Messages

4906

YSU Penguin Athletics / Ron Strollo Selected President of FCS ADA

« on: July 17, 2012, 03:34:16 PM »

Cleveland, Ohio -- Youngstown State Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ron Strollo has been selected as President of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA).

"Our Association continues to be at the forefront of FCS initiatives, and I look forward to continuing the momentum that Past President Marilyn McNeil (Monmouth) built over the past year," Strollo said. "The FCS ADA looks forward to continuing to spotlight FCS institutions during the year."

Strollo, who is in his 12th year as YSU's Athletics Director and 17th as a member of the department, is very involved on the regional and national level serving on several prominent committees. He is in his fourth and final year on the NCAA Division I Football Championship Selection Committee, he is on the NCAA Division I Football Issues Committee, and he serves as the Central Region Chair of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee. He previously served a two-year term as the Chair of the Horizon League Executive Committee and spent four years on the NCAA Championship and Competition Cabinet.

The FCS ADA also elected the following athletics directors to serve as officers during the upcoming year – Brian Hutchinson, Morehead State University, 1st Vice President; Charlie Cobb, Appalachian State University, 2nd Vice President; and Ken Beazer, Southern Utah University, 3rd Vice President.

University of Central Arkansas Director of Athletics, Brad Teague, joins the following directors of athletics on the Executive Committee – Tom Beckett, Yale University; Thorr Bjorn, University of Rhode Island; Stacy Danley, Alabama State University; Keith Davidson, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Bruce McCutcheon, Lafayette College; Past President Marilyn McNeil, Monmouth University; Jim Murphy, Davidson College; Paul Schlickmann, Central Connecticut State University; Hank Small, Charleston Southern University; Gene Taylor, North Dakota State Universit;y Jeff Tingey, Idaho State University; and Mark Wilson, Tennessee Tech University. Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Beth DeBauche is the commissioners’ representative on the Executive Committee.

4907

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Drew Dosch playing well in the Cape Cod League

« on: July 17, 2012, 08:35:03 AM »

Yes, this is fairly prestigious league ...wooden bats. Also it is a full-season league ...so they play for 9-weeks + post-season. I am not sure I agree with the comment on him not staying at third ...I need to get out and see the Guins a few more times next year. For us, Dosch is strong at both IF & OF. Great utility player for us, but maybe the scout feels he will be better in the OF (and at the plate) at the next level.

4908

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Coach Gillispie Meets with Media in First Day at YSU

« on: July 13, 2012, 03:17:14 PM »

Yes, Ohio is great baseball state and, outside of Cinci tri-state area, we are smack in the heart of it. You just do not hear much because it is not football. This is not basketball, where we are in a fair location for the HS talent ...we are in a very competitive and quality area. Look how many locals play for New England, Michigan, and Indiana teams.

There is no reason we should not be able to have athletes from the top-100 camps come here ...we have them now.

I would have to slightly disagree with the need for "years" to fix the program. Yes, if we want to become an Oral Roberts/Sam Houston/Cal Fullerton ...then yes. However, to compete well in the Horizon ...we really already have the talent. We need a replacement clean-up, 2-pitchers, and another utility man.

4909

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Coach Gillispie Meets with Media in First Day at YSU

« on: July 13, 2012, 08:52:12 AM »

This is the biggest time of year for baseball recruiting. There are two top camps this weekend, so I think Gillispie will be at Ohio Wesleyan for the next two weekends. It is time for the Ohio top-100 camps. This is probably part of the reason why the hire was this week.

