INDIANAPOLIS – On Tuesday, the Horizon League announced its baseball all-league awards for the 2026 season. Milwaukee was well represented with five selections on the first team, while Camden Kuhnke earned Reliever of the Year honors.
 
Kuhnke was a First Team All-League selection in addition to his individual accolade. He was joined on the first team by starting pitcher Gavin Theis, outfielders Charlie Marion and Dylan O'Connell, and Dominic Kibler, who was selected to the first team in the flex position, splitting his time between catcher and designated hitter.
 
The five first-team selections are a new program record, breaking the previous mark of four set in 2025, 2013, 2009, 2001, and 2000.
 
Max Glusick was a selection to the All-Freshman team, while Sotaro Ishida was Milwaukee's finalist for the Sportsmanship award.
 
Kuhnke was the Horizon League's top reliever, finishing the regular season as the league leader in saves with five. He posted a 3.10 ERA over 22 appearances out of the bullpen and struck out 29 batters over as many innings. In league games, the right-hander stuck out 16 batters over 17 1/3 innings and pitched to a 3.12 ERA with a 2-1 record.
 
At the top of Milwaukee's weekend rotation was Theis, who earns his second consecutive spot on the league's top team. This season, he pitched to a 5.55 ERA with a 2-3 overall record with 50 strikeouts over 61 2/3 innings. Against Horizon League competition, Theis lowered his ERA to 5.09, with 30 of his strikeouts coming over 40 2/3 frames.
 
Theis becomes the first player to earn multiple All-League First Team selections since AJ Blubaugh, who earned consecutive selections in 2021 and 2022.
 
Marion was one of the top hitters in league play in 2026, leading the Panthers with 33 RBIs on 33 hits, including 10 doubles and seven home runs. Marion scored 25 runs and hit .330 with a 1.044 OPS. Overall this season, he hit .308 on 57 hits with 50 RBIs while scoring 42 runs. He adds to his collection of awards after earning Horizon League Batter of the Week to close the regular season and was also a member of the 2025 All-Tournament Team.
 
O'Connell finished the 2026 regular season as one of the top-five base stealers in all of Division I, ending the regular campaign with 40 steals in 43 attempts and setting a new Milwaukee single-season record in the process. In addition to his base-stealing prowess, O'Connell was a consistent hitter in the Panthers lineup, hitting a team-high .344 with 64 hits, including 15 doubles, a triple, and eight home runs. Batting in the three-spot in Milwaukee's lineup, O'Connell scored a team-high 56 runs while driving in 39. He led the Panthers with 33 runs scored in 24 conference games while hitting .344 with 32 hits in 94 at bats.
 
Rounding out Milwaukee's first-team honorees was Kibler, who hit .386 in conference games this season while driving in 28 runs and scoring 24. Fourteen of his 32 hits in league play came for extra bases, including eight doubles and six home runs. He drew 19 walks for a .527 on-base percentage, wrapping up league play with a team-best 1.226 OPS. Overall, during his first season with the Panthers, Kibler hit .330 with a team-best 1.064 OPS while recording 59 hits and drawing 40 walks. He was tied for the team lead with 11 home runs and contributed with 12 doubles and a triple. He ranked third on the team with 13 stolen bases.
 
Glusick makes it consecutive seasons that Milwaukee has had a player selected to the All-Freshman Team, following Tate Schmidt, who was selected a season ago. Glusick had a strong start to his 2026 season, with 21 hits in 80 at bats for a .263 average. He had two home runs and 16 RBIs while scoring eight runs. Playing in just 27 games, he made 21 starts but missed the latter half of the schedule with an injury.
 
With five selections on the first team, Milwaukee was tied for the league lead with Wright State. The Raiders had first baseman Keegan Holmstrom, second baseman Hunter Warren, outfielder Andrew Duncan, and starting pitchers Chet Lax and Griffen Paige named to the First Team.
 
Northern Kentucky's Jake Paulick was named Player of the Year while Youngstown State's Braden Gebhardt earned Pitcher of the Year honors. Holmstrom was selected as Freshman of the Year, while Wright State head coach Alex Sogard earned Coach of the Year accolades.
 
The 2026 Horizon League Championship gets underway on Wednesday evening with the play-in single elimination game as fourth-seeded Youngstown State takes on fifth-seeded Oakland. The winner will advance to take on top-seeded Wright State in Thursday's second game.

In Thursday's opener, second-seeded Milwaukee will take on third-seeded Northern Kentucky with first pitch set for 10:00 a.m. (CT) at Nischwitz Stadium.