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Brian Campbell
Now in his 16th season as the Youngstown State softball head coach, Brian Campbell has continually raised the bar for success and is determined to turn the Penguins softball program into one of the Horizon League's elite programs.
In his 15 seasons at Youngstown State, Campbell has led the Penguins to a record of 354-382-1 and is the school’s all-time winningest coach. He also owns a 23-year career record of 639-511-2 after winning 285 games at Tiffin University from 2001-08. He was inducted into the Tiffin Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011. Campbell has coached 10 players that were inducted into their school's Hall of Fame. He coached eight hall of fame players at Tiffin and two at Youngstown State - Jordan Ingalls (2009-12) and Haley Thomas (2009-12).
He has coached 37 All-Horizon League picks, including 14 first-team selections and 23 second-team pick, four freshmen/newcomers of the year, two pitchers of the year and two players of the year, and seven National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region selections.
During Campbell’s tenure, YSU averaged 28.2 wins from 2014-23 (2020 not included due to COVID-19) and won 30 games five times times. The Penguins won 29-or-more games six times since 2012, and won at least 25 games in a year in seven straight full seasons from 2016-19, 2021-23.
Under his leadership, he has led the Penguins to the five-highest team batting averages in school history - .318 in 2016, .313 in 2012, .296 in 2010, .294 in 2011 and .288 in 2015. During Campbell's tenure, the Penguins have also scored six of the top seven single-season run totals in school history with 318 in 2016 (first), 279 in 2012 (second), 240 in 2015 (third), 227 in 2018 (fifth) 217 in 2010 (sixth) and 216 in 2011 (seventh).
Campbell, the 2012 and 2021 Horizon League Coach of the Year, was named the ninth Head Coach of the Youngstown State softball program in June 2008 and became the program's all-time wins leader after collecting his 208th win at Youngstown State on March 10, 2018, with an 11-5 win over North Carolina A&T. Campbell also collected the 500th win of his career on April 10, 2018, with a 2-1 victory over Northern Kentucky.
He recorded his 600th career win in a 3-1 win over St. Bonaventure on April 13, 2022. He also won his 300th game at Youngstown State after a 2-1 victory over Hampton on Feb. 25, 2022.
Campbell, who has won 310 games since the start of the 2012 season, and the Penguins etched their names in the record books in 2021 by winning the program's first regular-season conference championship in school history by posting a 36-15 overall record and a 28-8 Horizon League mark. The Penguins also earned the first No. 1 seed of the Horizon League Softball Championship in program history in 2021. The 36 wins tied the program record for most wins in a season and the 28 Horizon League victories also set a YSU record.
Last season, Campbell guided the Penguins to 27 victories and made a valiant run through the 2023 Horizon League Championship. The Penguins ended the season with a 27-27 overall record and tied for fourth in league play with a 12-10 mark.
Junior Sara Fessler was named to the All-Horizon League First-Team while juniors Sophie Howell and Elyssa Imler were both named to the all-league second-team. Howell and sophomore were also named to the 2023 Horizon League All-Tournament Team.
Fessler lead the Penguins with a .367 batting average with 12 doubles, five home runs and 17 runs batted in. She also batted .400 against Horizon League opponents.
Truran, who batted .417 in the tournament, finished the season with a .300 average while Imler posted a .290 average in her first season as the Penguins' full-time shortstop.
Howell turned in an impressive season in the circle going 17-12 with a 2.48 earned-run average and a 173 strikeouts in 200.2 innings pitched. Her 17 wins ranked tied for fifth on the YSU single-season chart while her 173 strikeouts rank sixth, and she became the fifth player in school history to throw more than 200 innings in a season.
In 2022, Youngstown State won at least 30 games for the fifth time during Campbell's tenure with a 32-24 overall record. The 32 victories are the third most in a single season in school history. It also marks just the second time in program history that the Penguins won at least 30 games in consecutive seasons.
