Senior left-hander Braden Gebhardt of the Youngstown State baseball team was named the Under Armour Horizon League Pitcher of the Week for the third time in as many weeks to begin the 2026 season, the league office announced on Monday.
Gebhardt, who earned the first weekly Horizon League honor of his career following opening weekend, recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings on the mound in YSU's 2-1 series-opening victory over Longwood on Friday.
After being recognized by the league for his first two outings of the season, Gebhardt delivered another stellar starting pitching performance for the Penguins on Friday in Farmville, Va. The senior left-hander scattered five hits with a new career-high 12 strikeouts while walking just two batters over seven scoreless innings of work to help lead YSU to its first victory of the 2026 season.
Gebhardt matched the longest outing of his career for the second straight week in Friday's series opener while recording a strikeout in six different frames. The Howland, Ohio, native registered multiple punchouts in four different innings, and he struck out the side in both the fourth and the seventh.
Gebhardt, who has yet to give up an earned run on nine hits allowed this season, has struck out 28 batters while walking just seven in 20 innings pitched over three starts. He did not allow an earned run while limiting Oregon to two hits over seven strong innings in YSU's 3-0 loss to the Ducks on Feb. 20. Gebhardt posted the most strikeouts in a game by a Penguin in nearly five years as part of a masterful Opening Day pitching performance in YSU's 2-1 loss at Auburn in the 2026 season opener on Feb. 13. He limited the Tigers to two hits while registering 11 strikeouts over six innings in the first start of his senior campaign.
Youngstown State will continue its early season road stretch on Tuesday when it plays its first midweek contest of the season at Pitt. First pitch at Charles L. Cost Field is scheduled for 3 p.m.
For the latest news and updates throughout the 2026 season, follow @YSUBaseball on X and Instagram.
