DAYTON — The Wright State baseball program will take a break from Horizon League action to face Bradley for a three-game set from April 9-10 at Dozer Park in Peoria, Illinois. The series will start on Saturday, April 9, with a 1 p.m. ET doubleheader and conclude on Sunday, April 10, at 2 p.m. ET. All three games will air on ESPN3. Live stats will also be available.

Game 1 (7 innings) - Saturday, April 9 - 1 p.m. ET - Watch - Live Stats
WSU RHP Jake Shirk (2-4, 6.37 ERA, 35.1 IP)
BU RHP Jacob Kisting (4-2, 4.50 ERA, 40.0 IP)

Game 2 (9 innings) - Saturday, April 9 - 4 p.m. ET - Watch - Live Stats
WSU LHP Sebastian Gongora (2-1, 9.09 ERA, 31.2 IP)
BU RHP Nick King (0-3, 5.45 ERA, 34.2 IP)

Game 3 - Sunday, April 10 - 2 p.m. ET - Watch -  Live Stats
WSU LHP Alex Theis (2-0, 4.74 ERA, 19.0 IP)
BU TBA

LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders are coming off a loss at Cincinnati in the second leg of the Joe Nuxhall Classic. Alec Sayre tied the matchup 2-2 with an RBI single in the top of the third but the Bearcats responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame and extended their lead to 7-2 in the sixth. WSU made a late push with two runs in the top of the ninth, but finished on the losing side of a 7-4 decision. 

A weekend ago, Wright State collected its second Horizon League sweep in a row, taking three games from Purdue Fort Wayne. WSU combined for 34 runs while holding the Mastodons to three runs in the series opener and closer. Wright State batted .280 with 10 extra-base hits and seven stolen bases as a team. The Raider defense committed a mere two errors.

SCOUTING THE BRAVES
Bradley sits at 8-15 overall with series wins over Western Michigan and Tennessee Tech. The Braves have lost three of their last four games, most recently falling to Iowa 9-8 in 11 innings. Offensively, Bradley is 46th nationally in batting average (.296) and 77th in runs per game (7.0). The pitching staff has a combined 6.66 ERA, good for eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference. 

Junior first baseman Connor O'Brien possesses team-leading marks in batting average (.404), doubles (9), home runs (5), RBI (25), and OPS (1.114). Jacob Kisting has been Bradley's most consistent starting pitcher, as he is 4-2 on the year with a 4.50 ERA in a team-high 40.0 innings.

HISTORY VS. BRADLEY
Bradley leads the all-time series 5-4. All nine meetings have occurred at Nischwitz Stadium or a neutral site. The teams last faced off during the 2014 season, where WSU lost the opener but bounced back for a 9-7 win in the rematch. In the victory, current Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy batted 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, and an RBI. The Raiders also split a doubleheader against the Braves at home in 2013. 

RUNS FOR DAYS
Wright State sits 32nd nationally with a conference-best 7.9 runs per game. Six of the top-seven individual run-scorers in the HL sport the Green & Gold, led by Sammy Sass and Jay Luikart in a tie for first with 26 runs. 

REMEMBER THE NAME
Alex Theis has gone 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA and 21 strikeouts over his last three appearances, allowing just two runs on 12 hits and four walks in a combined 12.1 innings. Against Ohio State (3/22), the left-hander held the Buckeyes scoreless on one hit and no walks while striking out five in 2.1 innings. The New Riegel, Ohio native struck out a career-high nine batters at Purdue Fort Wayne (4/3) en route to his second win of the year. 

HEATING UP
Over Luikart's last 11 games, he has gone 20-for-47 (.426) at the plate with five doubles, two triples, three homers, 12 RBI, and 20 runs scored. The sophomore has recorded a career-high three hits versus Oakland (3/20), Ohio State (3/22), and NKU (3/25) while garnering an extra-base hit in his last five games. On the mound, Luikart is 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA and three saves in 6.2 innings. He collected his first save of the season in WSU's 6-3 win over Indiana State (3/10).

STAR IN THE MAKING
To date, Sayre sits atop the HL in hits (38), doubles (11), doubles per game (0.44), and total bases (64). He also ranks second in RBI (26), fourth in home runs (5), and fifth in batting average (.358) and slugging percentage (.604).  

HE GETS ON BASE
On the season, Greenwell is batting .345 with six doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 26 RBI. He leads the conference in triples and hit by pitch (12) while also possessing top-five HL marks in on-base percentage (2nd, .512), runs (T-3rd, 25), walks (T-3rd, 20), OPS (4th, 1.075), and RBI (T-5th).

VETERAN POWER
Gehrig Anglin is tied for 26th nationally with a conference-leading 10 home runs. The redshirt junior homered nine times in a 15-game span, starting at Oral Roberts (2/28) and ending against NKU (3/27). He entered the 2022 campaign with three homers in 178 career at-bats. The St. Clair, Mich., native has slugged 10 homers in just 94 at-bats this season.

In addition to home runs, Anglin is tied for second in the Horizon League in RBI (26) while ranking third in slugging percentage (.660) and runs (25). 

LET'S GO STREAKING
Zane Harris has driven in a run in seven-straight games. In the span, he is 10-for-27 at the plate with three doubles, three homers, and 17 RBI, climbing his batting average from .192 to .240.  

