Correspondent photo / David Dermer Youngstown State junior Lydia Wilkerson swings at a pitch against Northern Kentucky on March 28 at the YSU Softball Complex.

YOUNGSTOWN — Coming off a regular season Horizon League title in 2024, the Youngstown State softball team stumbled to a 14-39 record and a last-place finish in the conference standings last year.

For a program used to success — YSU hadn’t had a losing season since 2019 — the team’s struggles last year were difficult to navigate. But it gave them motivation coming into this year.

“I think the girls that are here, that experienced that season last year, know what it feels like to lose, and we didn’t ever want to experience that again,” YSU senior catcher Kennedy Dean said.

The Penguins graduated eight seniors from that 2024 squad and came into 2025 with a young, inexperienced roster comprised of 13 freshmen and sophomores. Those young players spent last year gaining experience and have turned things around in a big way this spring.

A year after sitting at the bottom of the league standings, YSU sits alone at the top after clinching the outright Horizon League regular season title this past weekend with its road series sweep at IU Indy.

It’s the third regular season Horizon League championship in program history, and by clinching the No. 1 seed, the Penguins will host the Horizon League tournament May 6-9 at the YSU Softball Complex.

“I got three good coaches and all of us coaches have worked hard to change the atmosphere that was last year,” YSU head coach Brian Campbell said. “To be able to flip it in one year from where we were, to win in the regular season and actually winning it prior to even playing the last series, I think that’s awesome.

“We have 23 on the roster, and it takes 23. Everyone has a role or has brought something to the team in just so many different ways. … Just a lot of different reasons why we’re at where we’re at as a team.”

The Penguins do a little bit of everything well. They are second in the conference in batting, second in pitching and third in defense and fielding.

But to get from where it was last year to where it is now, YSU needed to make significant strides both at the plate and in the circle.

That work began in the offseason and has materialized this season.

“You know the old saying, ‘you remember the past, but you live in the present,'” Campbell said. “I think that’s one of the biggest things this year. We learned from last year that there’s things that had to be changed and different things that needed to be done to get to where we wanted to be.”

At the plate, the Penguins have shattered program records and are on track for more. So far, they’ve set single-season records for total runs (355), RBIs (321) and doubles (82), and are on track to also shatter the single-season record for highest team batting average (.336).

“I think we have a big range of hitters, whether it’s power, slappers, lefties, righties, bunting and things like that,” sophomore and Champion alum Bella Meyer said. “That brings speed to our team as well. So I think having a big, diverse group of hitters helps us against teams.”

In YSU’s primary lineup, all nine players are averaging at least .300, and the players attribute their offensive fireworks to new assistant coach Erin Pond, who joined the program before the season after spending four years at Cleveland State.

“She has been such a great addition to the team this year,” Dean said. “She’s just transformed all of our swings and just been a great asset. So I’m thankful that Coach Campbell brought her on and that she’s here. … She has given everybody their confidence back when we’re in the box. We’re always looking to attack at any pitch that’s in the zone. She’s really just changed our mindset in the box and helped us get ahead in counts and hit good pitches.”

In the circle, the Penguins have three of the top-10 pitchers in the Horizon League in freshman Kennedy Kimball and sophomores Isabella O’Brien and Kelsey Ogin. Those three have given YSU’s pitching plenty of depth and variety.

After bringing in five transfers and six freshmen to supplement the Penguins’ 11 returning letterwinners, the team’s revamped pitching is a perfect example of how the YSU’s newcomers have integrated seamlessly into the program and contributed right away to their success this year.

“They’ve been great teammates, and I think they bring a new perspective from the teams that they were on,” Dean said. “It’s just nice to play with girls that you know have won a Horizon League championship or set records at their previous school because they bring that experience to Youngstown.”

YSU still has one regular season series left this weekend at Oakland. But then, the Penguins will host the Horizon League tournament.

Securing the regular season title was the first step. But now the Penguins want to buck the trend of top seeds struggling in the tournament and earn the conference’s NCAA tournament bid.

“It’s always great to have home-field advantage here in Youngstown. We have a great record here at home and we have a local community that supports us,” Dean said. “So playing at home and seeing those familiar faces in the stands gives us something a little more to play for than if we were somewhere else in the conference playing. … I’m really excited about it, and I think it’s going to be something special, for sure.