Youngstown, Ohio -- The Youngstown State baseball team held its first official team practice of fall ball under second-year head coach Trevor Charpie on Thursday afternoon at the Watson and Tressel Training Site (WATTS) on campus. The Penguins are incorporating a group of 22 newcomers, which includes 16 transfers and six true freshmen.
The workout started with stretching and light running before moving into a hitting warmup period in the batting cages followed by situational baserunning drills. Position players and pitchers then worked through an extended defensive period with Associate Head Coach Will Maddox before batting practice sessions with hitting coach Dylan Moser.
In addition to the group of 22 newcomers, the Penguins also have 19 returners from last season currently on the program's roster. Returning starters Nathan Beckley, Garrett Cutting, Brayden Kuriger, Brady Shannon and Jay Wrona each return in 2026 for their second season at YSU. Beckley and Kuriger were each named to the 2025 Horizon League All-Tournament Team while Wrona was selected to the 2025 Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
In addition, Brandon Mikos returns for his fifth season as a Penguin after winning five games on the mound as a redshirt junior in 2025. The right-hander ranked fifth in the Horizon League in wins (5) and ninth in innings pitched (58) while registering a career-high 42 strikeouts over 11 starts and three relief appearances last season. Mikos was also named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on March 12, 2025.
Senior left-hander Braden Gebhardt also returns for his fourth season at YSU after making 18 relief appearances and one start on the mound as a junior in 2025. The Howland, Ohio, native was named to both the Horizon League All-Academic Team and the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Baseball Team for the second straight season in 2025. Gebhardt finished with three victories, two saves and 43 strikeouts in 44.2 innings pitched last season. He has made a total of 56 appearances including 14 starts on the mound while recording 136 strikeouts in 159 innings pitched during his career.
Youngstown State is scheduled to play two fall exhibition games at Eastwood Field this fall. The Penguins will host Bryant & Stratton College on Oct. 4 at 11 a.m. before facing Tri-C on Oct. 12 at noon.
YSU's 2026 schedule will be announced later this fall. For the latest news and updates on the YSU baseball program, follow @YSUBaseball on X and Instagram.
