By William Staten / The Jambar
The Youngstown State University baseball team kicked off the season this past week with an opening series at Auburn University on Feb. 13.
In an interview leading up to the series, Head Coach Trevor Charpie said he was excited for the season, mentioning the team’s spirit and commitment as a highlight of the preseason and early training.
“I really liked the team’s buy-in, over and above all … I like the team’s camaraderie,” Charpie said. “The boys love each other, they love the university and they’re ready to go out there and battle.”
D1Baseball picked the Penguins to finish fourth in the Horizon League. However, Charpie said the designation does not change the preparation the team puts in each day.
“It doesn’t matter. They didn’t come out and see us play. We have a bunch of new players. I don’t take much stock in it … I take stock in the work we put in day after day,” Charpie said.
The new players include freshmen Misael Uriepero and Alex Jang. Charpie said the team and its new members look to make a statement in competition against Auburn.
“Auburn’s a great team, their pitchers throw strikes at an elite level, we’re going to go there to compete. There’s a lot to learn in the first week. You can’t get better without playing the best,” Charpie said.
In addition, with Uriepero selected as Horizon League Preseason Freshman of The Year, Charpie said his leadership has made him an asset to the team.
“[Uriepero’s] a grinder. He grinds out at-bats, he can take the extra base and he’s becoming a leader,” Charpie said. “As a guy who’s first language is Spanish, it’s awesome to see him come here and take to his surroundings and become a leader in his own right.”
Redshirt junior Brady Shannon scored the Penguins’ first run of the season in the opener with a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning.
Senior Braden Gebhardt was named the Under Armour Horizon League Pitcher of The Week for the first time in his career. Gebhardt posted the most strikeouts in a game in program history with 11 over six innings in the Penguins’ season opener.
Over the weekend, Auburn swept the Penguins in YSU’s three-game road trip series to start the season. The team now heads to Eugene, Oregon to face off in another road series against the University of Oregon at PK Park on Feb. 19.