YSU opens the invitational against the host RedHawks on Friday at Noon. The Guins will also take on Mid-American Conference member Toledo at 2 p.m. On Saturday, the Guins face Miami for a second time at 4 p.m. On the last day of the invite, the Guins battle Big Ten members Michigan State and Penn State at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.

    The Penguins’ previous in-season tournament games at George Mason on March 8-9 were cancelled due to inclement weather.

The Youngstown State softball team is on the verge of picking up the program’s 500th victory since the school instituted fast-pitch softball in 1980. The Penguins, who have 480 all-time victories, would need to have their fourth 20-win season in the last six years to reach the milestone.

Youngstown State softball Head Coach Christy Cameron ranks second all-time in victories and is just the second coach in school history to win at least 150 games. Cameron notched her 150th win at Youngstown State in the Penguins’ 7-5 win over Wright State on April 28, 2007, and currently has 152 victories while at YSU. She needs 56 more victories to surpass Ed Strauss’ mark of 207 wins and become the school’s all-time leader.

The Toledo Rockets enter the Miami Invitational with a 4-4 overall record. Hurler Shana Szypka leads the Rockets’ pitching staff with a 3-0 record and a 1.68 earned-run average. Trisha Rons owns the Rockets’ other victory. Lacey Levier boasts a team-best .444 batting average and a .722 slugging percentage. Of her eight hits, five are doubles and she has also scored five runs. Leslie Stong is batting .400 while Erica Singer is batting .381 and leads the team with six runs batted in.

The Miami RedHawks enter their tournament with an overall record of 6-12 after falling to Kentucky 7-3 on Monday. Halle Popson leads the RedHawks offense with a .413 batting average while Sarah Billstrom is batting .381 with three doubles. Breanna Robinson leads the team with four home runs and 19 runs batted in. Meredith Lynch owns a team-best 4-6 record in the circle.

Michigan State carries a 12-12 record into the Best Western Invitational this weekend. The Spartans are led offensively by Nikki Nocosia with a .393 batting average while Gina Mondo is a close second batting .390. Mondo owns a team-best six doubles and three home runs, and Nocosia has a team-high five triples. The Spartans’ pitching staff is led by Megan Hair, who has a 3-1 record and a 1.93 earned-run average. Lesley Noel owns a 5-8 record ana 2.28 earned-run average and leads the staff with 73 strikeouts.

Penn State comes into the tournament with an impressive 16-8 overall record. Pitcher Jackie Hill leads the staff with an 8-3 record and a stellar 0.83 earned-run average. Ashley Esparza owns a 7-5 mark and a 1.00 earned-run average. As a staff, the Lady Lions hold an earned-run average of 1.00 and have struck out 167 batters in 174.1 innings pitched. Danielle Kinley leads the Lady Lions with a .338 batting average while Desi Giordano has cracked a team-high three home runs.

Sophomore Kristin Bair has really made an impact in her first seven games in a Penguins uniform. The Louisville, Ohio, native leads the team with a .526 batting average, going 10-for-19 with a double and three runs batted in.

Freshman Rochelle Vanyi has begun her collegiate softball career in a most productive fashion. In the Penguins’ first seven games, Vanyi is batting .333 (7-for-21) with three doubles and two home runs - both team highs. She also leads the team with four runs scored.

Senior McKenzie Bedra has already put her stamp on the Youngstown State softball record book. The Bowling Green, Ohio native owns the school records for career home runs (23) and is also on the verge of breaking the career RBI record. She ranks fourth all-time with 87 career runs batted in and needs 27 more to break Amanda Berry’s all-time record of 113. She also needs seven more to move into third place past Tiffany Patteson (93, 2003-06).

In just two seasons, junior Kristen McDonnell has established herself as one of the top power hitters in school history. After two seasons, McDonnell has belted 16 home runs, which ranks fourth all-time. McDonnell tied the single-season record with 10 homers in 2006 and cranked six in 2007. She needs two more to move into a tie for second place with Chris Notereschi (18, 1995-98).