YSU baseball team set for Horizon League play

March 18, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

AUSTINTOWN

With its spring trip now a fading memory, the YSU baseball team will finally get to concentrate on the northern portion of its schedule.

Weather permitting, that is.

YSU coach Steve Gillispie said that while weather has been a challenge, all was not lost during the Penguins’ recent trip to Alabama and North Carolina despite their 2-12 start.

“The weather pushed us back about 10 days in early March, but we returned knowing that some of our young kids played really well,” Gillispie said at the Curbstone Coaches’ weekly luncheon. “Three freshmen, Kevin Yarabinec, Alex Larivee and Shane Willoughby, and pitchers Patrick O’Brien and Brendon Shoemake all had excellent starts to their seasons.”

Yarabinec, a closer, has tossed eight innings of no-hit, no-run ball to date while Larivee is second on the team in batting at a .410 clip.

Shoemake has solidified the shortstop position while O’Brien and Shoemake are two of the designated starters that have pitched well.

“Both Patrick and Brendon have thrown well this spring, however, if we expect to make some noise in the Horizon League then we will need quality starts and outings from the remainder of the staff,” Gillispie stated. “We know the areas where we need to perform better and we’ll be ready. When we pitched well we didn’t score and when we scored runs our pitching wasn’t up to par.”

The Penguins were scheduled to play at league newcomer Oakland last weekend, but weather curtailed the action, despite both teams searching for an alternate location.

They will open Horizon League play Friday against Milwaukee, which will play a three-game set at Eastwood Field.

An alternate site has already been discussed in case weather plays a factor.

“I am willing to bet that 75-80 percent of college baseball teams would love to have our home park as its home field,” Gillispie said. “Chris Mason, new Eastwood Field head groundskeeper has been really busy trying to get the field in order and ready for this weekend. Playability of the surface will determine whether games will be played or, at the very least, have to be moved.”

Alternate sites, all of which are turf fields, include the Action (AIA) Sports Complex in Xenia and a high school field in Chillicothe.

“Last week, despite being scheduled at Oakland University, we tried to find an alternate site but the weather wouldn’t cooperate. Kent State University’s field was an option but the mound was frozen and unplayable,” Gillispie noted. “This weekend they open Mid-American Conference play against Toledo so that isn’t even an option. Any other site would also have to include hotel accommodations since both teams would be staying for the three-game set. We’re all hoping for good weather.”

The Penguins have 17 new players on the 35-man roster, including JUCO transfers and incoming freshmen.

Half the Penguins are playing at the Division I level for the first time while the other half is looking to win more than 14 games in a season.

“We have room to improve and get better, but it’s been a good spring in that I am happy with our skill and talent level. We’re confident in our abilities, but need to get more innings and game experience under our belts,” Gillispie said.

Next week, Ohio Athletic Conference commissioner Tim Gleason is schedule to speak.