Covas Named Horizon League Freshman of the Year; Three Penguins Earn All-League Honors
5/21/2024 1:02:00 PM | Baseball
Youngstown State outfielder Alejandro Covas was named Horizon League Freshman of the Year and three Penguins garnered all-league recognition when the league office announced its postseason award winners and all-league teams on Tuesday.
Junior right-hander Jacob Gehring and redshirt senior shortstop Trey Law were each named to the All-Horizon League First Team while Covas was also selected to the All-Horizon League Second Team and the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
The Penguins had at least one player named to the All-Horizon League First Team for the fourth consecutive season. YSU has now had at least one first-team honoree in four straight seasons for the first time since 2007-10. The Penguins have also had at least one player selected to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team in seven of the last eight seasons that postseason awards have been handed out.
Covas becomes the second straight Penguin to earn the Horizon League's Freshman of the Year award after his teammate Matt Thompson claimed the honor in 2023. The Peninsula, Ohio, native is just the second YSU player to be named Horizon League Freshman of the Year and the third YSU freshman to receive a postseason specialty award. Covas is also the first YSU freshman to earn all-league honors since Jeff Wehler was a second-team selection in 2018.
Covas is batting .343 and slugging .561 while leading the Horizon League and ranking second nationally with nine triples. He set a new single-season school record with his eighth triple of the season in YSU's 10-4 win over Oakland on April 26. He surpassed the previous record of seven that had been achieved three times previously. Covas has hit safely in nine straight games while reaching base safely in 39 consecutive games entering postseason play. He batted .357 and slugged .661 with six triples, six home runs and 24 RBIs over 30 games in Horizon League play. Covas tied the single-game school record with two triples against Purdue Fort Wayne on March 17. He has played in 53 games and made 52 starts in the outfield in his debut collegiate campaign.
Gehring earns first-team all-league honors in his debut season as Penguin after transferring from Ohio State. The Canfield, Ohio, native is the first YSU starting pitcher to collect all-league recognition since Matt Brosky was a first-team selection in 2022. Gehring was named the Horizon League's Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks on April 30 and May 7. He leads the Horizon League with two complete games and 14 games started. He also ranks fourth in the league with 74.1 innings pitched and sixth with four wins. Gehring ranks 11th in the nation in complete games while ranking 16th nationally in games started. The junior right-hander owns a 4-7 record and a 7.14 ERA with a team-high 52 strikeouts. In Horizon League play, Gehring posted a 4-4 record and a 5.82 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched over 10 starts.
Law earns all-league recognition for the second straight season after being a second-team pick in 2023. The Camp Hill, Pa., native is batting .349 while leading the Penguins with 76 hits, 12 doubles, 25 walks and 44 runs scored. The Camp Hill, Pa., native ranks third in the Horizon League with 76 hits and ninth with a .349 batting average. Law has hit safely in seven straight games and in 28 of his last 33 contests entering tournament play. He batted .333 and slugged .460 with a team-high 42 hits over 30 games in Horizon League action. Law also leads the Penguins with 23 multi-hit games on the season.
Youngstown State will open play in the 2024 Horizon League Baseball Championship against Oakland on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and YSNLive.com.
