The Penguins and Vikings are slated to play a doubleheader, Friday, April 17. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. On Saturday, April 18, the two teams will play a single game beginning at 2 p.m.

    The Vikings enter the series with a 22-13 overall record and are in second place in the Horizon League with a 10-3 mark.

The Penguins and Vikings have met 74 times previously and the Penguins own a slim 39-35 advantage in all-time series. CSU has won three of the last five meetings.

The Penguins were swept in a three-game series by Valparaiso last Saturday. The Penguins lost 13-8, 3-1 and 8-0. Sophomore Kristina Rendle led the Penguins with a .444 batting average and junior Autumn Grove batted .375 against the Crusaders.

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 498 all-time victories, need just two more victories to accomplish that feat.

Since March 11, sophomore Kim Klonowski has been on a tear. The native of Canton, Mich., is batting .356 (26-for-73) with 10 runs scored, four doubles, six home runs and 18 runs batted in over the last 22 games. Klonowski also boasts a slugging percentage of .658 during that span. She is also batting .313 (15-for-48) with four home runs and eight runs batted in against Horizon League opponents.

Junior Cheryl Cale picked up her fifth win of the season after tossing a four-hitter in an 11-2 win over Toledo on April 8. Cale, who has 14 career victories, owns a 3-6 record with a 3.89 earned-run average against Horizon League opponents. She fired a nine-inning, five-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over Loyola (3/22) and a four-hit shutout in a 5-0 victory over UIC (4/4).

Over the last 12 games, freshman shortstop Kristen Philen has increased her offensive productivity. Philen is batting .343 (12-for-35) with a double, two home runs, seven runs batted in and a slugging percentage of .543 over that span. In her last seven contests, she is batting .333 (7-for-21) with a double, two home runs and six RBIs.

Freshman outfielder Haley Thomas’ batting average continues its meteoric ascent. Over the last 22 games, Thomas is batting .371 (26-for-70) with three doubles, a triple, a home run, 14 runs scored and five runs batted in. Thomas is also faring well against Horizon League opponents, batting .348 (16-for-46) with three doubles, a triple and five runs scored. Over the last five games, Thomas is batting .500 (8-for-16) with a home run and three runs batted in.

By scoring four times in YSU’s 11-2 win over Toledo on April 8, freshman Haley Thomas became just the second player in school history to accomplish that feat. The last time a YSU player scored four times in a game was Debbie Garvin against Ohio State on May 1, 1981.

Cleveland State enters the series with a record of 22-13 and is in second place in the Horizon League with a 10-3 league mark. Amanda Macenko leads the Vikings’ pitchers with an 18-9 record with a 2.75 earned-run average. Katelyn Ciminelli leads the Vikings’ offense with a .341 batting average and Megan Bashak is batting .340. Liz Gordon leads the Vikings and the Horizon League with 11 home runs.

Youngstown State returns home for a non-league doubleheader against Akron, Tuesday, April 21, at McCune Park. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.