Tuesday, May 3
Cincinnati OH
6 PM
Wright State University
at
Cincinnati
Baseball set for midweek tilt at Cincinnati
5/2/2022 4:00:00 PM | Baseball
DAYTON — The Wright State baseball program will match up against Cincinnati on Tuesday, May 3, at UC Baseball Stadium. The non-conference tilt is slated for a 3 p.m. start and will stream on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available.
Wednesday, April 3 - 6 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a three-game sweep over Youngstown State in Horizon League play. WSU rallied back with three unanswered runs to take the series opener 4-3, while Sebastian Gongora fired a three-hit shutout in WSU's 10-0 victory in game two. The Raiders concluded the weekend with a dominating 10-3 win against the Penguins.Â
The pitching staff shined in the sweep with a 1.67 ERA and 27 strikeouts. The offense was efficient with a .316 batting average to go along with nine extra-base hits and 19 walks.Â
PITCHING EXCELLENCE
The Raiders have held opponents to three or fewer runs five times amid their six-game win streak. WSU has tallied three shutouts, two complete games, and 58 strikeouts in the span. Wright State collected back-to-back shutouts against Northern Kentucky two weekends ago. The feat last occurred in 2016, when the Raiders defeated Dayton 1-0 and followed with a 14-0 victory against Eastern Michigan.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Wright State sits atop the Horizon League standings with a 14-4 record. UIC (10-5) is close behind in second, followed by Oakland (11-8) in third. Purdue Fort Wayne (10-13) and Youngstown State (8-11) are both three games below .500 in conference play, while Northern Kentucky (7-11) and Milwaukee (5-12) are in the bottom two spots. The regular-season champion will receive hosting rights for the upcoming Horizon League Championship.Â
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati is 17-24 on the season and in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Out of UC's 24 losses, 14 have been decided by three or fewer runs.Â
The Bearcats boast one of the most talented offenses in the AAC, leading the conference in home runs (61), runs per game (7.1), triples (12), and slugging percentage (.480). Outfielder Griffin Merritt is batting .329 with 11 doubles, one triple, 16 homers, and 45 RBI. Â
HISTORY VS. CINCINNATI
Wright State leads the all-time series 45-40-1. WSU has won four of its last six matchups against the Bearcats dating back to 2018. The teams last met in early April for the second round of the Joe Nuxhall Classic, where the Raiders lost 7-4. Zane Harris led the Raiders by going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI. Garret Simpson and Bradley Deboutte tossed back-to-back scoreless frames in relief.Â
RUNS FOR DAYS
Wright State sits 55th nationally with a conference-best 7.5 runs per game. Four of the top-six individual run-scorers in the HL sport the Green & Gold, led by Sass in second with 38 runs. The Raiders have pushed across 10-plus runs in 10 of their last 22 games.
STAR IN THE MAKING
Alec Sayre is batting .357 with 12 doubles, seven homers, 35 RBI, and 37 runs. He has totaled 17 multi-hit games, including nine three-hit performances. In WSU's 17-10 win at PFW (4/2), Sayre batted 3-for-6 with two homers and a career-high seven RBI. He blasted the game-winning home run in WSU's 11-10 victory at UIC (4/24).Â
HE GETS ON BASE
On the season, Julian Greenwell is batting .336 with 11 doubles, three triples, six home runs, and 35 RBI. He leads the conference in hit by pitch (14) and triples (3), while possessing top-five conference marks in on-base percentage (2nd, .480), OPS (2nd, 1.071), RBI (3rd), slugging percentage (3rd, .591), runs (3rd, 38), and walks (4th, 26).
VETERAN POWER
Gehrig Anglin leads the Horizon League with 11 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 11 homers in just 147 at-bats this season.Â
HE CAN DO IT ALL
On the season, Jay Luikart is batting .310 with 11 doubles, three triples, nine homers, 23 RBI, and 37 runs. The Ashland, Ohio native possesses top-five HL marks in triples (1st), home runs (2nd), slugging percentage (2nd, .620), OPS (3rd, 1.033), and runs (4th). Luikart is 3-1 as WSU's closer with a team-low 2.03 ERA and five saves in 13.1 innings.
HERO OF THE GAME
Avery Fisher had a career day in WSU's 11-10 comeback win at UIC (4/24), as he batted 3-for-4 with three homers, five RBI, three runs, and a hit by pitch. Fisher hit his third home run with two outs in the top of the ninth, a game-tying solo blast over the right-field wall. The Ontario, Ohio native became the third Horizon League player to reach three home runs in a game this season.
WIN NO. 100
Head coach Alex Sogard reached 100 career wins in Wright State's 8-0 win over NKU (4/23). Among fourth-year Division I coaches, Sogard entered the season with the top winning percentage (.680), fewest losses, and third-most wins.
RBI KING
Zane Harris is tied for first in the conference with 37 RBI. The senior has batted .333 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 31 RBI over his last 21 games.Â
PATIENT AT THE PLATE
The Raiders have walked 215 times through 40 games, good for 46th nationally and first in the conference. WSU drew a season-high 13 free passes in its series finale against NKU (3/27).
