Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State outfielder Brayden Kuriger puts a ball in play during a game against Purdue Fort Wayne on March 21 at Eastwood Field in Niles.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State baseball program has put together just one winning season in the last 15 years.

In 2021, the Penguins went 32-24 overall and 24-16 in the Horizon League to finish third in the conference standings. Since then, YSU hasn’t won more than 21 games in a season, which includes last year when it went 15-42 overall and 11-19 in league play.

As head coach Trevor Charpie heads into his second season leading the program, this year’s Penguins hope to change that narrative, as YSU gets set to open the 2026 season at Auburn on Friday.

“I think reasonable expectations are that we improve the win-loss record,” Charpie said. “I think we believe that we can compete for a conference championship. Obviously Wright State has held it for quite a while and has been kind of the class of the league, but we feel like we’re in a position to compete with them.”

Offensively, the Penguins had no issues scoring runs last season. With Nathan Beckley, Brayden Kuriger, Jay Wrona, Brady Shannon and Garrett Cutting, YSU returns five starting position players from last year’s team that helped set new single-season school records for home runs (76) and walks (306), while also posting the program’s highest marks in RBIs (348), runs scored (391) and runs per game (6.9) since 2010.

However, finding consistent pitching and clean defense has long been a struggle. Last year, the Penguins were last in the Horizon League in both categories with a 9.95 ERA and a .947 fielding percentage with 105 errors.

In order to get to where YSU wants to be, Charpie said the Penguins need to take steps with their pitching and defense.

“If you can’t throw strikes, it doesn’t matter,” Charpie said. “Aluminum bats — they hit the ball very hard and we will give up hits. We can’t give them any extra base runners and free bases. So we’ve put a real emphasis on that this year of just throwing strikes. What’s cool to see is that the guys are moving their bodies better, they’re throwing more strikes and their stuff has gotten better. It’s funny to see how the two kind of collab.”

YSU has experience returning in its pitching rotation between Braden Gebhardt and Brandon Mikos. But it also added several pitchers through the transfer portal, including Luke Smolik (Ave Maria), Jack Messmore (New Mexico), Banks Cox (Cuyahoga CC), Jordan Capuano (Frederick CC), Kale Wemer (Purdue) and Griffin Almond (Eastern New Mexico).

“What has been really cool to see is the ones that are returning have really taken the next step up in their development,” Charpie said. “We feel that this year we have added much more depth within the pitching room. I’m a firm believer of using your bullpen. I like to use a bunch of guys, and it’s my job to find what role they best fit in. Then if they can be successful in that role, that role continues to develop and they can continue to do more things.

“We want to play a game where we make them beat us based on the fact that they out-hit us, not because we put them on base.”

In addition to the pitchers, YSU brought in a handful of new position players to add to its lineup and fill holes in the roster, including Luke Rossi (San Mateo), Kendal Spencer (Savannah State), Chyran Humphries (Lansing CC) and Brevin Smith (Savannah State).

Overall, the Penguins returned 17 players and added 21 newcomers, which includes five freshmen and 16 transfers.

“We don’t back down,” Beckley said. “Our coach, he brought in guys that want to win and want to compete and want that starting spot. So when you have 40 people that are all competing for a starting spot, it breeds competitiveness, it breeds athletes and it breeds winning.”

Starting with its three-game series at Auburn on Friday, YSU will play its first 15 contests on the road.

The Penguins’ home opener at Eastwood Field is March 11 against Central Michigan, and YSU will open Horizon League play March 13 at home against Oakland.

“I think it’s just taking it one game at a time, one pitch at a time, one out at a time,” Beckley said. “As long as we’re locked in every pitch, we’ll get to where we want to go.”