Youngstown State baseball players Steven D'Eusanio, Patrick Gumto, Braeden O'Shaughnessy and Padraig O'Shaughnessy were each named Top Players to Watch in the Horizon League by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper in its 2023 preview edition.
As a team, the Penguins were picked to finish third in the Horizon League by the publication.
D'Eusanio, a fifth-year senior infielder, has played in 155 games and made 130 starts over his first four years as a Penguin. The Willoughby, Ohio, native played in and started 52 games last season on his way to earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Academic Honorable Mention Team. D'Eusanio batted .277 and slugged .435 with seven doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 2022. He also recorded 36 runs scored, 21 walks, 83 total bases, a .349 on-base percentage and two stolen bases in three attempts. On April 15, 2022, D'Eusanio went 6-for-6 to tie the YSU single-game hits record vs. Milwaukee. He recorded four singles, one double, a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored to match John Koehnlein's six-hit effort in seven at bats on May 24, 2007. D'Eusanio enters the 2023 season ranking 10th in program history with 19 career home runs.
Gumto, a fifth-year senior right-hander, will be in his first season as a Penguin in 2023 after playing the last four seasons at Division II Cal U (Pa.). The Allison Park, Pa., native posted an 8-2 record, a 3.76 ERA and nine saves in 81.1 innings pitched over 59 relief appearances in his career with the Vulcans. Gumto recorded 98 strikeouts to 34 walks and an opponent batting average of .203 during his four-year career at Cal U (Pa.). He was named to the All-PSAC Second Team each of the last two campaigns. Gumto posted a 1-0 record, three saves and a 0.79 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched over 11 appearances as a senior in 2022. He registered a 2-0 record, four saves and a 2.41 ERA in 33.2 innings pitched over 21 appearances as a junior in 2021.
Braeden O'Shaughnessy, a senior infielder, has played in 96 games and made 80 starts over his first three seasons as a Penguin. The Poland, Ohio, native was named First-Team All-Horizon League in 2022 after leading the Penguins with a .357 batting average, 79 hits, 16 doubles, seven home runs, 41 RBIs, 36 runs scored, a .543 slugging percentage, a .434 on-base percentage, a .977 OPS, 120 total bases and 221 at bats. He finished the season ranking second in the Horizon League in batting average and hits, fourth in at bats, tied for fourth in doubles, fifth in OPS, seventh in on-base percentage, ninth in slugging percentage and ninth in RBIs. O'Shaughnessy became just the second YSU infielder to earn First-Team All-Horizon League honors since Drew Dosch in 2013.
Padraig O'Shaughnessy, a sixth-year senior first baseman, has played in 111 games and made 93 starts over the last three seasons since transferring from Mercyhurst North East. The Poland, Ohio, native has been named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team each of the last two campaigns. O'Shaughnessy was one of two Penguins to play in all 57 games last season as he joined his brother Braeden in setting a new YSU single-season record for games played. He batted .219 and slugged .339 with 11 doubles, four home runs and 30 RBIs in 2022. He also recorded 23 runs scored, 46 walks, 65 total bases, a .373 on-base percentage and four stolen bases in seven attempts. O'Shaughnessy's 46 walks led the Horizon League and ranked 41st nationally while ranking as the second most in a season in program history and the most by a Penguin since Steve Mefferd set the single-season record with 52 walks in 2001.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper projected Wright State's Sammy Sass as the Horizon League Player of the Year and Raiders' left-hander Jay Luikart as the Pitcher of the Year.
Wright State was tabbed as the preseason favorite, Oakland was picked second and YSU was selected third. Purdue Fort Wayne was tabbed fourth, Northern Kentucky was picked fifth and Milwaukee was selected sixth.
The Penguins are scheduled to open the 2023 season with a neutral-site content against Illinois at noon on Friday in Winston-Salem, N.C. For news and updates leading up to the season, follow @YSUBaseball on Twitter.
