The Youngstown State baseball team (10-37, 7-11 HL) will host Milwaukee (18-29, 10-8 HL) for a three-game Horizon League series beginning on Friday at 11 a.m. at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood in Niles, Ohio.

After opening the series on Friday, the Penguins and Panthers are scheduled to play on Saturday at 3 p.m. before concluding the series on Sunday at noon.

Live audio for all three games will be available on 1390 WNIO and the iHeartRadio app while live stats will be available through links posted on YSUsports.com. Fans can also follow @YSUBaseball on X for live updates.

Youngstown State vs. Milwaukee

Opponent	Date	Location	Audio	Live Stats
	Friday May 8 | 11 AM ET	717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood Niles, Ohio	1390 WNIO	Live Stats
	Saturday May 9 | 3 PM ET	717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood Niles, Ohio	1390 WNIO	Live Stats
	Sunday May 10 | 12 PM ET	717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood Niles, Ohio	1390 WNIO	Live Stats

Promotions and Fan Information

• 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood
• 2026 YSU Baseball Promotions Schedule
• Admission for fans will be free throughout the remainder of YSU's 2026 home schedule. The front gate at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood will open approximately one hour prior to first pitch, and fans are advised that pets are not permitted inside the gates.
• Friday's series opener will be the annual Akron Children's School Day Game with thousands of area students in attendance.
• Saturday's game will feature $4 16-ounce beer at the concession stand and a Chick-Fil-A Sandwich Card Giveaway while supplies last.
• Sunday's series finale will feature a pre-game ceremony beginning at 11:30 a.m. honoring YSU's 2026 Senior Class prior to their final home game at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood.

