Senior left-hander Braden Gebhardt of the Youngstown State baseball team has been named the Under Armour Horizon League Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time during the 2026 season, the league office announced on Monday.
Gebhardt, who earned the first weekly Horizon League honor of his career following opening weekend, allowed two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts over 6.1 innings to earn his third win of the season in YSU's 16-2 victory at Oakland in game two of a Horizon League doubleheader on Friday. The Howland, Ohio, native retired the first 13 batters he faced while sitting down the Golden Grizzlies in order in four different innings.
Gebhardt, who was named to the College Baseball Foundation 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Watch List in March, was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week three times in as many weeks to begin the 2026 season.
Gebhardt earned his third consecutive weekly league honor after posting a career-high 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings on the mound in YSU's 2-1 series-opening win at Longwood on Feb. 27. He allowed three runs on six hits with five strikeouts over six innings to earn his second victory of the season in YSU's 5-3 series-opening win at Milwaukee on April 3. Gebhardt did not allow an earned run while scattering three hits and fanning seven batters over six innings to earn his first win of the season in YSU's 3-2 series-opening victory at Georgetown on March 20. The senior allowed his first earned run of the 2026 season during his 30th inning of work in his fifth start against Oakland on March 13.
Through games completed on April 19, Gebhardt leads the Horizon League while ranking 29th nationally with 74 strikeouts and 12th in the country with 10 games started. He also paces the league in ERA (2.21), innings pitched (61.0), WHIP (1.05) and walks allowed per nine innings (2.36) heading into the week. He ranks 33rd nationally in ERA while ranking second in the league in hits allowed per nine innings (7.08). Gebhardt became just the ninth pitcher in YSU history to reach 200 career strikeouts in the series opener with Wright State on April 10. He currently ranks seventh in program history with 210 career strikeouts, and he ranks 12th in school history with 220.0 career innings pitched.
Youngstown State is scheduled to visit Toledo on Tuesday at 3 p.m. in a non-league contest before hosting the Rockets the following day at the newly-renovated 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood at 5 p.m.
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