The WVU Tech Athletic Department has announced its Golden Bear Athletes of the Week for April 20–26, 2026. This week’s honors go to seniors Braedan Pakkala (baseball) and Hailea Skeens (softball) following standout performances in collegiate competition.

Braedan Pakkala (Sudbury, Ontario, Canada)
Pakkala delivered WVU Tech’s top pitching performance of the week in the Golden Bears’ conference series against Midway. The senior left-hander allowed just one earned run across 7.0 innings while striking out five in the series finale.

Pakkala kept the Golden Bears in position throughout the game, limiting Midway’s offense and posting a 1.29 ERA for the outing. He also added steady defensive play in the field during the week.

Hailea Skeens (Peytona, W.Va.)
Skeens paced the Golden Bears offensively during a four-game conference stretch, batting .467 (7-for-15) with a double, triple and three RBIs. The senior shortstop posted a team-best .667 slugging percentage while recording multiple hits in three of four games.

She also contributed defensively with a .933 fielding percentage across 15 chances while helping WVU Tech generate offense on the basepaths and in scoring situations throughout the week.