Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State redshirt freshmen forward Sarah Baker (left) and guard Danielle Cameron put up shots during the Dec. 16 game against Wright State at Zidian Family Arena.

YOUNGSTOWN — Twelve games into the 2025-26 season, with a full, healthy roster at its disposal, Youngstown State has looked like a different team compared to last year

The Penguins sit at 8-4 overall during the holiday break and are coming off a signature win over MAC-contender UMass.

“I feel like we’re in a really good spot right now,” redshirt freshman forward Sarah Baker said. “We’re really young compared to a lot of the other teams we’ve played so far. So I think us being able to compete with them, with our youth, has showed a lot about this group. We’re going to be gritty and we’re going to hustle after stuff. Even if we’re down, we’re not going to give up.”

After they each sustained season-ending injuries early last year, Baker and fellow redshirt freshman Danielle Cameron’s return and ongoing development have played a key role in helping contribute to YSU’s growth so far this season.

“Just seeing everybody back out there, coming back from things that a lot of people don’t come back from, or come back in a different way — I think everybody’s really taken a good mindset with it,” Cameron said. “It just feels great to see everybody back out there together.”

After playing in nine games last season, earning three Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors before the injury, Baker has picked up right where she left off when she went down against Milwaukee last December.

She’s third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.5 points, along with 4.8 rebounds per game, and is coming off a 17-point outing against the Minutewomen.

“Coming into the season, I was kind of nervous,” Baker said. “Am I going to meet the expectations of everybody and of myself and am I going to be where I was last year? So it was pretty refreshing being able to accomplish that and then get a lot of good wins with the team.”

Coming off the injury, Baker said she had to do a lot of learning again both on and off the floor since she had never had that long of a break away from basketball. While being away from the court last year wasn’t easy, she tried to make the most of the situation.

“It was definitely difficult, especially in those games where I knew I could play a part,” Baker said. “It was difficult, but it taught me how to be a good teammate and help encourage the rest of my team. And then it taught me how to be a leader in a different way, other than just in the way I play.”

Baker has already scored in double figures six times this year and was named Horizon League Freshman of the Week on Nov. 10 after the first week of the season.

“Both offensively and defensively, she provides just a lot of basketball IQ out there for us, toughness,” head coach Melissa Jackson said. “She’s got great feet, and she’s got great ball screen coverage. So we love having her back out there, and I really don’t think she’s missed a beat at all.”

After trying to find some consistency to begin the season, Cameron has started to find her groove again in recent games, earning Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors on Monday for her performances in YSU’s two wins last week.

Coming off a nine-day layoff because of finals week, she had a career-high 18 points on Dec. 16 against Wright State, then she followed that up with 15 points in the FIU Holiday Classic vs. UMass.

“I talked in (a previous) press conference about how important that week was for our young kids, and Dani in particular,” Jackson said after the win over the Raiders. “She’s only a redshirt freshman, didn’t play a lot of college basketball last year, only a game-and-a-half. So she needed that time, we needed that time in the gym to get a lot of shots up and work on player development.”

Cameron is averaging 7.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, and Jackson added that she hopes Cameron’s big week continues to give her more confidence moving forward as the Penguins fully dive into conference play.

While Baker played in nine games last year, Cameron’s injury came in the season’s second game against St. Bonaventure.

Even though she couldn’t be on the floor physically, she tried to absorb everything she could mentally so that she’d be in a better position when she eventually returned.

“Obviously it was a hard time, but I had a lot of great people around me and my coaches were very helpful,” Cameron said. “I was able to sit at the front of the bench. Not only was I able to work with my teammates and talk with them about it, but I was able to hear what the coaches were thinking, what they were talking about on the bench. So I think that helped me a lot, just knowing how they were thinking through everything.

“In the end, you can’t control what happened. So I think I did a good job of taking what I could out of it.”

Despite enduring a long and difficult recovery process, Cameron is just glad to be back on the floor and making the most of her return.

“It’s been amazing. I’ve worked super hard to get to this moment,” Cameron said. “It’s been almost 11 months, so all the hard work came full circle for me. Being able to play the game I love with my best friends, it’s the best feeling.”