Former Penguin Pitcher Kalafos Signs to Play in Northern League -- Thursday, July 24 2008
Youngstown -- Former Youngstown State pitcher Adam Kalafos has signed a contract to play professionally for the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Northern League.

Kalafos, a righthander who pitched for the Penguins the past two seasons, is the fifth YSU player to sign a professional contract in the past four years.

"It's hard to even describe how excited I am to be able to continue playing baseball," Kalafos said. "Ever since Little League, I can remember dreaming about growing up and becoming a professional baseball player. I am extremely grateful that it has come true.

"It's going to be a challenge, but I look forward to meeting it head on and showing everyone what I can do."
Last season as a senior, Kalafos went 5-3 in 17 appearances, which included 10 starts. He struck out 59 batters in 61.2 innings and thrived as the season went on as a midweek starter and top option out of the bullpen.

He earned wins against UIC and West Virginia and left with a 4-1 lead against Kent State, all of whom finished with more than 30 victories. A power pitcher, he struck out at least nine batters three times, including a career-high 11 against IUP.

"I'm excited for Adam to see all of his hard work and dedication to pay off," YSU head coach Rich Pasquale said. "He had some very good outings for us last year, and his record didn't indicate how fine of a job he did.

"It was a great day for him when he signed, and it was also a good day for our program."

As a junior, he started 14 games and went 4-4 in his final 11 starts.

"At YSU I was surrounded by a great group of people, especially my teammates, that were all dedicated to working hard and getting better every day," Kalafos said. "Pitching in the Horizon League and against teams like Georgia Tech, Alabama and West Virginia definitely helped me prepare for this next step."

The Baltimore, Md., native came to YSU in 2007 after spending two seasons at the Community College of Baltimore County - Catonsville.

Kalafos also had an outstanding summer for the Staunton Braves of the Valley League in 2007, going 5-1 with a 2.92 ERA and 62 strikeouts.

The Goldeyes are currently in third place in the six-team Northern League. They average a league-high 6,280 fans per game. Baltimore Orioles closer and American League All-Star George Sherrill also pitched for the Goldeyes in 2002-03.

Klein's Perfect Game Highlights Summer Baseball Season for Penguins -- Tuesday, July 22 2008
Youngstown -- Youngstown State sophomore pitcher Phil Klein threw a perfect game in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League as one of many highlights for Penguins playing summer baseball:

Klein's seven-inning masterpiece came on July 13 for the Hampton Whalers against Metro N.Y. The righty from Columbus, Ohio, threw the first perfect game in franchise history and the first since at least 1977 in the ACBL.

Klein needed 71 pitches to retire the 21 hitters, six of which he struck out. He is currently 4-2 with a 0.95 ERA in six starts, throwing two shutouts and surrendering just four earned runs in 38 innings. He has also struck out 38 batters while walking just 10.

Klein and David Leon, who also plays for the Whalers, were both named to the Kaiser Division All-Star Team in the ACBL.

In the Great Lakes League, Aaron Swenson was named an all-star after posting a 2-2 record to go along with a 2.48 ERA for the Licking County Settlers. The 2008 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, Swenson has allowed nine earned runs in 32.2 innings and struck out 17 batters while walking five.

Ryan Wackerman has two saves and a 3.60 ERA in seven appearances for the Settlers, who are coached by former Penguins assistant Kyle Sobecki.

Also in the GLL, Second-Team All-Horizon League utility player Eric Marzec has continued to be solid both at the plate and on the mound. The junior is batting .273 with a homer, 10 runs scored and 10 RBIs in 44 at bats for the Stark County Terriers. He has also picked up a team-high three saves in four appearances. He has struck out eight batters in eight innings, and opponents are hitting .200 against him.

In the Tri-State Collegiate League, John Koehnlein was batting .407 as of July 15 for the league-leading Washington Collegiate BlueSox. Cory Hornyak is batting .350 with a team-leading 23 RBIs for the Ohio Monarchs.

