YSU's outlook is bright

The Penguins will open the season Feb. 23 against Stephen F. Austin inNacogdoches, Texas.
YOUNGSTOWN -- With 17 newcomers and three redshirt freshmen taking the place of nine seniors, it might be easy to dismiss Youngstown State's baseball season as a rebuilding year.
But after an impressive fall season, that thought hasn't come close to crossing coach Mike Florak's mind.
"I feel very strongly that this is the best core of leadership that we've had since I've been here, but I also feel like this is the best group of followers we've had, too," said Florak, who begins his ninth season Feb. 23 when the Penguins play Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas.
"As long as the scoreboard is on there is no such thing as playing for next year. You have to play for that game whatever that game is."
The Penguins have a strong group of returning upperclassmen with five position players who started at least 30 games and three who appeared in every game. Add two returning starters in Lucas Engle and Chuck Schiffhauer from the weekend rotation and one of the Horizon League's best closers, Ryan Sellman, and Florak has a group to be competitive in the conference.
"We're pretty versatile and we have more depth than we've had in years past," Florak said. "There are more than 20 guys I'd feel comfortable playing with right now [at the beginning of February], and that's not something I've always been able to say."
Similar to 2003
Florak said this year is similar to 2003, when he started as many as six freshmen. That team won 27 games and the following year captured the Horizon League championship.
Five players on the '07 squad, including captains Brent Parks, Erich Diedrich and Josh Page, were on that 2004 title team.
"It does help [to have the returners] because those guys know what it takes," said Florak. "They're mentally tough enough to understand how demanding it is to win."
Diedrich and Page were YSU's top hitters last season and return as juniors to anchor an experienced infield that has five players who appeared in more than 35 games a year ago.
Diedrich was first team All-Horizon League as a sophomore, posting team-high numbers in average (.357), home runs (nine), RBIs (58), total bases (120), slugging percentage (.571) and on-base percentage (.448). He played in every game and started 54 games, including 22 at catcher and 21 as the designated hitter. Diedrich will begin the season as the DH while working his way back from a shoulder injury.
At catcher, redshirt freshman Dustin Wachter will likely begin the season as the starter, but sophomore Rayce Robinson and redshirts Rob Sullivan and Andy Todor could also see significant playing time.
Page had breakout season
Page started 53 games and had a breakout season at second base and as the leadoff hitter last year. He improved his average (.346) by 94 points and posted the sixth-most hits in a season in school history (74). Also a standout fielder, he committed only four errors in 262 chances.
Sophomore third baseman John Koehlein returns after being named second team all-league and to the All-Newcomer Team. He hit .337 and scored a team-high 23 runs over the final 26 games of the season.
Senior Lou Gattozzi hit .271 last season and can play shortstop, third or first. Junior Mike Turjanica is also experienced after playing in 37 games at first last season and 39 as a freshman. Junior Sean Lucas is a middle infielder with speed.
Redshirt freshman Tom Clayton is a power threat from the left side who will likely see innings at first, and freshmen Anthony Munoz and C.J. Morris will compete for playing time up the middle. Lee Bainbridge, a first team All-Ohio selection, will provide depth at third.
Parks will be the lone returning starter in the outfield. In his first season as a starter, Parks hit .287 with 20 doubles and 36 RBIs. He committed just one error in 94 chances and had six assists.
Robinson and Diedrich also have experience in the outfield, but Lucas and Koehnlein are the only other returning players with experience.
Freshmen Cory Hornyak, Ryan Dunlap and Eric Marzec can all play the outfield and pitch, and Bryan Hamrick, Joe Iacobucci, Jason Reitenbach and Ben Miller will all compete for playing time.
The pitching corps
On the mound, Engle and Schiffhauer will be joined by junior college transfer Adam Kalafos as the probable weekend starters, and Sellman anchors a bullpen that will also feature veterans Andy Svitak and Joe Antinone.
Engle was the staff's workhorse last season, setting the single-season record for innings pitched (99) and tying the mark for starts (14). He went 4-4 with a 4.36 ERA as the No. 1 starter.
Schiffhauer was the top mid-week starter and moved to the No. 3 spot in the rotation late in the year. In 10 starts, he went 4-2 with a 3.68 ERA.
Kalafos had a 2.48 ERA in 54 1/3 innings last season at the Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville. Sellman returns after collecting team-highs in wins (6) and saves last season and appearing in a school-record 30 games. He had a 2.62 ERA.
Antinone appeared in 20 games last season and Svitak pitched in 18, and both could be candidates for midweek starts. Antinone has started just one game in his career, but Svitak went 5-1 as a starter during his sophomore year. Sophomore Ryan Wackerman, who is one of only two lefties on the staff, could also compete for a spot in the bullpen or weekday rotation after starting two games and appearing in seven last season.
The staff also features seven freshmen and a walk-on sophomore. Along with Dunlap, Hornyak and Marzec, Corey Vukovic had a strong fall. Alex Earley, who has been battling a shoulder injury; Brett Crocker; Aaron Swenson, and Ray Pollum will also be counted on.