The Penguins are coming off a 1-3 week at the Best Western Miami (Ohio) Invitational last weekend. The Guins picked up their lone victory of the season with a 6-2 win over Big Ten member Michigan State on March 23. Senior McKenzie Bedra went 2-for-4 with four runs batted in and also belted a three-run home run. Sophomore Danielle Chase picked up her first victory of the season firing a five-hit complete game.

The YSU 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 481 all-time victories, need 19 more wins 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 153 victories while at YSU. She needs 55 more victories to surpass Ed Strauss’ mark of 207 wins and become the school’s all-time leader.

The Akron softball team is currently 9-15 overall but won four games last week at the Rebel Games. Leading the Zips, who are playing in their home opener against the Penguins, is Lisa McLean with a .388 batting average and 10 runs scored. McLean also leads the team with four triples. Christina Swierz leads the pitching staff with a 9-7 record but owns a 4.63 earned-run average.

Loyola enters this week with a 6-11 overall mark and a 1-1 record in the Horizon League. The Ramblers split a pair of games against Butler last weekend, losing 5-4 but defeating the Bulldogs 1-0 in 11 innings. Ellen Kresl leads the Ramblers with a .386 batting average while Angie Funston is batting .320 with a team-best 13 runs batted in. Amy Solava leads the pitching staff with a 4-6 record and owns an earned-run average of 3.33.

Sophomore Kristin Bair has really made an impact in her first 11 games in a Penguins uniform. The Louisville, Ohio, native leads the team with a .469 batting average, going 15-for-32 with two doubles and four runs batted in. Bair also extended her hitting streak to six games. Last week, Bair batted .385 (5-for-13) with a double and two runs scored.

In four games last week, Bedra batted .462 (6-for-13) with two home runs and five runs batted in. She also posted a slugging percentage of .923 and scored twice. Bedra went 2-for-3 with solo home run against Toledo on March 21. In the Penguins’ 6-2 win over Michigan State, Bedra went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, including a three-run home run. She also went 2-for-3 in a 5-1 loss to Penn State on March 23. She has posted at least two hits in the last three games.

Freshman Rochelle Vanyi has begun her collegiate softball career in a productive fashion. In the Penguins’ first 11 games, Vanyi leads the team with three home runs and a .611 slugging percentage. Vanyi has also driven in four runs and leads the team with seven runs scored.

Senior McKenzie Bedra has already put her stamp on the Youngstown State softball record book. Last week, the Bowling Green, Ohio extended her career home run record to 25 after belting two round trippers last week. She also moved into third place on the YSU all-time RBI list with 94, passing Tiffany Patteson (93, 2003-06). She also needs 10 more to move into second place. She needs 20 more to break Amanda Berry’s all-time record of 113.

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 Notareschi (18, 1995-98).