In the Valley League, Craig Gillet is 2-1 in 14 relief appearances for the Staunton Braves, who have clinched a playoff spot. Incoming recruit Jacke Healy finished as the runner-up in the Home Run Derby after being named a Southern Division All-Star as a player for the Waynesboro Generals.

Joe Iacobucci Earns Honorable Mention Freshman All Ping! Honors -- Tuesday, June 10 2008
Youngstown -- Youngstown State redshirt freshman outfielder Joe Iacobucci has earned honorable mention honors on the All Ping! Freshman Team.

Iacobucci, a native of Boardman, Ohio, batted a team-high .369 and tied for the team lead in RBIs with 33. Teammate Tom Clayton earned the same honor last season in the first year of the All Ping! accolades.

Iacobucci previously earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors as well as being named to the league's all-newcomer team. He ranked seventh in the conference in batting average, and his .375 average against league opponents ranked 10th.

Iacobucci played in 52 games primarily in left field and had at least two hits in 17 contests, including two four-hit affairs against Kent State and IUP. He scored 29 times and had 65 hits, 16 of which went for extra bases. He had a 16-game hitting streak until being held in check in the final game of the season.

The All Ping! teams were awarded by representatives from the website www.pingbaseball.com, which is in its second year of providing in-depth coverage of college baseball.

Josh Page Named First-Team Academic All-District -- Thursday, May 29 2008
Youngstown -- Youngstown State senior infielder Josh Page has been voted First-Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Page, who earned second-team honors the previous two years, is only the second baseball player in YSU history to earn first-team academic all-district honors. In 2006 Brandon Caipen was a first-team selection and went on to earn Second-Team Academic All-America accolades.

Page is also the only student-athlete in school history to earn academic all-district mentioning three times.

A native of Plain City, Ohio, Page is a three-time Academic All-Horizon League pick and has appeared on the Horizon League honor roll seven times. He has achieved a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in three semesters, and he earned his degree in middle childhood education earlier this month. He graduated summa cum laude with a final GPA of 3.86.

Page finished his playing career with a solid senior campaign in which he batted .313 with 67 hits, 33 runs and a career-high three home runs. He leaves YSU ranking fourth in career games played (207) and fifth in hits (233).

Penguins First to be Eliminated from HL Tournament -- Friday, May 23 2008
Niles, Ohio -- Cleveland State scored eight runs with two outs, including five in the top of the ninth, to defeat Youngstown State 10-4 in the Horizon League Baseball Championship on Thursday.

The loss eliminates Youngstown State from the tournament and ends its season with a record of 23-33. Cleveland State moves on to play another elimination game on Friday at 11 a.m.

The Penguins trailed 5-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh when two home runs gave them some momentum. Mike Turjanica hit a two-out, solo blast to right in the bottom of the seventh, and Erich Diedrich hit a two-run homer with nobody out in the eighth to cut the margin to one. Eric Marzec then hit a two-out single to put the tying run on, but Cleveland State reliever Vasili Pahoulis came on to strike out pinch-hitter C.J. Morris to end the inning.

Ryan Sellman retired the first two Vikings in the top of the ninth, but a single by Alex Kerins started a string of six straight batters to reach base. The Vikings had five of their 11 hits with two outs in the ninth, including four straight RBI hits from the bottom four in the batting order.

Diedrich's home run was the 27th of his prolific career, which broke Youngstown State's previous career record of 26 held by Adam Cox. The record blast came on the slugger's final swing in a Penguins uniform.

Diedrich finished 2-for-4 with a game-high three RBIs while John Koehnlein and Josh Page had two hits for YSU.

Tom Carter had three hits and two RBIs to lead Cleveland State. Each of the No. 6 through No. 9 batters had two RBIs.
Youngstown State took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on an unearned run. Koehnlein led off the inning with a double on the 11th pitch of his at bat, and he went to third on a passed ball. Diedrich then brought him in three batters later on a fielder's choice to short.

The lead did not last long as Cleveland State answered with three runs on just one hit in the top of the fourth. After a foul ball popped out of catcher Anthony Porter's mitt, YSU starter Chuck Schiffhauer went on to walk four of the next five batters to even the score. Josh Geric drove in a run on a ground out, and Carter brought in another on an infield single, CSU's lone hit of the inning.

