YSU’s Swenson, Pasquale garner awards

Aaron Swenson was named the Horizon’s top pitcher and Rich Pasquale is co-coach of the year.

INDIANAPOLIS — Youngstown State sophomore Aaron Swenson has been named Horizon League pitcher of the year and Rich Pasquale was named co-coach of the year.

The awards were announced Monday night.

Sean Lucas, Joe Iacobucci and Eric Marzec earned second-team all-league honors, and Iacobucci was voted to the all-newcomer team.

Swenson went 6-1 and threw five complete games against league opponents this season. The sophomore from Twinsburg has a 3.70 ERA entering the conference tournament at Eastwood Field and he leads the Horizon League with 921‚Ñ3 innings pitched and 62 strikeouts. He joins Justin Thomas (2005) as the only Penguins to earn the league’s pitcher of the year award.

In his first season Pasquale guided the Penguins to a third-place finish in the Horizon League standings after the team was picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll of the league’s coaches. YSU won four more league games than in 2007 despite playing three fewer games.

Lucas, a senior third baseman from Warren Harding, posted better numbers this season than in his first three combined. He is batting .309 and holds team-high totals in hits (69), runs scored (38), RBIs (33), stolen bases (12) and doubles (15). He is the only player to start all 54 games.

Iacobucci, a redshirt freshman outfielder from Boardman, has been YSU’s most consistent hitter. He leads the team in batting average (.379), RBIs (33), slugging percentage (.515) and on-base percentage (.448). Iacobucci, who hit .424 over the past two months, ranks fifth in the Horizon League in batting average.

Marzec, a sophomore from Canton Central Catholic, also had a strong finish to the season. He has hit .357 with five home runs, 31 runs scored and 29 RBIs since April 1. He also came out of the bullpen for a 2-1 record with two saves and 2.82 ERA in 12 relief appearances.

The Penguins open league tournament play Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Eastwood Field, against the winner of today’s Valparaiso-Butler game.