SHAWNEE – A pair of former Oklahoma Baptist University baseball standouts recently earned All-Star nods with their respective pro teams. Taylor Hearn was selected to participate in the 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) All-Star Game, while Jake Gozzo was selected to play in the American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) All-Star Game.
Hearn is currently 2-1 with a 0.88 ERA and one save in 32 appearances for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He has recorded 40 strikeouts and just nine walks in 30.2 innings this season.
Hearn was a fifth-round pick of the Washington Nationals in 2015 following his lone season at OBU. While pitching for the Bison, Hearn was a perfect 9-0 with a 3.51 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 64.1 innings during the 2015 campaign. He has pitched at the Major League level for the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers, logging more than 100 appearances.
Gozzo has made 19 appearances for the Kane County Cougars this season and has tallied nine saves and 25 strikeouts in 18.0 innings of work. He made the transition to the mound after playing primarily in the outfield at Oklahoma Baptist. Gozzo batted .337 with 32 homers and 118 RBI during his career on Bison Hill. He is one of five players in OBU history to record 20 or more homers in a single season.
Gozzo signed with the Cincinnati Reds as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and spent parts of four seasons in the organization before joining Kane County in 2024.
