Tisha Hill resigned last month as Youngstown State's coach. The Penguins had a 14-17 record and were 8-10 in the Horizon League.

According to the Youngstown Vindicator, the last day applications for the position were accepted was Friday and 62 coaches applied. Among the applicants are California's Darcie Vincent, Indiana's Cindy Martin and Westminster's Rosanne Scott.

Vincent and Martin are among 26 applicants who meet Youngstown State's minimum requirement of eight years experience as a head coach in NCAA Division I or II, or as a Division I assistant.

Vincent coached California to the Elite Eight in Division II three times in six years, including this past season when the Vulcans had a 27-7 record. California won the national championship in 2004 under Vincent.

Interviews will begin later this week, and Vincent is somebody Youngstown State should seriously consider. She did an amazing job this season, taking California to the Elite Eight with a team that finished the season with only six healthy scholarship players.

It was only last week that California athletic director Dr. Tom Pucci told the Observer-Reporter that a key to the school's recent athletic success has been the ability to retain its head coaches.

"We've had coaches who had opportunities to go to Division I schools," Pucci said. "There are only a few schools, because of the pecking order in Division I and the resources available, that have a chance of winning a national championship. Some of the coaches who have left, and those who have stayed, realized they have a better chance of winning a national championship at California than at Division I."

Martin coached Indiana to the PSAC tournament championship this season, defeating California in the finals. She is a former assistant coach at West Virginia.

Scott, who does not meet Youngstown's State's experience requirements, coached Westminster to the Division III tournament twice in the last four seasons. She's a two-time PAC Coach of the Year.

n Waynesburg University also is looking for a women's basketball coach. Though no announcement has been made by the school, Terry Acker will not be back to coach the Yellow Jackets next season.

Acker had a 71-153 record in nine years at Waynesburg that includes a 1-25 mark last season. Acker is currently Waynesburg's women's softball coach.

The Yellow Jackets' new coach will inherit two dubious streaks. Waynesburg will take a 25-game losing streak into next season and has lost 22 consecutive times to PAC rival Washington & Jefferson.

n Outfielder Jim Gallagher, a Peters Township graduate and former standout at Duke University, is in his second season in the Chicago White Sox's minor-league system. Gallagher is playing for the Kannapolis Intimidators in the Class A South Atlantic League.

Gallagher batted .332 with nine home runs for Great Falls of the rookie-level Pioneers League last season after being Chicago's seventh-round draft pick.

n Two former Wild Things pitchers are playing in the South Atlantic League. Travis Risser, who thrived as a right-handed setup reliever last season, is with the Columbus Catfish (Tampa Bay). Shawn Phillips, who played briefly with Washington in 2006 before being traded to River City in a deal that brought the Wild Things Aaron Ledbetter, is with the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Florida).

Sports editor Chris Dugan can be reached at dugan@observer-reporter.com

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