Penguins Prep for Non-League Contest at Pitt on Wednesday

Wednesday, April 8

Pittsburgh, PA

6 p.m.

Youngstown State University

Pitt

Photo by: Bryson Chavez

Penguins Prep for Non-League Contest at Pitt on Wednesday

4/7/2026 3:14:00 PM | Baseball

Game Notes

The Youngstown State baseball team (5-24, 3-6 HL) will step back into non-league play on Wednesday with a midweek contest at Pitt (21-9, 6-6 ACC). First pitch at Charles L. Cost Field in Pittsburgh is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Live video for Wednesday's game will be available via ACC Network Extra while live stats will be available through links posted on YSUsports.com. Fans can also follow @YSUBaseball on X for live updates.

Youngstown State at Pitt

Opponent	Date	Location	Video	Live Stats
	Wednesday April 8 \| 6 PM	Charles L. Cost Field Pittsburgh, Pa.	ACC Network Extra	Live Stats

A Glimpse at the Guins

Redshirt sophomore right-hander Aidan Dorsch is scheduled to make his sixth appearance and second start as a Penguin on Wednesday at Pitt. The Eureka, Calif., native made his first start of the season at Akron on March 31 after appearing in four games out of the bullpen.
Youngstown State is coming off its first Horizon League series win of the season after taking two of three games at Milwaukee this past weekend. The Penguins swept a doubleheader with wins of 5-3 and 7-4 on Friday before dropping a 5-1 decision in the series finale on Saturday.
Senior left-hander Braden Gebhardt was named to the College Baseball Foundation 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Watch List in March. The Howland, Ohio, native 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.
Most recently, Gebhardt allowed three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks over six innings to earn his second victory of the season in YSU's 5-3 series-opening win at Milwaukee on Friday. He 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 5, Gebhardt leads the Horizon League while ranking 21st nationally with 62 strikeouts. He also paces the league in ERA (1.62), opponent batting average (.179) and innings pitched (50.0) heading into the week. Gebhardt ranks 17th nationally in ERA while leading the league in WHIP (0.92) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.76). He is two strikeouts away from becoming the ninth pitcher in program history to record at least 200 career strikeouts.
Senior right-hander Jack Messmore ranks third in the Horizon League in innings pitched (39.0), fifth in ERA (5.31) and seventh in strikeouts (26). The first-year transfer from New Mexico scattered six hits and struck out five batters over 6.1 scoreless innings in game one of a doubleheader at Auburn on Feb. 14 in his YSU debut. Messmore recorded a season-high six strikeouts in his fifth start of the season against Oakland on March 14. Most recently, the senior earned his first win of the season after allowing four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts while matching his season high of 6.1 innings pitched in YSU's 7-4 win at Milwaukee on Friday.
Redshirt junior utility player Nathan Beckley has now hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games after putting together a nine-game hitting streak from March 14-28. The Aliso Viejo, Calif., native is batting .281 and slugging .458 while leading the Penguins in doubles (7), triples (2), walks (14), runs scored (15) and total bases (44). Beckley ranks second in the Horizon League with two triples while also ranking sixth with seven doubles, seventh with 14 walks and ninth with a .458 slugging percentage. He has also reached base safely in 13 of his last 14 contests.
Freshman infielder Alex Jang is batting .283 and slugging .444 while leading YSU with 28 hits and nine multi-hit performances heading into the week. The Las Vegas, Nev., native has hit safely in nine of his last 14 games while putting together a five-game hitting streak from March 21-27. Jang recorded a career-high three hits including his first-career home run and a double in the series finale at Longwood on March 1. He matched his career high with three hits at Eastern Michigan on March 24 before going 2-for-5 with a two-run home run at Pitt on March 25. Jang also went 3-for-5 with his first career triple in the series opener at Milwaukee on Friday. The freshman is tied with Beckley for the team lead with 44 total bases.
Senior outfielder Brayden Kuriger has now hit safely in five straight games and in 13 of his last 15 contests. The senior went 3-for-5 with a double, triple and two RBIs at Eastern Michigan on March 24 before hitting his second home run of the season at Pitt on March 25. Kuriger went 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs, a walk, two runs scored and two stolen bases at Akron on March 31. He is also tied with Jang for the team lead with 28 hits.
Redshirt junior outfielder Brady Shannon ranks tied for second in the Horizon League with a team leading seven home runs while also ranking seventh in the league with a .477 slugging percentage. The Youngstown, Ohio, native leads YSU with seven homers, 15 runs scored and 16 RBIs. Shannon went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and four RBIs in the series opener at NKU on March 27. He hit his seventh home run of the season in game two of a doubleheader at Milwaukee on Friday. Redshirt junior infielder Luke Rossi has hit safely in seven straight games heading into the week of action.
Youngstown State's pitching staff ranked atop the Horizon League with 210 strikeouts through games played on April 5. The Penguins rank second in the league with a 5.65 team ERA and a .279 opponent batting average. YSU pitchers had also allowed the second-fewest total runs (197), earned runs (152) and hits (267) in the league heading into the week.
YSU recorded eight stolen bases as a team in a 6-5 league-opening victory over Oakland at Pullman Park on March 13. The eight steals were the program's most since the Penguins tied the single-game school record with nine steals against Toledo on April 10, 2019. The series opener with the Golden Grizzlies marked just the fifth time in school history that YSU swiped at least eight bases in a game. The Penguins currently rank second in the Horizon League with 43 stolen bases as a team in 56 total attempts.
Youngstown State is under the direction of second-year head coach Trevor Charpie. In Charpie's first season guiding the program in 2025, the Penguins finished with a 15-42 overall record and an 11-19 mark in Horizon League play to finish fourth in the league standings. There are 38 players on YSU's roster in 2026, and 17 of them were with the program last year. The Penguins returned 15 letterwinners from last year's team and have 21 newcomers to the roster.