The Vikings tacked on another run in the sixth without recording a hit. John Brown was hit on a full count pitch, and he went to second on a wild pitch. Carter flew out to deep right that allowed Brown to advance, and Brown scored on another wild pitch.

Another hit batsman with two outs in the seventh led to another run for CSU. Adam Heideman was hit on a full count offering, and he took second on a delayed steal. John Foco then delivered an RBI single through the left side to put Cleveland State up 5-1.

Turjanica's homer was his first of the season and fourth career round-tripper in the postseason.

Schiffhauer was tagged with the loss allowing three runs, all of which were unearned, on five hits and five walks in five innings.

Starter Brian Long improved to 4-5 for Cleveland State, allowing four runs on 11 hits in 7.2 innings. Pahoulis earned his fourth save, retiring all four batters he faced.

The loss was the final chapter in the playing careers of nine seniors for Youngstown State, including fifth-year players Diedrich, Page, Turjanica and Sean Lucas. Diedrich finished his tenure as the YSU career record holder in RBIs, home runs and total bases, and he ranks second in hits and runs scored. Page wrapped up his career ranking fifth in all-time hits. Lucas finished his senior campaign with 71 hits to become on of just a handful of players to post at least 70 in a season.

Penguins Upset by Valpo, Will Play Cleveland State Thursday Morning -- Thursday, May 22 2008
Niles, Ohio -- Sixth-seeded Valparaiso scored once in the eighth and another in the ninth to defeat No. 3 Youngstown State 3-2 in the opening round of the 2008 U.S. Army Horizon League Baseball Championship at Eastwood Field.

Youngstown State will now play an elimination game against No. 4 Cleveland State on Thursday at 11 a.m. The Vikings were upset earlier in the day by No. 5 Milwaukee, 10-7, in 14 innings.

Valparaiso moves on in the winners bracket to play No. 1 UIC Thursday at 7 p.m.

Youngstown State led 2-0 through three innings, but Valpo's pitching staff did not allow a hit in the final four innings to allow the offense to rally.
Josh Wallace got the Crusaders on the board in the sixth with a solo homer to right field to start the inning. That followed back-to-back innings in which Valpo left the bases loaded.

The Crusaders then got two runs on six hits in the final two innings off YSU closer Craig Gillet. With one out in the eighth Jason Brunelli singled to right on an 0-2 pitch, and Andrew Quinnette followed with an RBI double to left.

Then in the ninth, Valpo recovered from a base running mistake to score what was eventually the winning run. No. 9 hitter John Giusti led off with a single, and Brett Bivens reached on a bunt single after a failed sacrifice from Dan DeBruin. Zach Rhodegero then singled to left that would have loaded the bases, but Bivens ran through a stop sign trying to go to third and got caught in a rundown. Wallace then followed with a bloop single to right to score DeBruin with the game-winner.

YSU put two runners on with two outs in the ninth on a walk and an error, but Valpo closer Jarad Miller got Erich Diedrich to fly out to center to earn his ninth save.

Valparaiso outhit YSU 12-5, led by two hits apiece from Bivens, Wallace, Matt Lenski and Giusti.

Valpo freshman starter Jon Gulbransen allowed two runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits and two walks in seven innings. Austen Siwiec did not a llow a run in 2/3 of a inning in a winning effort.

The Penguins used two hits, a hit batsman and a sacrifice fly to push a run across in first and take a 1-0 lead. Sean Lucas hit a one-out single, and Erich Diedrich singled with the hit-and-run on to put two runners on. Gulbransen beaned Joe Iacobucci to load the bases, and Anthony Porter delivered a sacrifice fly to center.

YSU scored an unearned run in the third without recording a hit to go up two. Diedrich was hit by a pitch with one out, and Porter reached on a two-out error. Eric Marzec walked to load the bases, and Diedrich scored when catcher Matt Lenski's pickoff throw to third sailed into left field.