Youngstown State finished third in the Horizon League with a 17-9 mark and fifth-year senior Elle Buffenbarger was named to the All-Horizon League Second-Team. Freshman Bree Kohler was named to the All-Freshman Team. Buffenbarger finished the season with a 21-10 record and set a the single-season record with 224 strikeouts. Kohler appeared in 46 games and batted a team-best .326 against Horizon League opponents.
During the season, Buffenbarger became the Penguins all-time wins leader with 63 and career strikeout leader with 744. Seniors Yazmine Romero became the Penguins all-time career hit leader with 250 after collecting 71 hits, just one shy of tying the single-season record of 72. Nikki Saibene broke the career RBI record and set the mark at 131.
In 2021, Youngstown State's pitching staff record 377 strikeouts, which ranks third on the single-season list. The Penguins' team earned-run average of 2.37 is the 10th lowest in program history and the lowest since the 2004 team's 1.95 ERA. Defensively, the Penguins set the school record for highest fielding percentage at .965. Offensively, the Penguins batted .278, which ranks tied for the seventh-highest team batting average in program history.
Buffenbarger posted arguably the best season by a pitcher in program history. Buffenbarger was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year and went 20-4 with 212 strikeouts and a 2.16 earned-run average. Buffenbarger is the only pitcher in school history to win 20 game and record 200 strikeouts in the same season. A National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region Third-Team selection and All-Horizon League First-Team pick, Buffenbarger led the Horizon League in wins, strikeouts, complete game (19), shutouts (5) and opponents' batting average (.198).
Senior Nikki Saibene, the first NFCA All-Region First-Team selection in program history, was named All-Horizon League First-Team after posting player-of-the-year type numbers. Saibene batted .377 with 26 runs scored, 13 doubles, 12 home runs and tied the YSU single-season record with 49 RBIs. Saibene also posted a .712 slugging percentage, which ranked fourth on the YSU single-season list.
Freshman Jillian Jakse became the sixth Youngstown State player to win the Horizon League Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and was named All-Horizon League First-Team. Jakse batted 343 with 13 doubles a triple, five home runs and 39 runs batted in. Her 39 runs batted in set the YSU freshman RBI record and rank tied for seventh on the single-season list.
In 2019, Campbell guided the Penguins to at least 25 wins for the fourth straight year, and led the Penguins to their fourth consecutive top three finish in Horizon League play. From 2016-19, the Penguins won 59 games in league play for an average of 14.8 wins per season.
Campbell won his 250th game at Youngstown State when the Penguins defeated Green Bay, 4-0, on May 3. From March 20 through April 3, the Penguins set a school record with 11 consecutive wins, breaking the old mark of 10 set in 2004.
The pitching staff also set a school record with 393 strikeouts, which broke the record of 288 set in 2014.
Individually, Addy Jarvis turned in a record-breaking rookie campaign and was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Year. Jarvis set the YSU single-season strikeout record with 218. She is the first YSU player to record at least 200 strikeouts in a season.
Senior Lexi Zappitelli was named to the All-Horizon League Second-Team after posting a .309 overall batting average and a .329 average in league play.
In 2018, Zappitelli was named All-Horizon League First-Team after batting .413 with 13 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 22 RBIs. Zappitelli, who became just the eighth player in school history to back above .400, ranks sixth on the YSU single-season batting average list. She ranked in the top 10 in In
Maddi Lusk, Elle Buffenbarger and Yazmine Romero were all named to the All-Horizon League Second-Team, while Buffenbarger and Romero were named to the All-Freshman Team. Buffenbarger collected 132 strikeouts while Romero led the team and ranked second in the Horizon League with 66 hits.
In 2017, Youngstown State posted an overall record of 31-28 and marked the first time in school history the program recorded consecutive 30-win seasons. YSU won 30 games in 2016. During the season, the Penguins won nine straight games between March 22 and April 1, which tied for the second longest streak in school history.
YSU finished second in the Horizon League with a record of 17-7 and set a school mark for most wins in league play. The Penguins also won their final 12 games against league foes and advanced to the Horizon League Championship game for the second time in five seasons.
Hannah Lucas was named All-Horizon League First-Team after leading the team with a .339 overall batting average and a .416 average against Horizon League foes. Lusk was named the Horizon League Co-Freshman of the Year and All-Horizon League Second-Team after picking up 17 wins and batting .281.
In 2016, rewrote the softball offensive record book breaking seven team records. YSU set records for highest team batting average (.318), most runs (318), hits (456), doubles (79), home runs (51), grand slams (7), and runs batted in (285).
During the course of the year, the Penguins, who won 23 of their final 33 games, owned an eight-game winning streak from March 22 to April 1. That consecutive-game win streak tied for the third longest in school history.
Mikovich was named second-team NFCA Midwest All-Region Team while Miranda Castiglione was third-team honoree. Castiglione became the first player in school history to be named first-team All-Horizon League in three straight seasons. Mikovich was a first-team all-league honoree for the first time in her career while Dowd is a three-time second-team selection. Dowd was named a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American.
In 2015, YSU broke the school's single-season home run and stolen base records. The Penguins belted 40 home runs, which eclipsed the old mark of 39. They also stole 76 bases, which broke the previous mark of 65 set in 1992. Additionally, the 240 runs scored and 210 runs batted in rank as the second most in school history while the Penguins' .288 team batting average is the fourth highest on the single-season list.
In 2014, Campbell led the Penguins to the program's second 30-win season and a third-place finish in the Horizon League. During the season, Campbell reached two head-coaching milestones. He won his 100th game at Youngstown State with a 6-5 win over UNC-Wilmington on March 11. He also won his 400th career game after a 5-3 victory over Dayton on April 21.
Pitcher Casey Crozier turned in a record-breaking senior season in the circle. Crozier was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year winning 19 games and setting the Youngstown State single-season strikeout record with 196. Her 19 victories were a career-best and rank second on the single-season list. Crozier, a 2014 NFCA All-Midwest Region Second-Team selection, also became Youngstown State's all-time leader with 60 career wins, 565 career strikeouts and 674.1 career innings pitched.
Castiglione turned in one of the best offensive seasons in school history and was the Horizon League Co-Player of the Year. Castiglione batted .395 with 70 hits, 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 33 runs batted in and set the YSU single-season record with 43 runs scored. In 2015 she set a new school mark with 29 stolen bases. A 2014 NFCA All-Midwest Region Second-Team pick, Castiglione became just the third player to collected 70 hits in a season to go along with her .395 batting average.
After leading the Penguins to a 29-21-1 record and a fourth-place finish in the Horizon League, Campbell was named the league’s 2012 Coach of the Year. The 29 wins tied for the second most in school history and marked the first time since 2003 and 2004 that YSU won at least 20 games in consecutive seasons.
After four seasons as an assistant coach, Campbell took over the Tiffin program in 2001 and posted a 27-19 overall record. At Tiffin, Campbell coached five all-Americans, 39 all-conference selections, four players of the year, three pitchers of the year.
Campbell, who averaged 36 wins per season, was named American Midwest Conference (AMC) North Coach of the Year in 2007 for the third consecutive season after leading the Dragons to a 37-11 mark, a Region IX Championship and their second straight appearance in the NAIA National Softball Tournament. He was named coach of the year six times.
In 2006, Campbell guided Tiffin to an impressive 57-11 overall record and the program's first Region IX title and first NAIA National Tournament appearance. Campbell led Tiffin to four-consecutive AMC North Championships from 2004 to 2007 and the AMC Championship in 2002 with a 25-3 conference record and a 31-17 overall mark.
Campbell, who also served as Assistant Athletic Director, is a 1994 graduate of Tiffin University with a degree in criminal justice. He also has a master's degree in criminal justice from Tiffin. He played for the Tiffin football team from 1990-94 on the offensive line and helped the Dragons to their first National Tournament appearance.
He has a daughter named Courtney.
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