PATIENT AT THE PLATE
The Raiders have walked 155 times through 26 games, good for 19th nationally and first in the conference. WSU drew a season-high 13 free passes in its series finale against Northern Kentucky. 

BALL MAGNET
Greenwell was plunked in four consecutive plate appearances at Georgia Tech and five times overall in the season-opening series. To date, Greenwell ranks 17th nationally in total hit by pitch (12) and 18th in hit by pitch per game (0.48). Wright State sits atop the Horizon League in HBP (36) as a team.

CONSISTENT ON THE MOUND
Jake Shirk is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA and 16 strikeouts in his last three starts on the mound. The sophomore has given up three or fewer earned runs while lasting five-plus innings in each appearance. 

NEWCOMERS SHOWING OUT
Justin Riemer ranks fifth on the team with a .282 batting average and has added 15 RBI and 17 runs. The redshirt freshman has started the last 14 games at second base. Drew Baker has batted .292 with three doubles and four RBI in limited action. He doubled twice in his first career start against Xavier (3/16). Over Chris Gallagher's last 11 appearances, he has recorded a 0.98 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.

ACTIVE STREAKS
Sayre » 17-game reached base streak
Anglin, Harris & Riemer » 14-game reached base streak
Anglin & Greenwell » Has scored in 10-straight games
Harris » Has an RBI in seven-straight games
Sayre » 5-game hitting streak
Gallagher » No earned runs allowed in three-straight appearances

"POWER 5" DOMINANCE
After defeating Virginia Tech on March 4, Wright State has knocked off a "Power Five" conference program 19 times since 2014.

2/16/14 — vs. Michigan State (Neutral Site) — W, 7-1
3/1/14 — at #4 Oregon State — W, 6-2
2/22/15 - at #18 Ole Miss — W, 3-1
3/1/15 — at #11 Miami — W, 12-6
5/31/15 — vs. Notre Dame (NCAA Regional) — W, 4-0
2/26/16 — at #8 NC State — W, 10-8
3/5/16 — at Georgia — W, 3-1
6/5/16 — vs. #20 Ohio State (NCAA Regional) — W, 7-3
2/17/17 — at #10 Clemson — W, 6-4
2/19/17 — at #10 Clemson — W, 9-2
2/26/17 — at #4 South Carolina — W, 5-1
3/5/17 — vs. Pittsburgh (Neutral site) — W, 3-1
2/16/19 — at #10 Ole Miss — W, 9-5
2/24/19 — at #19 Oklahoma State — W, 5-4
4/3/19 — at Indiana — W, 15-4
2/19/20 — at #1 Louisville — W, 10-3
3/6/20 — at #11 Tennessee — W, 5-4
3/8/20 — at #11 Tennessee — W, 6-3
3/4/22 — at Virginia Tech — W, 11-5 

PRESEASON ATTENTION
The Raiders were projected to win the Horizon League in the conference's annual preseason poll, collecting 42 points and six first-place votes, ahead of UIC in second with 35 points. WSU also topped the D1Baseball.com preseason poll, in addition to Sammy Sass tabbing preseason Player of the Year and Andrew Patrick earning preseason Freshman of the Year.

TOP PROSPECTS
D1Baseball listed several WSU players as top positional and overall prospects ahead of the 2022 season. A pair of returners in Logan Tabeling and Sayre were listed as top 250 prospects for the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft. Sass was ranked 17th among D1 catchers, while Sayre checked in as the 19th-best outfielder. A fifth-year senior in Zane Harris was listed as the No. 21 first baseman in the site's positional rankings.  

RETURNING TALENT
Offensively, WSU returns eight players that appeared in over half of its games last season. The group includes all-conference selections Sass, Sayre, and Harris. The pitching staff features nine individuals who made eight or more appearances, led by Jake Shirk, who went 7-0 with a 2.01 ERA in 22.1 innings of work as a freshman.

COACHING SUCCESS
Alex Sogard, the seventh-youngest active head coach in Division I baseball, is 95-53 at the helm of the Raiders. Among fourth-year D1 coaches entering the season, he possessed the top winning percentage (.680), fewest losses, and third-most wins. Sogard collected 2021 ABCA/ATEC East Coach of the Year honors after guiding WSU to the 2021 Knoxville Regional. The Phoenix, Arizona, native led the Raiders to a 42-17 record in 2019, the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history. Wright State beat three ranked teams in 2019 and took down top-ranked Louisville in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign before going 35-13 in 2021 on the way to the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles. In June 2021, Sogard was named to the 2021 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team coaching staff. 

LEADING THE NATION
Wright State led Division I baseball in the following statistical categories a season ago: 

» Batting average (.339)
» Doubles per game (2.71)
» On-base percentage (.447)
» Scoring (10.5)
» Slugging percentage (.579)
» Quincy Hamilton - Bases on balls per game (1.17)
» Quincy Hamilton - Runs per game (1.62)

WSU TO THE MAJORS
Wright State saw three total players selected in Major League Baseball's 2021 first-year player draft, along with another two signing free agent contracts. The three selections, all inside the top 10 rounds, give the Raiders 16 total draftees over the last seven drafts dating back to 2015 and 40 total players in program history.