For his combined success on the baseball field and in the classroom, Youngstown State's Braden Gebhardt was named the Horizon League Male Spring Scholar-Athlete of the Season, the conference office announced on Wednesday.
Gebhardt, a native of Howland, Ohio, becomes the second YSU men's student-athlete to be named a Scholar-Athlete of the Season. He is just the fourth Penguin across all sports to earn the distinction from the Horizon League, joining volleyball standout Abbie Householder (Fall 2025), cross country and track and field runner Morgan Cole (Fall 2022 and Winter 2023) and track and field standout Lukas Lang (Winter 2026).
The Horizon League recognizes student-athletes at the conclusion of each of its three athletic seasons as the Scholar-Athlete of the Season. Honorees are selected based on a combination of athletic and academic achievement by the League's faculty athletics representatives. To be eligible for Scholar-Athlete of the Season consideration, a student-athlete must be a member of that sport's current-year all-academic team.
Gebhardt became the sixth player in YSU history and the first since Matt Brosky in 2022 to be named Horizon League Pitcher of the Year in 2026. He posted a 5-4 record, a 3.19 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 87.1 innings pitched while matching the single-season school record with 15 starts on the mound in route to First-Team All-Horizon League honors. Gebhardt was named the Horizon League's Pitcher of the Week a record six times during the 2026 season, and he was named as one of 43 semifinalists for the 2026 College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Award on April 22. The senior southpaw led the Horizon League in strikeouts, ERA and innings pitched. Following the 2026 season, Gebhardt was selected to the ABCA/Rawlings East All-Region Second Team.
Gebhardt was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Baseball Team for the third straight season to become just the second three-time honoree in program history. He is the first Penguin to earn Academic All-District honors three times since Josh Page from 2006-08. Gebhardt maintained a 3.95 GPA as a marketing major, and he graduated from YSU this past spring with his bachelor's degree. He also earned a spot on the Horizon League All-Academic Team for the third consecutive campaign in 2026.
