Penguins play host to Horizon

Mother Nature wasn't kind to the Youngstown State baseball team all season long, so there was no reason for her to be nice at the end of the regular season, either.
The Penguins' final Horizon League series of the season, at UW-Milwaukee, was canceled because of weather and it kept the Penguins in the cellar of the conference standings.
Had the Penguins been able to play and sweep the four-game series in Milwaukee, they could have jumped to as high as third place.
Instead, Youngstown State finished 18-30 overall and 7-10 in the conference. The Penguins will meet the No. 2 seed, Butler, Wednesday night at 6:30 in the Horizon tournament at Eastwood Field.
The tournament begins at 10:30 a.m., with No. 4 seed Wright State playing No. 5 UW-Milwaukee, followed by No. 3 Cleveland State against No. 6 Detroit at 2:30 p.m.
Illinois-Chicago (34-19, 14-8), which won the regular season title and the No. 1 seed, won't play until Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
One winning record
It was not a strong conference this season, as the Flames were the only team to post a winning overall record, and just two teams had winning records in the conference.
The Penguins played only 17 of their scheduled 24 league games this season, yet the only team they held an edge over was UIC.
The tournament kicks off Tuesday night with a league banquet at the Byzantine Center at 7 p.m. All of the league awards will be presented at that time.
Tickets for the tournament are available at the YSU ticket office. A tournament pass, which is good for all 12 games, is $20 for adults and $12 for seniors and students. Individual day tickets are $6. The championship game is Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
Bill Dailey Golf Outing
The Penguin Club is taking reservations for the Bill Dailey Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing, scheduled for June 9 at the Fonderlac Country Club.
Packages are $1,500 for two foursomes or $1,000 for one foursome. Individual golf packages include lunch, dinner, a fan pack and a door prize ticket for $150.
Golfers will have a chance to interact with YSU athletes, meet with coaches, win door prizes and enjoy a Par 3 experience with football coach Jon Heacock, men's basketball coach John Robic and women's basketball coach Tisha Hill.
For more information or an entry form contact the Penguin Club at (330) 941-3720.
NCAA track
Youngstown State's men's and women's track and field teams will be well represented at the NCAA Mideast Outdoor Track and Field Regionals, which start Friday in Baton Rouge, La.
The Penguins are sending 10 participants to the meet, which is held at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium.
On the men's side, Kurt Michaelis, two-time Vindicator YSU Scholar-Athlete of the Year, will be competing in the 1,500 meters and the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Michaelis has the ninth-fastest time in the Mideast Region in the steeplechase and is 26th nationally.
Also for the men, Papis Joh, Kevin Breckenridge, Scott Weiser and Ryan Strzalka, the Horizon League champions in the 4x400 relay, will compete in that event at the Regional.
The women are sending five runners, who will participate in three individual events and two relays. Danielle Bolt and Aaliyah Gillespie were conference champions in the 100 and 100 hurdles, respectively. Emily Schnitkey will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Bolt, Gillespie, Jeanna Cunningham and Leslie Johnson, the Vindicator YSU Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, will take part in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
The top five finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships which are June 9-12 in Austin, Texas.
XPete Mollica covers YSU athletics for The Vindicator. Write to him at mollica@vindy.com.