YSU’s Charpie to speak at Curbstone

Youngstown State baseball coach Trevor Charpie will be the guest speaker at Monday’s luncheon meeting of The Curbstone Coaches at the Avion Banquet Center on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township.

The event begins at noon and the public is welcome to attend.

For those arriving early the buffet lines will open at 11:45 a.m.

All sports fans are welcome and you do not need to be a current or former coach.

Marko joins Penguins’ baseball staff

Former collegiate student-athlete and hitting coach Nate Marko has joined the Youngstown State baseball coaching staff as an assistant coach, YSU head coach Trevor Charpie announced on Friday.

“We’re extremely excited to welcome Nate to our coaching staff,” Charpie said. “From the start, it was clear that his approach to hitting is rooted in both strong fundamentals and modern development methods. He does an outstanding job connecting with players, simplifying complex concepts and creating an environment where hitters can compete with confidence. Nate’s energy, attention to detail, and commitment to building a winning program will make an immediate impact on this year’s team and teams for years to come.”

Marko, a native of McKees Rocks, Pa., most recently served as an assistant coach at NAIA Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla., during the 2025 season. Serving as the team’s hitting coach, Marko helped guide the Gyrenes to 30 total wins and an at-large bid in the NAIA National Tournament. Ave Maria posted its fourth winning season in school history while playing the 12th toughest schedule in the NAIA in 2025. Marko coached Ave Maria’s hitters to a .277 team batting average, a .431 slugging percentage, 55 home runs, 88 doubles, 17 triples, 334 RBIs, 516 hits, 382 runs, 803 total bases, 246 walks and 109 stolen bases.

Prior to his time at Ave Maria, Marko worked as a hitting trainer at Driveline Baseball in Seattle. He also served as an assistant coach in the independent professional ranks, coaching with the Steel City Slammin’ Sammies, who were created for the 2020 COVID season. In the travel baseball ranks, Marko served as the Director of Hitting at Diesel Sports Complex and was the manager of the 17/18U team for Steel City Select.

Marko played four seasons of collegiate baseball at Bethany College, an NCAA Division III member in West Virginia. He graduated from Bethany with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management in 2019 before earning his MBA from Wheeling University in 2021.

Mendoza declares for NFL draft

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock, and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is officially available.

Mendoza formally declared for the NFL draft Friday and could be headed to the Raiders with the No. 1 pick in April. Mendoza led Indiana to a 16-0 season and its first national championship with a 27-21 victory against Miami on Monday night.

“Let’s get to work,” Mendoza wrote in a social media post that included a highlight video. “I’m humbled to announce that I am officially declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft!”

The junior completed 72% of his passes this season for 3,535 yards, with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for seven scores and played some of his best football in the College Football Playoff, with eight TD passes and no picks while scoring a key late touchdown on a highlight-reel 12-yard run on fourth-and-4. It extended Indiana’s lead to 24-14 in the fourth quarter.

Mendoza became a respected leader inside the locker room, a humble but well-known personality outside of it and Indiana’s first Heisman winner as he capped what some called the greatest two-year turnaround in college football history. Mendoza also is the third Latino player to win the Heisman.

Mendoza is considered the clearcut top QB in the draft after Oregon’s Dante Moore announced he would return to school for the 2026 season. And the Raiders desperately need better quarterback play after going 3-14 in 2025 and clinching the No. 1 overall pick with a loss to the New York Giants in Week 17. The franchise will have a new coach after firing veteran Pete Carroll after one season.

Bills interview Rivers for HC role

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Philip Rivers interviewed with the Buffalo Bills for their head coaching job on Friday, the latest twist in a busy couple of months for one of the most prolific passers in NFL history.

The 44-year-old Rivers has no previous NFL coaching experience, having worked since his initial retirement from the league as a high school coach in his native Alabama. Last month, he ended his five-year retirement and finished the season with the Indianapolis Colts. Rivers started three games — all losses — in a failed attempt to salvage the Colts’ playoff chances.

Rivers was the fourth candidate to interview since the Bills launched their search on Wednesday. Sean McDermott was fired Monday after going 98-50 and reaching the playoffs eight times in nine seasons, making the Bills the 10th team to replace a head coach this cycle.

The Bills have also interviewed former Giants coach Brian Daboll, who previously served as the team’s offensive coordinator; current offensive coordinator Joe Brady; and Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. More meetings are scheduled through this weekend in a search process led by general manager Brandon Beane. Quarterback Josh Allen has been part of the search and is participating in meetings with candidates.

Owner Terry Pegula decided to fire McDermott after a 33-30 overtime loss at Denver in the divisional round of the playoffs. McDermott led the Bills to seven straight 10-win seasons but never took the team to the Super Bowl.

Pegula determined Buffalo had hit what he called “the proverbial playoff wall” under McDermott. The Bills became the NFL’s first team to win a playoff game in six straight years without a Super Bowl appearance.

Rivers has been a mentor to Allen, and the two remain close.

Rivers played 17 seasons before his initial retirement in 2021 and took a job overseeing the football program at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. His last playoff game was Indianapolis’ 27-24 loss to Buffalo in the wild-card round of the 2020 season.