BEAVER TOWNSHIP — The YSU baseball season is just a month away and head coach Dan Bertolini is cautiously optimistic that his Penguins’ squad can contend for the Horizon League championship and its automatic NCAA tournament berth.

If they expect to do so, a veteran unit must jell early with a recruiting class that must replace key pitching departures, including one twirler selected in last year’s MLB Amateur Baseball Draft.

“We must replace pitchers Chad Coles, Jon Snyder and Matt Brosky, who was drafted this past summer in the eighth-round by the Texas Rangers, catcher Dylan Schwarmer, and outfielders Dom Bucko and Lucas Nasonti, a sixth-year starter,” head coach Dan Bertolini told the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s meeting at Avion Banquet Center. “Last year, I thought our guys did a great job of fighting through injuries to some key players. There were tough stretches but we posted some nice wins and played our best baseball down the stretch. We were a hit away from getting to the Horizon League championship game and we have a lot of those same players back from that squad, especially on the offensive side of the ball.”

Players to keep an eye on this year, who have been key contributors the past several seasons, include brothers Braeden and Pad O’Shaughnessy of Poland High School, Steve D’Eusanio and Turner Grau with Bertolini looking forward to their contributions once again.

This year’s roster breakdown includes one sixth-year player in Pad O’Shaughnessy, three fifth-year players, four seniors, six juniors, seven sophomores, and 15 incoming freshmen, each of whom eyes playing time.

“We have some very talented, young players that we brought in with our recent recruiting class and they are going to help us, especially on the mound,” added Bertolini, now in his seventh season at the helm.

“We will be a lot younger on the hill than in the past but that is a part of graduating a nice group of seniors and a player who was drafted. Overall, the core nucleus is there and it really is an older group with game experience. We are going to start the majority who have been with us for four years and with COVID, the whole dynamic of a team’s roster has changed but we definitely have a good mix of veterans and younger players.”

In addition to the O’Shaughnessy brothers, 11 other local players dot this year’s roster including Aiden English (South Range), Ian Francis (Cardinal Mooney), Chase Franken (Columbiana), Braden Gebhart (Howland), Brandon Mikos (South Range), Kenny Misik (Austintown Fitch), Trey Pancake (South Range), Lane Rhodes (Salem), Mitchell Seymour (Springfield Local), Jason Triveri (Boardman) and Clay Wiesen (Hickory High).

Individual practices began on January 9, and the official start of team practice per NCAA rules is January 27 with the Penguins opening their season February 17-19 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina versus Illinois and host Wake Forest.

“The start of the season will be here before you know it,” Bertolini stated. “We always play a challenging non-conference schedule at the beginning of the season. Part of that is due to weather, part to budget, and part to presenting our guys with an opportunity to go up against the nation’s top talent, which ultimately helps prepare us to win the Horizon League tournament.

“We have two Big 12 teams on the schedule, teams from the ACC and Big Ten so we play some excellent teams early in the season and look forward to that challenge.”

The road to the Horizon League championship is once again expected to run through Dayton, according to Bertolini.

“I think it always starts with Wright State University,” he noted. “They have been the class of the league for a long time and should have a good team back. Oakland had a good year last year and finished in the championship game but really, from top to bottom, it has been a very competitive league year in and year out.

“I know Milwaukee is coming off a down year but they are usually tough so I look for them to rebound. Northern Kentucky had some nice wins, IPFW finished strong so it will be a challenge once again like it always is.”

YSU’s first home game is March 17 when they host conference foe Oakland University in a three-game weekend series at Eastwood Field in Niles.

Their annual ‘First Pitch Breakfast,’ which will be held February 4 at Waypoint in Canfield, features former MLB star and Hall of Famer Andre Dawson with local MLB umpire Brian O’Nora, an Austintown Fitch High graduate who is set for his 31st season calling balls and strikes, also headlining.

Further information can be obtained by emailing assistant coach Eric Bunnell at ebunnell@ysu.edu.

Next Monday, Justin Magestro, Kennedy Catholic High girls’ basketball coach, will serve as guest speaker.