The 2012 version of the Guins will be busy in the first two weekends of the season. The Guins open the campaign at the Spartan Invitational at South Carolina-Upstate, Feb. 17-19, where they play four games in three days. The Guins open against UNC-Wilmington on Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. before facing USC-Upstate at 4 p.m. On Feb., 18, YSU takes on Howard at 6 p.m. and closes out the tournament against George Mason on Feb. 19 at 9 a.m.
Up Next
The Guins will play at least four games in three days at the North Carolina A&T Tournament, Feb. 24-26.
Experienced Squad
The Guins enter the 2012 season with one of the most experienced squads in Head Coach Brian Campbell's tenure. The Guins have 15 returning letterwinners, eight upperclassmen - including four seniors and four juniors - and seven starters. The Penguins also have seven sophomores returning that lettered last season.
Offensive Juggernaut
Over the last two seasons, the Guins have turned in the top two team batting averages in school history. Last season, the Guins batted .294 as a team, which ranks second on the single-season list, after setting the school mark of .296 in 2010.
Seniors Approaching 200 Hits
Seniors Jordan Ingalls and Haley Thomas both have the opportunity to become the third and fourth players in school history to collected 200 hits in a career. Thomas has 161 hits and needs just 39 more to reach 200 while Ingalls has 158 and needs 42 more to reach the plateau.
Only Three Letter-winners Lost
The Penguins lost only three letter-winners from last season's 22-24 squad. Erin Gilmour (16 games, 0 starts), Kristina Rendle (46 starts at 2B) and Kim Klonowski (44 starts at 1B) are the only three players who do not return. Rendle was second on the team in average while Klonowski was third. Gilmour did not register a hit.
Pitching Staff Returns Intact
All four hurlers who were on last season's roster are back with the program. Casey Crozier and Hana Somogyi were credited with the win in 21 of YSU's 22 victories in 2011. Sophomore Haley Knight picked up the other win. The four pitchers combined for an ERA of 4.30, which was a 0.70 improvement from 2010 and lowest since 2007. The 180 strikeouts were the most by the staff since 2005. Freshmen Kayla Haslett (Baden, Pa.) and Paige Miller (St. Louis, Mo.) is the two newcomers.
Offense Numbers of Note
YSU had five players hit .300 or better and three of those - Jordan Ingalls, Haley Thomas and Vicky Rumph - return in 2012. The Penguins registered 350-or-more hits in consecutive seasons for just the second time in school history (2003-04). The 43 stolen bases were the most by Penguins since 2006.
2011 Productive Season
Besides batting .294 as a team, the 2011 squad set the school mark for runs batted in with 198, scored the third most runs with 216 and collected the third-most hits in a year with 357.
Ingalls Had Monster Campaign
Senior Jordan Ingalls turned in a career-year in 2011. The Bolivar, N.Y., native led the team and Horizon League with a .385 batting average and drove in 40 runs, which ranks second on the YSU single-season list. She also ranked second in the league with four triples, fifth with 55 hits and tied for fifth with 87 total bases. A first-team All-Horizon League selection, Ingalls set career highs in hits, triples, runs batted in, home runs (five) and slugging percentage (.608).
Thomas Tops on Season List
Senior Haley Thomas is also the only player in school history to score at least 38 runs in a season on two separate occasions. Thomas set the school mark with 41 runs scored in 2010 and crossed the plate 38 times in 2011.
Rumph, Ingalls Garnered Capital One/CoSIDA Academic Awards
Junior Vicky Rumph and senior Jordan Ingalls were both named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams. Rumph was named to the first-team while Ingalls was selected to the third-team.
Casey In the Circle
Sophomore Casey Crozier is seeking to become the first YSU pitcher to post back-to-back 10-win seasons since Kelly Murphy did so in 2003 and 2004. Last season, Crozier led the Guins pitching staff with 12 victories. She became the first YSU freshman to pick up at least 10 wins since Karlie Burnell won 10 in 2004.
Philen Switching Spots
After starting 140 games at shortstop over the last three seasons, senior Kristen Philen is making the switch to second base for the 2012 campaign. Kristna Rendle had been the starter the past three campaigns at second base.
Ingalls Among Career Leaders
Senior Jordan Ingalls is among the career leaders in several offensive categories. Ingalls currently ranks second all-time with a .350 career batting average, fifth with 81 runs batted in and sixth with a career .509 slugging percentage.
Thomas Nearing Runs Record
Senior Haley Thomas currently ranks second all-time with 106 runs scored and needs just 21 more to break the record of 126 set by Tiffany Patteson from 2003-06.
Somogyi Improved During Soph Season
Junior Hana Somogyi turned in a much-improved sophomore season in comparison to her freshman campaign. Somogyi won a career-best nine games in 2011, compared to just one as freshman in 2010. She also struck out 72 batters, which was 57 more than her freshman year.
Home Opener Set For March 21
The Guins host Niagara in their 2012 home opener on Wednesday, March 21, in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. at McCune Park.