4910

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Coach Gillispie Meets with Media in First Day at YSU

« on: July 12, 2012, 10:29:05 AM »

I like what I see so far. He instinctively knew that Kent players were from the regional area, and that tells me he understands what a hot-bed for baseball talent this is. Probably weighed into his decision to come here. The department seems to like him, and he acts like a seasoned-coach. It will be exciting if that translates into his actions on the field. I will be very interested in anything he has to say about the existing talent pool. I expect to see some Kent cast-offs looking for homes. Gillispie addresses recruiting in some depth, and mentioned that he feels he is able to bring in guys with big-college potential. He also noted we were able to put players into the draft in the past, and that is a level of expectation he has on a regular basis. I think he likes the "tools" YSU provides him ...two stadiums, indoor and outdoor facilities. I like his comment that we should expect to see our hard-ballers in the weight-rooms (not that Pasquale did not have this).

With the success of Kent, the people are going to start paying more attention to baseball, just as Butler's success propelled Slocum to some stellar recruits, and much-improved play. I really think Gillispie knows to take advantage of this.

Welcome coach!!

4911

YSU Penguin Athletics / Coach Gillispie Meets with Media in First Day at YSU

« on: July 12, 2012, 08:27:04 AM »

Youngstown State University's new head baseball coach Steve Gillispie spoke of high expectations and optimism surrounding the Penguins program when he addressed members of the local media for the first time on Wednesday at the Beeghly Center Coaches Court on campus.

Gillispie met with members of the media at 3 p.m. in his introductory press conference, then spoke on the Ryan and Christian Show on ESPN 1240 just after 5 p.m. Gillispie, the eighth coach in school history, is also scheduled to throw out the first pitch at tonight's Little League Championship Game at the Field of Dreams in Boardman.

Gillispie spoke specifically about the quality of facilities available at Youngstown State and likened YSU's situation with what he inherited as an assistant at Jacksonville State. He also addressed his success as a top recruiter and the ability to project players' talent.

On taking a job in the North with a program that has struggled recently…

"You look past some of the recent history and look a little deeper. Not too many years ago you find a conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals. That's a great place to start. Getting up here and having the opportunity to see the facilities and the resources that are available was very exciting. They'll be a great vehicle for moving toward competing for Horizon League championships and at the regional and national level."

On message to fans on how the program can be turned around…

 "The year before we got to Jacksonville State, they had an 11-39 year with three wins in the conference and only six Division I wins. The team batting average was .219, and the team GPA was lower than that. When you compare the two programs, Youngstown State far exceeds what was at Jacksonville State."

"It comes down to players and getting the talent level that is acceptable at the top of the Horizon League and grow from there. I think player development is huge in terms of getting our younger guys to reach their potential at an early point in their careers. We also want to stress competitiveness. We'll compete in the fall in a lot of different areas - academically, strength training, conditioning and baseball."

On how he's been successful recruiting…

"I've had some success projecting kids and using the programs that we have to develop their talent. It also comes down to relationships. You have to recruit families and build a relationship where trust is never an issue between the coaching staff and the player."

"We want to go after the best kids and show them that Youngstown State is a quality institution, a great place to get an education and a great place to have an experience in college baseball. We're going to go after the best kids that we can get and coach them up from there."

4912

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18

« on: July 10, 2012, 12:06:16 PM »

Does anyone have any stats on this?

Thanks,
Dan

4913

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Cook Named Sport Network Pre-Season All-American

« on: July 09, 2012, 01:36:50 PM »

I have a hard time believing Bell is First & Cook is third.  Looks like both Jamaine and our defense have some unfinished business to take care of ...especially against ISU. Granted Bell is more of a traditional Gateway prototype, but Cook is a senior & is at least Bell's equal. It would not be so bad, if they were 1-2 ...but 1-3. has me questioning the rank.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Cook Named Sport Network Pre-Season All-American

« on: July 09, 2012, 01:31:35 PM »

Youngstown State senior tailback Jamaine Cook was tabbed a preseason third-team All-America selection by The Sports Network on Monday.

Running backs on the first team were Indiana State's Shakir Bell and Sam Houston State's Timothy Flanders. Earning second-team nods were Jordan Brown of Bryant and Matt Denham of Eastern Kentucky. Cook was joined by Jacksonville State's Washan Ealey on the third team.

Cook was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference pick last year, along with Bell. For the campaign, Cook rushed for 1,386 yards on 271 carries and scored 13 touchdowns. In 2011, Cook was seventh in the FCS in rushing (126.00) and 14th in all-purpose yards (145.36) per contest.

He had eight 100-yard rushing performances and had at least 90 yards in 10 contests on the year. For the season, he averaged 126 yards rushing per contest.

Season tickets for the 2012 season are available by calling the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.

4915

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: YSU Athletics Announces 2012 Hall of Fame Inductees

« on: July 06, 2012, 11:27:09 AM »

Football royalty coming into the HOF this year!!!! Mays, Giles, and Williams. Well-deserved for all!!

4916

YSU Penguin Athletics / YSU Athletics Announces 2012 Hall of Fame Inductees

« on: July 06, 2012, 11:25:20 AM »

Youngstown, Ohio -- A group of six highly-decorated former student-athletes and one dedicated contributor will be enshrined in the Youngstown State University Athletics Hall of Fame, Saturday, Oct. 20.

The new inductees will be enshrined at the 28th Annual Hall of Fame Induction breakfast on Saturday, Oct. 20, in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center. They will be introduced at halftime of the Youngstown State-Southern Illinois football game later that afternoon. For information on attending the ceremony, contact Youngstown State Athletics at (330) 941-7208.

The class of 2012 includes: Elliott Giles (football), Brandi Goettsch (swimming and diving), PJ Mays (football), Chris Notareschi (softball), Becky Rudzik (women's cross country/track and field), Ed Strauss (contributor) and Herb Williams (football).

This year’s inductees in alphabetical order with a brief biography follows:

Elliott Giles, football (1998-99): Giles ranks second on the single-season list with 1,301 yards receiving. He is the school’s all-time leader with 20.2 yards per catch. Giles also tied a school record with six 100-yard receiving games in 1999. He ranks 13th all-time with 1,477 career receiving yards.

Brandi Goettsch, swimming and diving (1999-2002): Goettsch was a three-time conference diver of the year - twice in the Mid-Continent Conference in 1999 and 2000 and once in the Horizon League 2002. She was named the YSU/Vindicator Female Athlete of the Year in 2002, and was a four-time NCAA Zone Qualifier, four-time team MVP and letterwinner and was a two-time team captain. She set and reset YSU Diving records 16 times and had numerous first and second place finishes.

PJ Mays, football (2000-02): Mays was named the Gateway Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2001. He ranks fourth all-time with 3,511 career rushing yards and owns the school record for most 200-yard rushing games with four. He ran for 1,446 yards with 21 touchdowns in 2001. His 45 career touchdowns rank fourth all-time while his 42 rushing touchdowns also rank fourth all-time.

Chris Notareschi, softball (1995-98): Notareschi was a four-year letterwinner and a three-time first-team all-conference pick. She finished her career as YSU’s career home run and RBIs leader with 18 and 103, respectively, and is currently tied for third in home runs and ranks fourth RBIs. She set the single-season home run mark with eight and the RBI record with 33 in 1998. She now ranks tied for sixth all-time with 169 hits.

Becky Rudzik, women’s cross country/track and field (1989-93): Rudzik was a four-year letterwinner and set five records during her career. She currently holds the indoor track record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.90, and her time of 10:08.50 in the indoor track 3,000-meter run stood for nearly 20 years and currently ranks third all-time.

Ed Strauss, Contributor: Strauss served as the Youngstown State head softball coach from 1985-95 and is the program’s winningest coach with 207 victories. He also served as the football video coordinator on a volunteer basis for many years and continues to assist with press box operations during home football games.

Herb Williams, football (1989-92): Williams was a member of the 1991 national championship team. He posted 110 career receptions for 2,031 yards and 13 career touchdowns. He caught 72 passes for 1,306 yards in 1992. He also ranks eighth all-time in career receptions and sixth all-time in receiving yards.

4917

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Missouri Valley Football Conference Blog

« on: July 05, 2012, 09:11:55 PM »

It is still a bit early, but note that we have now hired our second "big-named" defensive coordinator in a row. The fact that he even coached a Pac-10 squad tells me he might not be the man for the job at YSU. Speed Kills. Yes your chances of winning. Why did we beat NDSU? A vanilla defense. Additional man in the middle enabled us to sack their QB 4-times. How did beat JMU in our last year in the play-off? We stopped them on 4 & less than a yard. Who still holds the I-AA record for fewest points allowed in a season? YSU, 1994, and it was a 15-game season. We waltzed over Boise St. because they had never defenses like ours. We complained about lack of firepower under Tressel, now we have the opposite problem ...not enough stopping-power. Also, we have an arsenal of huge offensive weapons, and we were scoring so fast that our young defense could not find enough time to catch their breaths. Against NDSU, Montgomery shuffled the ball around & our time of possession was at almost 38-minutes ...the best all season, and still not as good as we need. I hope we build on that. Bottom line for 2011:

RED-ZONE SCORES     (42-47) 89%     (34-40) 85%
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS     (39-47) 83%     (29-40) 73%


Terrible numbers in the red zone. How does a YSU team allow their opponent to get into the red-zone so many times in the first place??? Factor in giving up almost 6 TD's per game, this means we were beat by the big play as well.

Sorry to be so harsh on a DC that has left, but this year we need to let Tresey know this is not UCLA, South Florida, or Cinci. We expect huge/fast defenses that can produce (and take away) points.

GO GUINS!!!!! Remember, we go a week early this season.

4918

YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: 2 Twitter reports that Steve Gillispie is new YSU baseball coach

« on: July 04, 2012, 12:43:07 PM »

If this is so. ...this is an outstanding hire. This is not someone that is "hanging around" a program. This is a contributor at a program superior to our own.

4919

YSU Penguin Athletics / Drew Dosch Tabbed Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month

« on: June 28, 2012, 07:30:08 PM »

Indianapolis, Ind. -- Youngstown State sophomore third baseman Drew Dosch was named the Horizon League's men's Scholar-Athlete of the Month for May/June, the conference announced this week.

Dosch helped lead the Penguins to a third-place finish at the Horizon League Championships. He batted a .310 with 18 hits, 7 runs scroed, two home runs, 15 RBIs and six doubles during May (14 games). Dosch was a first-team All-Horizon League selection as a third baseman and finished third in batting average, third in home runs, third in total bases, fourth in slugging percentage and fifth in hits in the Horizon League in 2012.

An integrated social sciences education major, Dosch received a 4.00 GPA in each of his first four semesters at YSU. It is the second month in a row that Dosch has been named Scholar-Athlete of the Month by the Horizon League. In addition, he was named a Second-Team Capital One Academic All-American by CoSIDA in 2012 and is an active member of YSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month recognizes outstanding academic and athletic achievements. To be eligible for the honor, the student-athlete must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or better (on a 4.00 scale), have completed at least one year at the member institution, passed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours and perform well during the month's competition. Winners are selected by the League's faculty athletics representatives, from nominations provided by sports information directors.

Wright State's Colleen Schneider (softball) was tabbed the female Scholar-Athlete of the Month.

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YSU Penguin Athletics / Re: Pasquale out as a baseball coach

« on: June 25, 2012, 12:30:58 PM »

Good info Indy:

A couple of nice choices. Lipari and Linlater are pitching coaches, where Massarelli is a field-coach. Pasquale was a field coach; where Florak was more of a pitching coach. If I knew that Antush wanted to stay (a quality pitching coach, and lots of collegiate experience) ...I like Massarelli. His school focuses on offense. Also, the pro-connections are appealing. The lack of college-level coaching experience is tough though; but Antush offers any new coach a good foundation. He makes a great corporeal to a new Sargent. I say look for resume's from Kent, but it is unlikely that the flash admin would look too kindly on someone staying so close.