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YSU’s freshmen making impacts
youngstown
The Youngstown State softball team has made quite the turnaround this season, and it’s largely thanks to the efforts of the Penguins’ younger talent.
Two weeks ago it was freshman pitcher Maddi Lusk was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Week after going 4-1 with an earned-run average of 0.66. She struck out 21 batters while allowing only three earned runs.
This past week Tatum Christy was named Horizon League Player of the Week after batting .727 in five games, collecting eight hits including a triple and home run and racking up seven RBIs.
It’s the first time two freshmen have won Pitcher of the Week and Player of the Week awards in the Horizon League in the same season.
After a disappointing 0-9 start to the season that included one mercy-rule loss to Coastal Carolina and two extra-inning defeats to Towson, the Penguins (16-19) have won 11 of their last 13 games.
“We’re a totally different team now. Before we were struggling but now we’ve really clicked. I was pretty frustrated [at 0-9],” Lusk said. “I played on a pretty competitive travel team so I wasn’t used to losing.”
Christy said the Penguins were really pushing during their rough opening stretch. But now that the wins are coming, it’s tough to stop the team’s confidence.
“It was definitely rough,” Christy said. “I felt like we were down but we weren’t second-guessing. We knew there would be an upcoming event that would be a season changer and we had that. We’ve been pretty good ever since.”
For both Lusk and Christy, the awards were welcome additions to YSU’s success.
“[Player of the Week] was a goal but it was never in my head as I’m playing,” Christy said. “It’s more of just step up and do your part when your chance is there.”
Both players have managed to find their way to larger roles on the team in a short amount of time. Both now are regulars on the field.
“There was an adjustment period I had to go through at the beginning of the season when I wasn’t getting that much playing time,” Lusk said. “The speed of the game is a lot faster. All the girls can hit and field. It’s a lot different.”
For Christy, she’s had to battle the reality of going from star of the team in high school to new girl needing to prove herself — something Player of the Week does quite well.
“Being a senior for my high school I was one of the leaders and now you come in as a freshman and you’re an underdog again,” Christy said. “But our senior and upperclassmen are really cool and push us because they want to see us succeed.”
While Lusk is mainly known for her pitching, her success has bled over to her batting as well. During YSU’s 4-1 win at Niagara on April 5, Lusk launched her first career home run.
“I was just working to get a base hit and it just happened,” she said. “It was an inside pitch and it was a 3-2 count so I knew she had to come with something. It felt good. I was so happy.”
The Penguins currently sit in third place in the Horizon League standings with a 4-2 conference record. YSU hosts league-leading UIC with two games today starting at 3 p.m., and one game on Sunday at noon.
Depending on how second-place Valparaiso plays, the Penguins could find themselves in first place by Sunday evening.