffered a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Austin Woldmoe while Dawould Kabli dropped his match to Zach Ervin after winning the opening set. Kabli won the first set 6-3, but dropped the next two 7-5, 6-4.

Mistreanu finished Horizon League play with a 6-1 record. He carrys a five-game winning streak to the HL Championships 14-5 overall.

At No. 4, Rodrigo Campos battled back after losing a first-set tiebreaker to beat Pulok Bhattacharya 6-3, 6-3 in the final two sets.

Zeeshan Ismail picked up the clinching point for the Penguins at No. 5. Ismail dropped his first set 6-3, to Billy Weldon before battling back to win the next two 6-4, 6-4. At No. 6, a firery Felipe Rosa won 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 over Stephen McLoughlin.

With the win, the Penguins improve to 9-10 overall and 4-3 in the Horizon League. Butler falls to 3-19 and 2-4.

YSU returns to action on Friday in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.

Youngstown State vs. Butler

Singles
No. 1 – Austin Woldmoe (BU) def. T. Ismail (YSU) 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 – Mistreanu (YSU) def. Tommy Marx (BU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 – Zach Ervin (BU) def. Kabli (YSU) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
No. 4 – Campos (YSU) def. Pulok Bhattacharya (BU) 6-7, 6-3, 6-3
No. 5 – Z. Ismail (YSU) def. Billy Weldon (BU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 – Rosa (YSU) def. Stephen McLoughlin (BU) 6-2, 6-7, 6-4

Doubles
No. 1 – Woldmoe/Weldon (BU) def. T. Ismail/Kabli (YSU) 8-4
No. 2 – Campos/Theorin (YSU) def. Marx/Erwin (BU) 8-4
No. 3 – Mistreanu/Z. Ismail (YSU) def. McLoughlin/O’Neill (BU) 8-4

A couple of weeks ago, I was strolling through Dillard’s at the Southern Park Mall.  As I was trying on a new pair of dress shoes, the sales representative, a female in her thirties, commented on my YSU apparel.  Her comments echoed disdain toward the Penguins Eric Wolford.

“He is pretty arrogant and I heard his players hate him.”

That was the exactness of her wording.  Of course, I raised the defense on behalf of Wolford and said that he was a stand-up guy who cares for his players and has a lot on his mind.  There was not much conversation beyond that, other than me telling her I didn’t like the shoes.

I didn’t purchase any shoes. The thing I took away from that experience was the idea to contact Wolford, Kelly Pavlik, and others in the area who have had to deal with adversity.  Plus, I thought the saleswoman had issues.  Dillards has joined my small list of businesses that are now ‘closed’.

During the season last year, Wolford made a comment about adversity and how everyone in the room would have to deal with an uninvited circumstance sooner or later.  I thought his addressing an issue that way was commendable and it stuck with me.

Kevin Watts, a YSU football player, recently lost his father.  Wolford commented on how he helps others when they face adversity such as the death of a parent.

“Kevin’s dad was obviously a very big part of his life.  Other kids have parents who are sick and not doing very well.  As coaches, we try to step in and provide a father-figure role to take them under our wing and encourage them to get through that part of life.  We will offer grief counseling if it is needed, anything to put their mind at ease and to know that they have someone they can turn to.”

It’s not just death and sickness, there is always something going on.

“These kids all have so many things going on at home.  Some of them send their financial aid checks home so that their parents can pay the car insurance or the rent.  It sounds crazy, but it is the reality some of these kids are faced with.”

“I live with adversity every day, and these guys know that”, added Wolford.  “When I get home every night, I have to wonder if Stone will be there.  It is something that I live with every day and the players know my relationship with Stone.  The players can reflect on that relationship and see the degree of adversity that exists.  It helps them deal with something on a smaller scale sometimes.”

Wolford, and his wife, Dr. Melinda, started a foundation called No Stone Unturned which helps families pay bills that our out-of-whack health insurance system hits people for.  Wolford has referred to it as ‘paying ahead’.

Dr. Wolford commented on Coach Wolford’s relationship with his players.

“Eric loves each and every one of those kids.  He has to handle how he coaches differently with each of them.  Some respond better to yelling, some are better with sit-down meetings.  One player was going to quit because he didn’t like being yelled at.  Eric found that kid after pursuing him for a couple of days.  They talked and worked it out, and you are always going to have that at every school.  A coach that seeks to resolve the problem, sends the message to the players that he cares.”

