Feb. 21, 2005
Despite entering the 2004 Horizon League Tournament as the No. 7 seed with a disappointing 18-30 record, Head Coach Mike Florak and the Youngstown State Penguins never lost faith in the team's talent. They said they were going to win the conference championship, just as they claimed four months beforehand at the start of the season. They were right. YSU rallied from a 3-0 ninth-inning deficit in the tournament's opening round and never trailed the rest of the way, sweeping its way to the program's first-ever conference championship and NCAA Division I Tournament berth.
"I think (winning the tournament) validated all the things we're trying to do," Florak said. "In the past we've put some guys into pro ball, our guys have done well academically and we've had some solid regular-season performances in the standings in the conference in the first two years, but I think that was just the exclamation point on the things that we've done in the first three years. "Still, all we're concerned about is winning the Horizon League. That's our number one goal. It's a very tough league and a very underrated league and (our tournament success) just goes to show that any team in our league can win."
Five starters and the entire rotation returns this season as the Penguins begin their quest of defending their title, but the team will be without its all-time hits leader Kendall Schlabach, its all-time RBI leader Jim Lipinski and its all-time home runs leader Adam Cox after all three graduated in the spring. However, the 2005 squad will feature two returning seniors, 10 returning juniors, four transfers and a talented group of freshmen. "Although we've only got two seniors (Chris Dennis and Jim Phillips), we've got a lot of juniors that have played a considerable amount," Florak said. "They are seasoned as much as most seniors are. "They've seen it and they're very strong-willed guys who have high expectations of themselves."
Infield
The Penguins will enter the season with some new faces on the infield with Lipinski and Cox graduating and Phillips moves from third base back to the outfield. Lincoln Trail Community College transfer Jason Coffey is slated to take over the reigns at first after Lipinski's four-year stint as the cornerstone of the infield. Junior Brian Boone and redshirt freshman Mike Turjanica may also see time at first. "We're going to see who swings the bat the best in the beginning and go from there," Florak said. "Boone had a great fall and a good summer with the Youngstown Express." Boone hit .245 last season with two homers and 13 RBIs while splitting time between the designated hitter spot and first. He also saw some action on the mound with eight starts and one relief appearance. Junior Justin Banks started all but one game at second base last season and will return to the starting role for the third season. Banks was named the Horizon League Tournament Most Valuable Player after going 8-for-16 with seven RBIs in the four games. A conference All-Newcomer Team selection as a freshman, he hit .286 overall as a sophomore with six homers and 32 RBIs. Red-shirt freshman utility player Josh Page could also play second along with short and third. "I feel real good about second base with Justin coming back," Florak said. "Josh has gotten a lot better and he's such a smart, hard-nosed guy. He's a young guy and he's getting better all the time." Junior Charles Schultz will return to third base after being moved to shortstop for the final 18 games of last season when the starter went down for the year with an injury. Schultz, who earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors and Horizon League All-Newcomer Team, hit .296 last season with 32 runs scored. "Schultz will play third most of the time," Florak said. "We can also put Banks over there and bring in Jim Phillips if we need to." Tommy Nutt, also a transfer from Lincoln Trail, is slated to start at short. Last season for LTCC, Nutt hit .380 and stole 17 bases. "Tommy's got exceptional physical skills," Florak said. "He's the fastest guy on the team and he hit well in the fall." Junior Brandon Caipen will take over for Cox behind the plate after starting 13 games last season. Caipen, a Horizon League All-Newcomer Team selection as a freshman, hit .299 last season with 29 runs scored. "Brandon got a lot better in the off-season. His psychological and emotional maturity is catching up to his physical," Florak said. "He's got a lot of tools and it's time for him to make the jump and become a standout college player." Dustin Thomas, an All-American at Columbus State last season, and redshirt freshman Erich Deidrich will spell Caipen.
Outfield
The outfield will also have a different look to it with four-year starter Schlabach out of the lineup, but Phillips will return from his stint at third to patrol the grass with sophomore Brent Parks and sophomore transfer Brian Dill. Phillips hit .287 with three homers after hitting .412 over the first 12 games while Parks hit .157 in 41 games and nine starts. Dill hit .194 in 25 games for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Junior J.D. Hannan will also return after a year off to help out defensively while sophomore Jeff Solt should also contribute after playing in 37 games last season. Caipen, a two-year starter in right, will also see time in the outfield when he's not catching. "Brent and J.D. will provide speed out in centerfield and at the top of the lineup," Florak said. "We've also got guys like Jeff Solt and Scott Bender and other young players who are getting better and are pushing our other guys to get better."
Pitching
Pitching should be YSU's strongest spot with the entire starting rotation and closer coming back. Leading the way will be junior Justin Thomas, who earned second-team All-Horizon League honors last season. The southpaw finished 7-3 with a 5.11 ERA and 82 strikeouts while setting school records in innings pitched with 93.1 and starts with 14. Juniors Eric Shaffer and Kevin Libeg also return after being named to the Horizon League All-Tournament team. The left-handed Shaffer went 2-5 with a 5.83 ERA in nine starts while the right-handed Libeg went 5-3 in nine starts and seven relief appearances. Senior lefthander Chris Dennis also returns after a season where he had a team-best 3.61 ERA finishing with a deceiving 1-7 record in 10 starts. His win came in a 1-0 victory over first-place Illinois-Chicago during the regular season. "Those four have all performed well and have a lot of big game experience," Florak said. "I'm comfortable putting any of them on the mound." Anchoring the bullpen will be sophomore Andy Svitak. The righty emerged as the team's closer late in the season to pick up three saves in the final seven wins. He finished with four saves on the year to go along with a 4-3 record and a 4.69 ERA in 40.1 innings. Freshmen Lucas Engle, Ryan Sellman and Joe Johnson should also see innings out of the bullpen. "It's possible that either Lucas or Ryan or both of them could wind up being weekend starters for us. We feel that good about them," Florak said. "Joe's going to be a solid addition to our bullpen and I feel good about what we have back there with Joe and Andy and Josh Wells should hopefully be back to speed by early April."
Schedule
The Penguins will open the season with 16 road games beginning on Feb. 19 when they travel to Dayton to take on the Flyers in a three-game series. YSU will then travel to take on the 2004 National Runner-Up Texas Longhorns in a three-game stint and will take on Missouri on March 12. YSU's home slate will begin March 22 against Bethany and will feature series against league foes Butler and UW-Milwaukee. The Penguins will also play host to local opponents Akron and Kent State before competing in the Horizon League Championship on May 25 in Indianapolis, Ind.
