WARREN - The Youngstown State baseball field is just five minutes from Braden Gebhart’s home. But the 17th-rated 2022 southpaw in Ohio had not really considered going to school there … until recently.

“I never thought about it,” admitted the Howland High School senior. “I always wanted to get away from home.”

That has now changed after a commitment to the Horizon League university.

“I never saw the hidden gem in my own backyard,” Gebhardt said of YSU. “I don’t know how I never looked.”

That is, until a connection took place three months ago.

“Coach Davis has umpired at a Youngstown B League since I was a kid,” Gebhardt said of YSU pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Shane Davis. “I played in front of him since I was 13, but I traveled this year and he didn’t get to see me play. So I reached out.”

Seton Hill and Walsh were other schools being considered as senior year of high school began passing by.

“I was weighing all my options,” Gebhardt related. “I went there and loved the campus. The program was awesome, the weight room was awesome and the coaches are awesome. It was plain as day when it all came down to it.”

More stood out in making the right college choice.

“The competitiveness when I went to see a practice,” Gebhardt pointed out about what he liked about the program at Youngstown State. “It was a head-to-head scrimmage and they were pushing each other to reach their peak performance.”

Davis and the YSU coaching staff saw promise in the 84th-ranked 2022 in Ohio.

“They said I have a projectable body with a lot of room to improve and grow,” the 6-2 223-pounder noted. “They also like how competitive I was on the mound and how I battle every batter.”

Recent improvement has proven beneficial.

“There’s been a ton of progress made the last three months,” Gebhardt explained. “I started working out at Prospect Performance Academy and that’s helped. Mentally I’m becoming more knowledgeable on the mound. And my velocity, I’ve also made a big jump there.

“Now I’m working on pitch shape, how things move and the selection I choose. All that will help in game-time situations.”

The college baseball dream began early in life.

“I fell in love with baseball when I was five,” Gebhardt said. “Seventh grade is when I started to feel I had a chance to play college baseball. I’ve always been competitive and stood out in a crowd of players. Other people since I was a kid said they see something special, but it took me awhile to see it. Hard work made it happen.”

Still, the recruiting process was far from easy.

“It was definitely long,” the 17-year-old admitted. “It wasn’t overwhelmingly stressful, but it was definitely stressful waiting to hear back from people. I emailed coaches asking when they had camps and I did PBR events and showcases.

“PBR definitely, definitely, definitely helped,” Gebhardt continued. “When I did my first PBR event it opened my eyes up to what I should be doing. Seeing coaches in the stands and behind fences showed where I needed to be to get out to coaches.”

A 3.95 student with plans to major in marketing, Gebhardt sees being a huge asset to the YSU program.

“Definitely competitiveness,” Gebhardt said of what he will bring to the next level. “I will push teammates to get to their peak potential and, hopefully, freshman year I’ll be a crucial part of the pitching rotation.”

There is more to anticipate at college, according to Gebhart, who mentioned Jim Devine, director of player development at Diamond Nine, and his parents as being key components in getting to where he is now as a Youngstown State commit.

“I’m looking forward to having an amazing experience at YSU with my teammates and the friends I’ll make,” Gebhardt said. “They will be lifetime relationships and I look forward to those bonds.”

A commitment brought happiness as well for Gebhardt and family.

“It was definitely a relief to finally make a decision,” Gebhardt concluded. “I’m excited to see what the next four years bring. My grandfather and father went to YSU and are ecstatic that I chose to be there for the next four years.”