By Zach Flesch / The Jambar
The Youngstown State University baseball team had a rough start to the season as it opened in Waco, Texas, against out-of-conference opponent Baylor University.
The Penguins lost the series opener 10-3, as the team had trouble stringing hits together. The Bears got off to an early start, scoring twice in the first inning and extending the lead after an RBI single in the third inning.
In the fourth inning, Youngstown State got its first run of the 2025 season to cut the deficit to two.
Senior Kyle Fossum hit a home run and finished the game with two hits, while senior Eli Brown also contributed two hits.
Redshirt senior Tommy Rover was credited for a single, and redshirt sophomore Nathan Beckley was credited with an RBI single in the ninth inning, which helped the Penguins stay competitive throughout the game.
On the mound, senior Jacob Gehring was charged with six earned runs on six hits and three walks.
Head Coach Trevor Charpie said he was excited to open up the season with Gehring on the mound.
“Gehring is brilliant, it is really nice to know that we have a guy at the front end of our rotation like him,” Charpie said. “He can go up against anyone in the nation.”
Junior Sloan Ulrich was responsible for one run while allowing four hits and three walks over two innings of relief out of the bullpen. Sophomore Mikey Rodriques permitted three runs on three hits in his lone inning of relief.
Youngstown State was unable to find success Feb. 15, as the Penguins fell 16-4 in Game One and 12-4 in Game Two of the doubleheader.
In Game One, the Penguins scored twice in the top of the fourth on a two-out, two-run home run by Fossum to take a 2-1 lead. The Bears answered with six runs in the fourth inning, before adding nine runs in the bottom of the sixth to pick up a seven-inning victory.
Redshirt senior JJ Tylicki suffered the loss after allowing seven runs, four of which were earned on six hits in his YSU debut. Senior Harun Pelja surrendered five runs on six hits, while junior Nate Ross was responsible for four runs on four hits.
Baylor jumped out to an early lead and completed the series sweep with a 12-4 win over Youngstown State in Game Two at Baylor Ballpark.
Smith went two-for-four with two doubles and four RBIs while Fossum also recorded two hits including a double.
Redshirt senior Phil Brennaman was the losing pitcher after he allowed six runs on seven hits over one inning. Freshman Tyler Heflin was responsible for two unearned runs on five hits over four innings of relief in his collegiate debut.
Junior Braden Gebhardt surrendered four runs on four hits in the seventh, while junior Aidan English worked around three walks to toss a scoreless eighth inning.
The team looks to bounce back from an 0-3 record Feb. 21-23 against Abilene Christian University for a four-game series in Abilene, Texas.