A Glimpse at the Guins

• Senior left-hander Braden Gebhardt will start on the mound for the Penguins in the series opener on Friday while senior right-hander Jack Messmore is slated to start game two of the series on Saturday. Redshirt senior right-hander Brandon Mikos is scheduled to take the ball for YSU in the series finale on Sunday.
• Youngstown State has dropped its last three decisions after a 15-5 non-league loss to Eastern Michigan on Wednesday at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood. The Penguins fell in the final two games of a three-game Horizon League series against Northern Kentucky this past weekend. YSU won the series opener 11-6 on Friday before the Norse evened the series with a 13-1 victory on Saturday. NKU earned the series win with a 7-4 win in the series finale on Sunday.
• Youngstown State earned a three-game Horizon League series sweep at Oakland on April 17-19. YSU held on for a 13-12 victory in game one of a doubleheader on April 17 to open the series before collecting the series win with a 16-2 triumph in seven innings game two of the twin bill. The Penguins completed the series sweep with a 6-4 win in the finale on April 18. YSU picked up its first series sweep since winning three contests at Purdue Fort Wayne on May 5-7, 2023. The Penguins recorded their two highest scoring outputs of the 2026 season with 13 runs and 15 hits in the series opener at Oakland followed by seasons highs of 16 runs and 17 hits in game two of the doubleheader sweep.
• Youngstown State earned its first Horizon League series win of the season after taking two of three games at Milwaukee on April 3-4. The Penguins swept a doubleheader with wins of 5-3 and 7-4, respectively, on April 3 before dropping a 5-1 decision in the series finale on April 4. The Penguins have now won four of the last five and five of the last seven meetings with Milwaukee in an all-time series dating back to May 20, 1977.
• Senior left-hander Braden Gebhardt was named as one of 43 semifinalists for the College Baseball Foundation 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Award on April 22. The Howland, Ohio, native was also named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time in 2026 on April 20. Gebhardt 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 doubleheader on April 17. 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.
• Through games completed on May 3, Gebhardt led the Horizon League while ranking 40th nationally with 82 strikeouts and 15th in the country with 12 games started. The senior's 82 strikeouts currently rank tied for the 10th-most in a single season in program history. He also paces the league in ERA (3.09), innings pitched (70.0) and WHIP (1.20). 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 seventh in program history with 218 career strikeouts, and he ranks 12th in school history with 229.0 career innings pitched. He allowed his first earned run of the 2026 season during his 30th inning of work in his fifth start against Oakland on March 13.
• Redshirt junior outfielder Brady Shannon is tied for the Horizon League lead with 13 home runs while also ranking fifth in the league with a .552 slugging percentage. The Youngstown, Ohio, native leads YSU with 13 homers, 30 runs scored, 28 RBIs and 80 total bases. Shannon went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and four RBIs in the series opener at NKU on March 27. Shannon currently ranks tied for tied for sixth in YSU history with 23 career home runs as a Penguin. The redshirt junior has also become the first player in program history to hit at least 10 homers in two different seasons. Shannon hit his league-leading 13th homer of the season, a 470-foot blast to left center field, in the series finale with NKU on Sunday.
• Redshirt senior infielder Garrett Cutting owns a 10-game hitting streak entering the upcoming weekend of action. Over that 10-game stretch, Cutting is batting .341 and slugging .829 with five doubles, five home runs and 12 RBIs. The Las Vegas, Nev., native has hit a home run in four of his last six games. Cutting went 2-for-5 with and RBI double while homering for the second straight day in the series finale with NKU on Sunday.
• Redshirt junior utility player Nathan Beckley has now hit safely in 21 of his last 30 games while putting together a nine-game hitting streak from March 14-28. The Aliso Viejo, Calif., native is batting .284 and slugging .466 while leading the Penguins in doubles (14), triples (2) and walks (22). Beckley ranks tied for third in the Horizon League in triples while also ranking tied for fourth in doubles and tied for ninth in walks.
• Freshman infielder Alex Jang is batting .290 and slugging .432 over 43 games played and 39 starts. The Las Vegas, Nev., native has hit safely in eight of his last 11 games and in 21 of his last 31 contests. 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 also went 3-for-5 with his first career triple in the series opener at Milwaukee on April 3. Jang leads the Penguins with 47 hits and 15 multi-hit games on the season.
• Senior right-hander Jack Messmore ranks fourth in the Horizon League in innings pitched (59.0), seventh in ERA (6.10) and 10th in strikeouts (35). The Niceville, Fla., native has matched his teammate Gebhardt with a team and league best 12 starts on the mound to rank 15th nationally in games started. 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 earned his first win of the season after allowing four runs and fanning three batters while matching his season high of 6.1 innings pitched in YSU's 7-4 win at Milwaukee on April 3. Messmore also hit a home run in his first plate appearance of the season while serving as the designated hitter in the series opener with Wright State on April 10.
• Freshman infielder Misael Uriepero has hit safely in 10 of his last 16 games while being the only Penguin to play in and start all 47 games to this point in the 2026 season. The Caracas, Venezuela, native matched his career high with three hits by going 3-for-5 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in YSU's 11-10 victory at Toledo on April 21. Uriepero ranks tied for eighth in the Horizon League with a team-high 11 stolen bases.
• The Penguins have been hit hard by injuries to key position players throughout the 2026 season. Fifth-year senior outfielder Kendal Spencer started each of YSU's first 17 games before missing 28 consecutive games due to injury. Spencer, a two-time All-Region selection at Division II Savannah State, saw his first game action since March 15 when he appeared as a pinch runner in the series finale with NKU on Sunday. Sophomore infielder Jay Wrona, who was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team in 2025, played in just six games before being shut down due to injury. Senior outfielder Brayden Kuriger, who was named to the 2025 Horizon League All-Tournament Team, has missed the last 18 contests after starting each of YSU's first 29 games in the outfield. Sophomore catcher Caleb Hadley played in 10 games before also being lost for the season due to injury. Redshirt junior infielder Luke Rossi has missed 16 games due to injury, and redshirt freshman infielder Nick Miscavage has missed a total of 34 games throughout the campaign.
• 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.