Wolford faced a different adversity earlier in his coaching career.  Dr. Wolford told the story of her husbands worst nightmare coming true.

“Eric was hired by Coach Stoops to be the line coach at Arizona.  He was helping with recruiting and found a lineman in Texas.  The lineman committed to come to Arizona and Eric was thrilled about the addition.  Early on during Summer workouts, the recruit died in Eric’s arms, collapsed at practice and never recovered.  Eric had to call the family and tell them that their son was dead.  He was so devastated, but he made his way to Houston for the funeral, and he even spoke there.  The next season, another recruit was shot in a separate incident and never was able to play football after that.  Eric still stays in touch with that young man and his family.”

Wolford is special, and he treats those who let him, as part of his huge football family.    I know Wolford will make mistakes, we all do, it’s just human nature.  However, the fact that he never turns down a speaking appearance to assist local charities, donates more money than you would ever know to causes he considers worthwhile, and has a unique home life where adversity is faced daily, he is a role model people could learn something from.  Far from arrogant.

The 2011-12 Youngstown State women’s basketball program recently had their season-ending annual awards banquet at the Chestnut Room of YSU’s Kilcawley Center.

• Women’s Basketball Head Coach Bob Boldon presented junior Brandi Brown with the Ed DiGregorio Award recognizing the team’s most valuable player. Brown, the 17th player in school history to score 1,000 career points, was voted Second-Team All-Horizon League for the second consecutive season. Brown averaged 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds during the season, and she upped her scoring to 17 points per game during Horizon League play. Brown finished sixth in the postseason voting, one spot out of making it onto the first team.

• Boldon was recognized for his early days in college basketball as both a student-athlete and a coach at Walsh University.  On Feb. 25, Boldon’s accomplishments as a star point guard at Walsh were celebrated as he was selected as one of the program’s top 50 players in its 50-year history. Boldon was a four-year starter for the Cavaliers and led the squad to the NAIA Final Four in 1996.

• On May 19, Boldon will be recognized as part of Walsh’s 1998 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship team as it is inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. Boldon was an assistant coach on that squad, which became the first unseeded team to win an NAIA National Championship.

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team has a long-standing tradition of being active in the surrounding community, and the Penguins have maintained that practice throughout the 2011-12 academic year.

Highlighting the list of many projects was YSU’s reading program at area elementary schools. Members of the women’s basketball team read to a total of about 3,500 second through fifth graders at 11 different elementary schools throughout the Youngstown area.

Among other projects the team participated in, they served at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Spaghetti dinner twice during the year. The Penguins also walked in a non-violence parade and participated in the Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting ceremony in downtown Youngstown.

Additionally, seniors Macey Nortey and Kenya Middlebrooks spearheaded two community service projects. Nortey organized a large donation campaign to a homeless shelter where members of the team donated soap and shampoo. Middlebrooks organized a canned-food drive where struggling families in the Mahoning Valley received baskets.

Congratulations Lady Penguins on a great year!

• Youngstown State junior Damian Eargle has been named to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major All-Defensive Team, the website recently announced.  Eargle set the Horizon League single-season blocks records for all games and league-games only. Eargle finished with 116 blocks, including 65 in Horizon League play. He also owns the Horizon League career record for blocks in conference play at 122.

•  The 6-foot-7 forward led the Horizon League and ranked third in the country with 3.7 blocks per game.  Eargle recorded a block in 30 of 31 games last season, had 26 multi-block games and posted at least five blocks on 12 different occasions, including an eight-block performance against UC-Riverside on Nov. 18, 2011.  A 2012 Horizon League All-Defensive Team, selection, Eargle averaged 11.1 points per game and grabbed 7.5 rebounds per game.

• Youngstown State men’s basketball Head Coach Jerry Slocum has announced that Kamren Belin (Atlanta, Ga./Walton), 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward, has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to continue his basketball and academic career at Youngstown State University.  “When I visited Youngstown State it just felt right and I really clicked with the players on the court,” Belin said. “It’s a good league and I think we have a chance to do something big.”

• Besides being an outstanding basketball player, coach Jerry Slocum was impressed by Belin as a person.  “We are very excited to have Kamren join our program,” Slocum said. “He is a quality person and a very gifted all-around basketball player.”

