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 fifth 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 one earned run on four hits with eight strikeouts over six innings to earn his fourth win of the season in YSU's 13-11 victory over Milwaukee in the Horizon League series opener on Friday. The Howland, Ohio, native recorded at least one strikeout in five of the six innings he was on the mound while walking just two batters and retiring the side in order in two different frames.
Gebhardt, who was named as one of 43 semifinalists for the College Baseball Foundation 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Award on April 22, was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week three times in as many weeks to begin the 2026 season. He is the only pitcher in the league to claim the honor at least three times this 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.
Gebhardt did not allow an earned run while limiting Oregon to two hits over seven strong innings on the mound in YSU's 3-0 loss to the Ducks on Feb. 20 at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. He also recorded 11 strikeouts over six innings in a stellar Opening Day effort in a 2-1 loss at Auburn in the 2026 season opener on Feb. 13. In the first start of his senior season, Gebhardt was responsible for one unearned run on two hits with 11 strikeouts over six innings on the mound. He posted the most strikeouts in a game by a YSU pitcher since Collin Floyd fanned 12 batters against Milwaukee on April 9, 2021.
Through games completed on May 10, Gebhardt leads the Horizon League while ranking 38th nationally with 90 strikeouts and 12th in the country with 13 games started. He also paces the league in ERA (2.96), innings pitched (76.0), WHIP (1.18) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.66). Gebhardt's 90 strikeouts currently rank as the sixth most in a single season in program history. The senior southpaw became just the ninth pitcher in YSU history to reach 200 career strikeouts in the series opener with Wright State on April 10. Gebhardt currently ranks sixth in program history with 226 career strikeouts, and he ranks 11th in school history with 235.0 career innings pitched.
The Penguins will conclude their 2026 regular season this week with a three-game Horizon League series at regular season champion Wright State. First pitch for Thursday's series opener at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton is scheduled for 3 p.m.
For the latest news and updates throughout the 2026 season, follow @YSUBaseball on X and Instagram.