Series Preview

A Win on Friday Would…

• Improve YSU's record to 2-4 this season at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood.
• Improve YSU's Horizon League record to 8-11.
• Snap a three-game losing skid.
• Give the Guins their third victory in the first four meetings with Milwaukee this season.
• Give YSU six wins in the last eight meetings with Milwaukee overall.
• Give Trevor Charpie his 26th career coaching victory.

Scouting Milwaukee

• Milwaukee enters this weekend's series with an 18-29 overall record and a 10-8 mark in Horizon League play to sit in second place in the league standings. The Panthers have won three of their last four games after winning a pair of non-league contests earlier this week. Milwaukee earned a 6-4 home win over Valparaiso on Tuesday before picking up a 12-6 victory at UIC on Wednesday.
• The Panthers have won seven of their last nine Horizon League games after winning two of three home games against league-leading Wright State on April 24-26 in their most recent league contests.
• Junior outfielder Dylan O'Connell is batting .352 and slugging .599 while leading the Panthers with 57 hits, 14 doubles, eight home runs, 49 runs scored and a league-high 35 stolen bases. Junior catcher/outfielder Dominic Kibler is batting .325 and slugging .548 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and a team-high 47 RBIs. Milwaukee currently ranks fourth in the Horizon League with a .269 team batting average. The Panthers rank 30th nationally with a league-leading 107 stolen bases.
• Graduate right-hander Gavin Theis has a 2-2 record and a 4.13 ERA with 46 strikeouts in a team-high 56.2 innings pitched over 10 starts on the mound. Junior left-hander Riley Peterson leads Milwaukee with 56 strikeouts in 49.2 innings pitched over 12 appearances and 11 starts. Junior right-hander Camden Kuhnke owns a 2-1 record and a team-high four saves while being tied for the team lead with 20 total appearances out of the bullpen. Milwaukee ranks second in the Horizon League with an 7.41 team ERA.

Series History

• Overall: Milwaukee leads 78-54
• Charpie: 5-4 // H: 29-34 // A: 18-32 // N: 7-12
• Current Win Streak: 1 by Milwaukee
• Last Meeting: April 4, 2026 (L, 1-5)
• First Meeting: May 20, 1977 (L, 3-4)
• The Penguins have won four of the last five and five of the last seven meetings with Milwaukee in an all-time series dating back to May 20, 1977.
• Youngstown State won two of three games at Milwaukee earlier this season on April 3-4. The Penguins swept a doubleheader at Franklin Field on April 3 with wins of 5-3 and 7-4, respectively, before the Panthers salvaged the series finale with a 5-1 win on April 4.
• YSU also won two of three games at Milwaukee last April in the final series between the two teams during the 2025 season. Milwaukee won two of three games at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood in mid-March in the first series between the programs last season.

Recapping Last Game

vs. Eastern Michigan – Wednesday, May 6 // L, 5-15

• Eastern Michigan scored eight runs in the top of the fourth inning and went on to defeat Youngstown State 15-5 in a non-league matchup on Wednesday at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood.
• The Eagles scored twice in the top of the first inning before the Penguins pulled even with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. EMU erupted for eight runs on five hits in the top of the fourth to go back in front before adding one run in the fifth to build an 11-2 advantage.
• YSU trimmed its deficit to 11-5 when Ryan Schummer belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, but EMU answered with a three-run homer of its own in the top of the sixth to lead 14-5. The Eagles added a single tally on a solo blast in the top of the ninth for the final margin.
• Brady Shannon and Misael Uriepero each notched two hits including a double while Chyran Humphries added a two-run single for the Penguins, who were topped in the hit column by the Eagles, 14-8.
• YSU starter Mikey Rodriques suffered the loss after surrendering seven runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks over 3.2 innings. Lane Rhodes was responsible for three runs as the first of three relievers to appear in the game for the Penguins. Jake Ferretti allowed four runs while fanning three batters over two innings while Griffin Almond permitted one run over three innings on the mound.

Up Next

Youngstown State will conclude the 2026 regular season with a three-game Horizon League series at Wright State on May 14-16. First pitch for the series opener on May 14 is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio.