The Youngstown State softball team opens the 2017 campaign at the Kickin' Chicken Classic hosted by Coastal Carolina University. The Penguins will play five games in three days at CCU. YSU opens the year against Towson and Coastal Carolina on Friday, Feb. 10, at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively. On day two, the Penguins face 2012 National Champion Alabama and the Chanticleers at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. YSU closes out the tournament against Towson on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 10 a.m.
• Up Next
The Penguins have a weekend off then travel to Winthrop for four games on Feb. 25-26.
• What Returns
The Penguins return seven position starters, two starting pitchers and 18 letterwinners from last season's 30-21 team. The Penguins also finished third in the Horizon League in 2016 with a 15-7 record.
• Historic Season
Last season, the Penguins posted one of the best years in school history. YSU won 30 games for just the third time in program history and the second time in the last three seasons. The 30 wins are tied for the second-most in school history and six away from the school record of 36 set in 2003. The Penguins also won 30 games in 2014. The 15 Horizon League wins broke the old mark of 13 set in 2003.
• Record Book Rewrite
The Penguins also rewrote the softball offensive record book breaking seven team records. YSU set records for team batting average (.318), runs (318), hits (456), doubles (79), home runs (51), grand slams (7), and runs batted in (285). Youngstown State also set two single-game records with 20 hits and 16 RBIs against Green Bay on April 23.
• Dowd Named Academic All-American, Second-Team All-Horizon League
Senior Sarah Dowd, who earned Academic All-America Third-Team laurels, was named All-Horizon League Second-Team for the third straight season, and batted .305 with 42 runs scored, 11 home runs and 35 RBIs last season. Dowd, who ranks second all-time with 29 home runs, became the first player in school history to hit at least 10 home runs in consecutive seasons and has a school-record four grand slams. She also hit 11 home runs as a sophomore in 2015. Dowd now ranks third all-time with 113 runs scored, tied for sixth with 97 runs batted in and tied for fifth with a .536 slugging percentage.
• No Sophomore Slump
Junior Cali Mikovich, who earned NFCA All-Region Second-Team honors, was named All-Horizon League First-Team after batting .398 with 10 doubles, 13 home runs and 41 runs batted in. In 2016, she led the team with 70 hits and set the YSU single-season home run record. Mikovich became just the fourth player in school history to record at least 70 hits in a season. Mikovich, who ended the year with a 15-game hitting streak, also set two single-game records with five hits and five runs scored against Cleveland State on April 13. Her .688 slugging percentage also ranks sixth on the YSU single-season list. Mikovich is the first player in school history to hit at least 20 home runs in her first two seasons and ranks seventh on the all-time home run list. Her .617 slugging percentage is currently second on the career list.
• Jersey Shore
Senior Maria Lacatena had a career-best season with a .342 batting average, seven home runs and 41 runs batted in last year. She was also named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team after batting .600 in three games. Her 41 runs batted in ranked tied for second on the single-season list.
• Geanangel Named All-Freshman Team
Sophomore pitcher Paige Geanangel was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team after leading the team with 17 victories in 2016. Her 17 wins are the third-most in a season and the most by a freshman since Kelly Murphy had 22 in 2003. Geanangel, whose 167.2 innings pitched rank tied for seventh on the single-season chart, also posted three shutouts and earned nine victories against Horizon League opponents.
• Minney Reaches Top 10
Senior Caitlyn Minney picked up a career-high 13 victories and 96 strikeouts last year. Her strikeouts rank 10th on the single-season list, and she now ranks fifth all-time with 234 career strikeouts.
• Gibson, Moffatt, Taylor Impress
Senior Alex Gibson (.316), junior Stevie Taylor (.312) and senior Brittney Moffatt (.310) also had stellar offensive seasons for the Penguins. Gibson drove in 25 runs and had nine doubles while Taylor hit four home runs and drove in 22 runs. Moffatt scored 35 runs and had 12 doubles, three home runs and 24 runs batted in.
• Home Opener
The Penguins will play their first 22 games of the season on the road. Youngstown State's home opener is a doubleheader against Akron, Tuesday, March 21, at the YSU Softball Field. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
2017 Horizon League Preseason Poll
1. UIC (7) 62
2. Wright State (1) 55
3. Valparaiso (1) 47
4. Youngstown State 43
5. Oakland 35
6. Cleveland State 27
7. Green Bay 24
8. Detroit Mercy 20
9. Northern Kentucky 11
In Justin's World of Softball's preseason poll, the Penguins were picked to finish second in the league behind UIC.