Several players were handed some well-deserved postseason accolades.  Among the recipients were:

• Sophomore Kendrick Perry, a All-Horizon League First-Team selection, won the Dom Rosselli Coaches Awardfor the team’s most valuable player and also earned the Assists Award. Perry led the team with 121 assists.  Perry, who was just the fifth player in league history to lead the league in scoring and steals, led the Guins with 16.8 points per game.

• Senior Ashen Ward, now a wideout for Eric Wolford, who averaged 10.0 points per game, was awarded the Tony Vivo Hustle Award and the Bill Dailey Leadership Award.

• Junior guard Blake Allen, who averaged 12.8 points per game and led the Horizon League with 91 3-pointers made, won the Free-Throw Award with a free-throw percentage of .732.

• Eargle was awarded the Leo Mogus Rebouding Award for leading the team in rebounding with 7.5 rebounds per game. Eargle also led the Horizon League with 121 blocks and was named to the league’s All Defensive Team.

• Sophomore Mike Podolsky, who owns a cumulative grade-point average of 4.0, was the recipient of the Four-Square Club Scholar-Athlete Award.

Congratulations to Coach Slocum and staff and players on a fantastic season!

The Youngstown State women’s tennis team picked up their first win of the season defeating Valparaiso 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at the Northwest Athletic Club.

YSU earned the doubles point and picked up victories at No. 1, No. 2 and No.4 singles. The deciding match was Gimena Puppo‘s come-from-behind win at No. 4 singles.

The Penguins won the doubles point to get off on a good start. Marta Burak and Carolyn Jesko won 8-4 and No. 1 while Puppo and Laurent Hankle picked up an 8-6 victory at No. 2.

In singles play, Burak cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Megan Barthels at No. 1 and Hankle took care of Stephanie York 6-1, 6-3 at No. 2.

Jesko dropped a 6-1, 6-4 decision at No. 3 to Kaitlyn Hamel while Jennifer Moore lost 6-0, 6-0 to Brittany O’Reilly.

The match came down to Puppo’s comeback. She lost the first set to Kristin Zakiewicz 5-7, but rallied to take the next two 6-4, 6-2 to give the Guins their first win of the season.

For the year, YSU improves to 1-14 overall and 1-4 in the Horizon League while Valpo is 4-13 and 0-6.

The Penguins play at UIC on Sunday. First serve is set for noon.

YSU 4, Valparaiso 3

Singles
No. 1 – Burak (YSU) def. Megan Barthels (VU) – 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 – Hankle (YSU) def. Stephanie York (VU) – 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 – Kaitlyn Hamel (VU) def. Jesko (YSU) – 6-1, 6-4
No. 4 – Puppo (YSU) def. Kristin Zakiewicz (VU) – 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 – Brittany O’Reilly (VU) def. Moore (YSU) – 6-0, 6-0
No. 6 – Angelina Goheen (VU) won by default

Doubles
No. 1 – Burak/Jesko (YSU) def. Zakiewicz/Barthels (VU) – 8-4
No. 2 – Hankle/Puppo (YSU) def. Hamel/York (VU) – 8-6
No. 3 – Goheen/O’Reilly (VU) won by default

*Story Courtesy YSU Sports Information

The Youngstown State softball team dropped a pair of Horizon League games to Valparaiso, 4-3, and 13-12, on Saturday afternoon at the VU Softball Field.

In the first game, the Penguins seventh inning rally came up just short. Meanwhile in the nightcap, the Guins jumped out to a commanding 12-0 advantage after two innings only to see the Crusaders chip away at the lead and eventually overcome the deficit with a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

YSU (21-11-1, 5-6 Horizon League) sent 15 batters to the plate and collected eight of their 13 hits to take an 11-0 lead after one-half inning.

They tacked on an unearned run in the top of the second when senior Kristen Philen scored on a Crusader error.

Valparaiso (27-10, 11-0 HL), who was aided by 11 walks, chipped away at the YSU advantage scoring four in the third, three in the fourth, four more in the fifth and one in both the sixth and seventh innings to complete the improbable comeback victory.

Senior Haley Thomas went 3-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the Penguins offensive attack while senior Jordan Ingalls and sophomore Samantha Snodgrass each had two hits.

In the opener, the Crusaders scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie and take a 4-1.

The Guins mounted a comeback attempt and plated two runs on Amanda Palmore‘s run-scoring fielder’s choice and Jordan Ingalls’ RBI-double. The Penguins, though, left the tying run stranded on second base.

Jordan Ingalls and sophomore Sarah Ingalls each had two hits for the Guins.

YSU and Valparaiso will conclude the series with a single game, Sunday, at Noon.

*Story courtesy of YSU Sports Information.

Valparaiso scored five runs in the third inning and got eight strong innings from starting pitcher Kevin Wild in a 10-0 victory over the Youngstown State baseball team on Saturday at Eastwood Field.

The Crusaders scored six runs on seven hits in the first three innings off Nic Manuppelli in his first start of the season. Reliever Ryan Krokos allowed just one hit and did not surrender an earned run in 4.2 innings of relief to give the Penguins a chance, but they missed on several opportunities against Wild.

Wild allowed five hits and two walks while striking out two in eight innings to earn his third win. Three of YSU’s hits came in the ninth against reliever Zack Walsh.

The top four hitters in Valpo’s lineup accounted for seven of its 11 hits, six runs and seven RBIs.

Small things went wrong for YSU in the first two innings, and they resulted in Valpo taking a 6-0 lead. With a runner on first and one out in the second, first baseman David Leon briefly bobbled a double play ball and had to settle for getting one out at first. Spencer Mahoney followed with an RBI single up the middle to put the Crusaders up 1-0.

The Crusaders started the third inning with five straight hits en route to batting around, but the chance for a big inning increased when Andrew Bain singled after fouling off two sacrifice bunt attempts. Tanner Vavra and Will Hagel followed with RBI singles, and Martin delivered a two-run double that made the score 5-0. Martin scored two batters later on Chris Manning’s sacrifice fly.

Down 6-0, YSU put two runners on with nobody out in both the fourth and fifth innings and couldn’t score. Kevin Hix led off the fourth with a double, and Jason Shirley singled sharply to center to put runners at the corners. Shirley was then picked off, Craig Goubeaux fouled out and Jeremy Banks struck out to end the inning. Marcus Heath led off the fifth with a double and Phil Lipari followed with a walk, but Wild struck out Leon and got back-to-back ground outs from Padraic Williams and Drew Dosch.

Valpo got an unearned run in the sixth to take a 7-0 lead, and the Crusaders tacked on three runs in the top of the ninth for the final tally. YSU loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth, but David Saluga was hit by Lipari’s hard grounder between first and second for a dead ball and an out. Leon then fouled out, and Walsh struck out Jack Graham to end the game.

Youngstown State and Valparaiso will conclude their three-game series on Sunday at noon.

* Story Courtesy of YSUSports.com

The Youngstown State University basketball team is looking for a couple of bodies to fill the void left by the sudden departures of Cale Zuiker and Nate Perry.

The Penguins are heavily recruiting and Coach Jerry Slocum should announce one of those he is pursuing as a new Penguin as early as tomorrow.  Kamren Belin is reportedly very close to committing to Slocum’s program.  Belin will come as a junior college transfer who stands at 6′ 7″, averages around twelve points per game, and has a reputation as a shot-blocker.

Can you imagine Damian Eargle having a pal to swat shots with?

Jonathan Octeus is another name that has been heard swirling around campus.  No word on his commitment yet, but the Penguins are trying to land him and it is very possible that he may commit within the week.

Neither signing is official, but when they are and if they happen, you will get the details here.

The Youngstown State football program will host a contest for the “Best Tailgate Food” prior to the Annual Red-White Spring Game on Friday, April 13. The winner will be selected by a four-judge panel and will receive prizes to area restaurants as well as a pair of sideline passes to YSU’s season opener Pittsburgh in September.

The cost for a tailgate parking pass is $15 along with the purchase of two game tickets which are $5 each. All tailgate lot passes must be purchased by Thursday, April 12.

The M-24 Tailgate Lot will open at 5 p.m. on April 13 and remain open until 7:30, just prior to the start of the game. Setting for the game will be on a first-come first-served basis only in the West Stands.

The judges to select the best food will be Jeff Crystal of Oveture Restuarant, Carm Cassese, former YSU equipment manager and owner of Cassese’s MVR, Ronnie Quaranta from Caffee Capri and Leo DelGarbino of Leo’s Ristorante in Howland.

The winner will receive gift cards to all four establishments.

From YSU, the winner will receive two sideline passes and transportation to the season-opener at Pittsburgh. That game at Heinz Field is slated to kickoff at 6 p.m.

All regular-season policies apply to Spring Game tailgating. Superior Beverage will be on site with Dom’s Ice House.

For more information contact the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.