Natalie Boydston / Staff Photographer / nb397205@ohiou.edu

Ohio infielder Jeremie Rehak gets tagged out by Butler infielder Joe Pauley during the seventh inning of the Bobcats loss to the Bulldogs Sunday, March 11. The Bobcats take on Youngstown State today at Bob Wren Stadium.

Ohio and Youngstown State enter today’s game on different paths.

The Penguins have won six of their last seven games and are on a three-game winning streak. On the other hand, the Bobcats have lost four in a row.

Ohio coach Joe Carbone said his team needs to find more consistency at the plate.

“We are being too selective early in the count,” he said. “Not a lot of guys hit the curveball well, and we would like our guys to be more aggressive.”

Right-hander Matt Schlarb will get the start for Ohio, which returns to Bob Wren Stadium after a four-game road trip. Although the Bobcats are 0-8 on the road this season, they have posted an impressive 9-1 mark at home, which includes their three wins over Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein and Rio Grande in Chillicothe.

Carbone said that one advantage the Bobcats have playing at home is the ability to use their entire roster.

“It’s always helpful when you play at home because you are more comfortable with the surroundings,” Carbone said. “In our situation in the conference, it is more of an advantage to play at home because you can use all your players. When you go on the road, you can only use 25 and sometimes you can’t make the moves you want to in the game.”

This season, Schlarb (3-1) has won all of his games at home, including two victories as a starter. He said that the early success he had at Bob Wren has given him confidence.

“Hopefully I can try to do a lot of the same things I did last start when I had success,” he said. “If I do well and we get another win, we can get back to .500 as a team.”

Youngstown State is coming off a sweep of Butler, a team that Ohio won two out of three games against earlier this year.

Carbone said that defeating the Penguins will be no easy task.

“They are going to be very well-coached and we will have our hands full,” he said. “(Youngstown State coach Mike Florak) has some guys that can swing the bat and they play good defense, so we have a lot of respect for them.”

Carbone and Florak know each other all too well, with Florak having played at Ohio under Carbone. While at Ohio, Florak was an All-Mid-American Conference selection and served as Carbone’s graduate assistant for three years.

“We’re pretty close and as close as two coaches from opposing teams can be,” Carbone said. “We enjoy seeing each other on recruiting trips and talk throughout the season.”