Youngstown State Baseball vs. Mercyhurst at Eastwood Field (Exhibition) – Oct. 10, 2019 (Photo by Rob Hayes)

YSU BASEBALL ANNOUNCES 2020 SCHEDULE

*Courtesy of YSUSports.com*

YOUNGSTOWN, OH-  The Youngstown State baseball team will begin the 2020 season with a three-game series at Houston and go on to host 21 home games at Eastwood Field, head coach Dan Bertolini has announced.

The 2020 schedule includes one Power-Five opponent and five from the Mid-American Conference. In addition to 21 home games, YSU will play four road contests against regional foes Akron, Kent State, and Pittsburgh.

The Penguins will open the 2020 season on Feb. 14 at Houston, and proceed to play their first 13 and 21 of their first 23 games on the road. The home opener is slated for March 10 against Bowling Green while Horizon League play is set to begin March 13 at Northern Kentucky.

After the opening series in Houston, YSU will play a three-game series at the College of Charleston the next weekend on Feb. 21-23. The Penguins will then travel to play a three-game set at Abilene Christian on Feb. 27-29. Youngstown State will face Houston and Abilene Christian for the first time while the series at College of Charleston will mark the first meeting between the programs since 2011.

The Penguins will remain on the road for a contest at Pittsburgh on March 3 and a four-game series at North Carolina Central on March 6-8. YSU will also be facing North Carolina Central for the first time in program history. After playing their home opener at Eastwood Field against Bowling Green on March 10, the Penguins will open Horizon League play with a three-game series at Northern Kentucky on March 13-15. YSU is scheduled to play 30 conference games in a nine-week span between March 13 and May 16.

The Penguins will return to Ohio for a contest at Toledo on March 17 and a home game against St. Bonaventure the following day. YSU will then hit the road again for a three-game Horizon League series at Milwaukee (March 20-22) and a return trip to Pittsburgh (March 25). The March schedule will conclude with four straight home games at Eastwood Field. Defending Horizon League Tournament champion UIC will come to town for a three-game Horizon League set (March 27-29) before a non-conference matchup with Niagara (March 31).

April will start with a three-game series at defending Horizon League regular-season champion Wright State (April 2-4). The Penguins will then play four of their next five at home beginning with a non-conference contest against Ohio at Eastwood Field on April 7. After making the short trip to Kent State the following day, YSU will return home to host Oakland for a three-game Horizon League series (April 10-12).

The Penguins will continue the April slate with a six-game road stretch beginning at St. Bonaventure on the 14th. YSU will travel to Chicago for a three-game Horizon League set at UIC (April 17-19) before back-to-back non-conference games at Ohio (April 21) and Niagara (April 22). The next four games will be at Eastwood Field beginning with a three-game league series against Northern Kentucky (April 24-26). After hosting Pittsburgh on April 28, the Guins will make the quick trip to Akron the next day to close out April. The Penguins and Zips will meet for the first time since 2015. Akron’s baseball program was cut following the 2015 season and will return in 2020.

Youngstown State will play 11 of its final 15 regular-season games at home include seven of 10 in the month of May. The final month of the season will begin with a three-game Horizon League series against Wright State at Eastwood Field (May 1-3). After a three-game league set at Oakland (May 8-10), the Penguins will enjoy their third and final four-game homestand of the campaign. YSU will host Kent State on May 12 before finishing the regular season with a three-game Horizon League series against Milwaukee on May 14-16.

The Horizon League Tournament is scheduled for May 20-23 at the home of the regular-season champion.

YSN is proud to again be the audio home for all Penguin home games, as well as select road games in 2020.  You can join the YSN team and the Guins at YSNLive.com/YSUBaseball .