Game Preview

A Win on Wednesday Would…

Give the Penguins their sixth victory of the 2026 season.
Give YSU three wins in its last four games.
Snap a three-game losing skid in the series with the Panthers.
Be YSU's fifth victory over Pitt in the last seven meetings at Charles L. Cost Field.
Give Trevor Charpie his 21st career coaching victory.

Scouting Pitt

Pitt begins the week with a 21-9 overall record and a 6-6 mark in ACC play after dropping two of three conference home games this past weekend against Wake Forest. The Panthers own a 9-4 record at Charles L. Cost Field this season.
As a team offensively, Pitt leads the nation in walks (227) while also ranking in the top 10 nationally in home runs (67), on-base percentage (.457), runs scored (303), scoring (10.1) and slugging percentage (.585). The Panthers also rank 11th in the nation with a .323 team batting average.
Senior outfielder Lorenzo Carrier is batting .396 while ranking in the top 15 nationally in home runs (13), walks (36), on-base percentage (.563), RBIs (50) and slugging percentage (.871). Senior outfielder AJ Nessler is batting .336 and slugging .534 while leading the Panthers and ranking 12th nationally with 43 runs scored.
Pitt enters the week ranking 12th in the ACC with a 5.34 team ERA. Senior left-hander Mikey Gray was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watchlist ahead of the 2026 season. Grey leads the Panthers with 10 pitching appearances, all of which have come out of the bullpen.

Series History

Overall: Pitt leads 41-13-1
Charpie: 0-2 // H: 5-15 // A: 8-26-1 // N: 0-0
Current Win Streak: 3 by Pitt
Last Meeting: March 25, 2026 (L, 7-8)
First Meeting: April 30, 1986 (L, 2-14)
Youngstown State has lost each of its last three meetings with Pitt after an 8-7 walk-off loss at Charles L. Cost Field earlier this season on March 25. The Panthers won a 17-7 decision in Pittsburgh in the lone meeting last season after a 23-1 victory over the Penguins at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood on May 7, 2024.
YSU's last victory in the series was a 7-6 win in 10 innings in Pittsburgh on March 13, 2024.
YSU has won two of the last six and six of the last 12 meetings with Pitt overall. The Penguins had won four straight meetings between the teams at Charles L. Cost Field in Pittsburgh before last season's setback.

Recapping Last Weekend

at Milwaukee – Friday, April 3 (Game 1) // W, 5-3

Youngstown State scored five runs over the final three innings to rally from 3-0 deficit and defeat Milwaukee 5-3 in game one of Friday's Horizon League doubleheader at Franklin Field.
The Panthers scored once in the fourth and twice in the fifth to build a 3-0 lead before the Penguins posted four runs in the top of the seventh to move ahead 4-3. YSU tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth to produce the final margin in the series opener.
Alex Jang went 3-for-5 at the plate with a triple and a run scored from the leadoff spot while Nathan Beckley had two hits and drove in three runs from the cleanup spot in YSU's lineup. Garrett Cutting, Brayden Kuriger and Misael Uriepero added two hits apiece as the Penguins outhit the Panthers, 13-8.
YSU starter Braden Gebhardt allowed three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks over six innings to earn his second victory of the season. Braedon Davis, Jake Ferretti, Tyler Heflin and Bryce Palms combined to toss two scoreless innings of relief before Sumner Estes worked a scoreless ninth to collect his first save.

at Milwaukee – Friday, April 3 (Game 2) // W, 7-4

Youngstown State scored in five consecutive innings to overcome a three-run deficit and defeat Milwaukee 7-4 to complete the doubleheader sweep on Friday at Franklin Field.
The Panthers were ahead 3-0 after one inning and 4-1 after two frames before the Penguins scored the final six runs of the contest in route to earning the series victory. YSU scored at least one run in five straight innings from the second to the sixth before adding an insurance run in the eighth.
Ryan Schummer went 3-for-4 at the plate while Beckley doubled and drove in two runs. Kuriger singled, walked and scored twice while Brady Shannon homered and drove in a pair of runs for the Penguins offensively.
YSU starter Jack Messmore earned his first win of the season after allowing four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts while matching his season high of 6.1 innings pitched. Sloan Ulrich tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief before Brevin Smith retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his first save.

at Milwaukee – Saturday, April 4 // L, 1-5

Milwaukee salvaged the finale of a three-game Horizon League series with a 5-1 win over Youngstown State on Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field.
The Panthers jumped ahead 4-0 with three runs in the bottom of the first inning and a single tally in the bottom of the second. Milwaukee extended its lead to 5-0 with another single run in the bottom of the sixth before YSU pushed across a run in the top of the seventh to produce the final margin.
Milwaukee starter Riley Peterson allowed one run on two hits with nine strikeouts over seven innings on the mound to earn his second win of the season. Peterson retired the first 14 batters he faced before Brayden Kuriger's two-out single in the top of the fifth inning. The second and final hit allowed by the left-hander was a one-out single by Luke Rossi in the top of the seventh.
YSU starter Brandon Mikos suffered the loss after surrendering five runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks over 5.2 innings. Jake Ferretti and Luke Zmolik did not allow a hit over a combined 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Up Next

Youngstown State is scheduled to open a three-game Horizon League series against Wright State on Friday at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood in Niles, Ohio. First pitch for Friday's series opener is slated for 3 p.m.