YSU starter and Horizon League Pitcher of the Year Aaron Swenson allowed one run on six hits while striking out three. He walked a season-high four batters and threw 113 pitches before handing the ball off with two outs in the seventh. Swenson went 2-0 and allowed two runs in 18 innings against Valpo during the regular season.

Relievers Ryan Wackerman and Ryan Sellman both retired the only hitters they faced for YSU.

The Penguins stranded 10 runners while the Crusaders left 11 on base.

Penguins to Play Valparaiso in Tournament's Opening Round -- Wednesday, May 21 2008
Niles, Ohio -- Third-seeded Youngstown State will take on No. 6 Valparaiso in the opening round of the 2008 U.S. Army Horizon League Baseball Championship on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Valpo eliminated No. 7 Butler 6-5 in the play-in game on Tuesday afternoon to advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament.

Youngstown State defeated Valpo three times in five tries during the regular season in what was a series dominated by pitching. In the five games, there were only 25 runs scored, and the teams combined to hit .244. Three of the games were decided by one run.

The Penguins claimed two out of three at Eastwood Field, and their only setback was a 4-3 loss in 11 innings in the first meeting of the season. YSU came back to sweep a doubleheader the following day with 6-0 and 3-1 victories.

YSU sophomore and Horizon League Pitcher of the Year Aaron Swenson will take the mound Wednesday against the Crusaders looking to earn his seventh win. The right-hander threw two complete-game victories against Valpo during the regular season, allowing just one run in both starts.

Sean Lucas batted .476 against the Crusaders during the regular season while John Koehnlein hit .389. The Penguins stole 11 bases in the five games, including four by Koehnlein. They were successful on nine out of 10 attempts at home on April 4-5 but were just 1-for-3 on May 10 at Valpo.

Season Series
April 4: Valpo wins 4-3 in 11 innings - Box Score
April 5: YSU wins 6-0 - Box Score
April 5: YSU wins 3-1 - Box Score
May 10: YSU wins 2-1 - Box Score
May 10: Valpo wins 3-2 - Box Score

Swenson, Pasquale Claim Top Honors as Horizon League Announces Award Winners -- Tuesday, May 20 2008
Indianapolis -- Youngstown State sophomore Aaron Swenson earned Horizon League Pitcher of the Year honors, and first-year head coach Rich Pasquale was named Co-Coach of the Year as the Horizon League announced its all-league teams on Monday.

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 en route to being voted the top pitcher. The sophomore from Twinsburg, Ohio, has a 3.70 ERA entering this week's conference tournament, and he leads the Horizon League with 92.1 innings pitched and 62 strikeouts. He joins Justin Thomas (2005) as the only two Penguins to earn the league's Pitcher of the Year award.

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. He also guided the Penguins to four more league wins this season than in 2007 despite playing three less games.

Lucas, a senior third baseman from Warren, Ohio, has 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 also the only player to start all 54 games.

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

Marzec, a sophomore who earned second-team honors as a utility player, has also had a strong past two months. He has hit .357 with five home runs, 31 runs scored and 29 RBIs since April 1. Also a solid option out of the bullpen, Marzec is 2-1 with two saves and a 2.82 ERA in 12 relief appearances.

The all-league teams and special awards were voted on by the Horizon League's seven coaches. Student-athletes will be recognized prior to their first game at the U.S. Army Horizon League Baseball Championship, which begins Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Eastwood Field.

Penguins Clinch Third Seed, Will Play Wednesday at 3 p.m. -- Sunday, May 18 2008
Youngstown -- Thanks to a strong final week of the regular season, Youngstown State has clinched the No. 3 seed in next week's U.S. Army Horizon League Baseball Championship at Eastwood Field.

The Penguins will play at 3 p.m. on Wednesday against the winner of Tuesday's play-in game between No. 6 seed Valparaiso and seventh-seeded Butler.

YSU guaranteed themselves at least the fifth seed by winning two out of three games against Milwaukee on Thursday and Friday. With UIC's series sweep of Valparaiso and Butler's doubleheader sweep of Cleveland State, the Penguins moved up to third.

UIC scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to sweep Valpo and win its seventh straight regular-season title by one half game over Wright State. UIC enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed with a league record of 17-6 while Wright State is the second seed at 16-6.

