YSU softball returns most key personnel

February 13, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

By steve wilaj

YOUNGSTOWN

Miranda Castiglione can’t name the Youngstown State softball team’s particular strength heading into its 2016 season, which begins today at 3 p.m. against Toledo at the UNC Charlotte First Pitch Classic.

But the senior infielder Castiglione, who’s arguably the Penguins’ best player, has good reason: YSU returns its entire starting lineup from last season, including 15 letterwinners in all.

“I wouldn’t say we have a standout strength because we have such a diverse group,” Castiglione said. “Obviously we have a very good defensive team coming in from last year and offensively, I think we’ve built a lot through the fall and through this preseason. I think we’re gonna be equally strong on both ends and it’s just gonna be about how we show up.”

The Penguins went just 18-31 last season, but they’re banking on turning some of those negative experiences into positives this year.

Led by Castiglione — who hit .348 and was named to the All-Horizon League first team in 2015 — YSU set school single-season records for most home runs (40) and stolen bases (76).

The Penguins return 92.5 percent of the home runs and 89.5 percent of the stolen bases, including: junior outfielder Sarah Dowd (.329, 11 HRs), junior infielder Brittney Moffatt (.311), junior catcher Maria Lacatena (.310) and sophomore outfielder Cali Mikovich (.308, seven HRs).

SDLqLast year it was new and different and so exciting and fulfilling,” Mikovich said. “But being with this group of girls, it opened my eyes to how close-knitted a team can get and how important it is to have that. So going into this year, I feel that we’re even more confident.”

Added head coach Brian Campbell: “This year’s team has come together really well and bonded great. We obviously have our whole offense and defense back — and now with an experienced pitcher Caitlyn Minney.”

A junior, Minney went 5-7 with a 5.04 ERA in 1272/3 innings last season. While she’ll be leading YSU on the mound, freshmen pitchers Paige Geanangel and Lexi Zappitelli will see action as well.

“With Minney being a junior, she was able to get experience last year,” Campbell said. “That’s a positive. Then we have two young pitchers that really developed fairly well. ... So there’s excitement [with pitching] to put it all together with the offense and defense.”

YSU will test its experienced group with three games this weekend at the UNC Charlotte First Pitch Classic. Following the Toledo contest, the Penguins play Massachusetts at 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning before facing Charlotte at 3:30 p.m. to cap a doubleheader.

Before YSU hosts its first home game on March 25, it will also travel to the states of Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi — as well as North Carolina again — over its first 25 games. The locations were all picked for a specific reason.

“We’re hitting temperatures that aren’t too far away from what we’re gonna see when we come back,” Campbell said. “When you’re in 80-degree weather and then you come back and you’re in 50 degrees, sometimes it takes a little time to adjust.

“We’ve tried that the last few years of trying to get just enough South for reasonable temperatures.”