YSU finished 13-12 in league play, a big improvement from last year's 9-21 mark, to earn the No. 3 seed. Cleveland State enters as the fourth seed (10-13), Milwaukee is fifth (11-15), Valpo is sixth (8-13) and Butler is seeded seventh (7-17).

The Bulldogs and Crusaders will have a one-game playoff on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The winner will move on to the double-elimination format on Wednesday against the Penguins.

Cleveland State and Milwaukee will play Wednesday at 11 a.m. before YSU's opening contest.
The two losers from Wednesday's games will play an elimination game Thursday at 11 a.m. At 3 p.m. Wright State will play the higher-seeded winner from Wednesday, and UIC will take on the lower-seeded victor.

Tournament Schedule

Tuesday - May 20
Game 1: No. 7 Butler vs. No. 6 Valparaiso - 3 p.m.

Wednesday - May 21
Game 2: No. 5 Milwaukee vs. No. 4 Cleveland State - 11 a.m.
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. No. 3 Youngstown State - 3 p.m.

Thursday - May 22
Game 4: Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser - 11 a.m.
Game 5: Higher seed of Game 2 and 3 winners vs. No. 2 Wright State - 3 p.m.
Game 6: Lower seed of Game 2 and 3 winners vs. No. 1 UIC - 7 p.m.

Friday - May 23
Game 7: Game 4 winner vs. Lower seed of Game 5 and 6 losers
Game 8: Game 7 winner vs. Higher seed of Game 5 and 6 losers
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 5 winner

Saturday - May 24
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 loser
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner

Sunday - May 25 (if necessary)
Game 12: Game 11 winner vs. Game 11 loser

Penguins Fall Short of Sweep, Must Wait for Tournament Seed -- Saturday, May 17 2008
Milwaukee, Wis. -- Milwaukee scored the winning run on back-to-back two-out doubles in the eight inning to defeat Youngstown State 9-8 on Friday afternoon at Henry Aaron Field.

The Penguins finish the regular season with a record of 23-31 and a league mark of 13-12. They can still finish either third or fourth depending on the outcome of the Cleveland State-Butler series.

If Cleveland State sweeps a doubleheader with Butler on Saturday, YSU would enter next week's U.S. Army Horizon League Baseball Championship as the No. 4 seed. If the Vikings lose at least once, YSU will be the No. 3 seed.

Cleveland State defeated Butler 3-1 on Friday afternoon. UIC's 11-4 victory over Valpo allowed YSU to clinch at least fourth.

The Penguins rallied with three runs in the seventh to tie the score at 8-8 against the Panthers, but back-to-back doubles by the No.8 and No. 9 hitters Troy Vesling and John Sarcia helped UWM avoid the sweep.

Anthony Porter had three hits and three RBIs for YSU while Shawn Wozniak homered twice and drove in six for Milwaukee.

Milwaukee held a 17-8 edge in the hits column, but its pitchers issued three more walks.

Porter hit a two-out, two-run single in the first to put YSU ahead 2-0, but Wozniak singled in a run in the first and RBI hits from Sarcia and Jesse Hart in the second gave UWM a 3-2 lead.

Eric Marzec singled and scored on an error in the fourth to tie the score, and both teams scored twice in the fifth to make the score 5-5.

Hart and Nick Wichser singled to start the sixth for Milwaukee, and Wozniak followed with a three-run homer down the left field line to put the Panthers up 8-5.

The first three batters reached for YSU in the seventh as Iacobucci walked, Porter singled and Marzec hit an RBI double. Porter then scored when David Leon grounded out, and Marzec scored on Anthony Munoz's safety squeeze. Reliever Ben McLarey went on to retire the next two batters, and he allowed only a walk to Iacobucci in the eighth over the final two innings.

McClarey earned his second win of the campaign, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks in five innings.

YSU used six different pitchers in the game - none of which threw more than 2 1/3 innings or 50 pitches - to assure no one would be overworked for the conference tournament. Matt Tucker was charged with the loss, allowing the winning run on three hits in the eighth.