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 43rd nationally in total hit by pitch (14). Wright State sits atop the Horizon League in HBP (52) as a team.
NEWCOMERS SHOWING OUT
Justin Riemer ranks fourth on the team with a .301 batting average and has added 17 RBI and 22 runs. Drew Baker has batted .294 with three doubles and five RBI in limited action. He doubled twice in his first career start against Xavier (3/16). Chris Gallagher has recorded a 4.13 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 24.0 innings.
ACTIVE STREAKS
Harris » 12-game reached base streak
Anglin » 10-game reached base streak
Greenwell » 9-game reached-base streak
Sass » 8-game reached-base streak
Fisher » 7-game reached-base streak
Sayre » 6-game hitting streak
Shirk » 5-plus innings pitched in seven-straight appearances
Simpson » No runs allowed in four-straight appearances
Wednesday, April 3 - 6 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a three-game sweep over Youngstown State in Horizon League play. WSU rallied back with three unanswered runs to take the series opener 4-3, while Sebastian Gongora fired a three-hit shutout in WSU's 10-0 victory in game two. The Raiders concluded the weekend with a dominating 10-3 win against the Penguins.Â
The pitching staff shined in the sweep with a 1.67 ERA and 27 strikeouts. The offense was efficient with a .316 batting average to go along with nine extra-base hits and 19 walks.Â
PITCHING EXCELLENCE
The Raiders have held opponents to three or fewer runs five times amid their six-game win streak. WSU has tallied three shutouts, two complete games, and 58 strikeouts in the span. Wright State collected back-to-back shutouts against Northern Kentucky two weekends ago. The feat last occurred in 2016, when the Raiders defeated Dayton 1-0 and followed with a 14-0 victory against Eastern Michigan.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Wright State sits atop the Horizon League standings with a 14-4 record. UIC (10-5) is close behind in second, followed by Oakland (11-8) in third. Purdue Fort Wayne (10-13) and Youngstown State (8-11) are both three games below .500 in conference play, while Northern Kentucky (7-11) and Milwaukee (5-12) are in the bottom two spots. The regular-season champion will receive hosting rights for the upcoming Horizon League Championship.Â
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati is 17-24 on the season and in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Out of UC's 24 losses, 14 have been decided by three or fewer runs.Â
The Bearcats boast one of the most talented offenses in the AAC, leading the conference in home runs (61), runs per game (7.1), triples (12), and slugging percentage (.480). Outfielder Griffin Merritt is batting .329 with 11 doubles, one triple, 16 homers, and 45 RBI. Â
HISTORY VS. CINCINNATI
Wright State leads the all-time series 45-40-1. WSU has won four of its last six matchups against the Bearcats dating back to 2018. The teams last met in early April for the second round of the Joe Nuxhall Classic, where the Raiders lost 7-4. Zane Harris led the Raiders by going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI. Garret Simpson and Bradley Deboutte tossed back-to-back scoreless frames in relief.Â
RUNS FOR DAYS
Wright State sits 55th nationally with a conference-best 7.5 runs per game. Four of the top-six individual run-scorers in the HL sport the Green & Gold, led by Sass in second with 38 runs. The Raiders have pushed across 10-plus runs in 10 of their last 22 games.
STAR IN THE MAKING
Alec Sayre is batting .357 with 12 doubles, seven homers, 35 RBI, and 37 runs. He has totaled 17 multi-hit games, including nine three-hit performances. In WSU's 17-10 win at PFW (4/2), Sayre batted 3-for-6 with two homers and a career-high seven RBI. He blasted the game-winning home run in WSU's 11-10 victory at UIC (4/24).Â
HE GETS ON BASE
On the season, Julian Greenwell is batting .336 with 11 doubles, three triples, six home runs, and 35 RBI. He leads the conference in hit by pitch (14) and triples (3), while possessing top-five conference marks in on-base percentage (2nd, .480), OPS (2nd, 1.071), RBI (3rd), slugging percentage (3rd, .591), runs (3rd, 38), and walks (4th, 26).
VETERAN POWER
Gehrig Anglin leads the Horizon League with 11 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 11 homers in just 147 at-bats this season.Â
HE CAN DO IT ALL
On the season, Jay Luikart is batting .310 with 11 doubles, three triples, nine homers, 23 RBI, and 37 runs. The Ashland, Ohio native possesses top-five HL marks in triples (1st), home runs (2nd), slugging percentage (2nd, .620), OPS (3rd, 1.033), and runs (4th). Luikart is 3-1 as WSU's closer with a team-low 2.03 ERA and five saves in 13.1 innings.
HERO OF THE GAME
Avery Fisher had a career day in WSU's 11-10 comeback win at UIC (4/24), as he batted 3-for-4 with three homers, five RBI, three runs, and a hit by pitch. Fisher hit his third home run with two outs in the top of the ninth, a game-tying solo blast over the right-field wall. The Ontario, Ohio native became the third Horizon League player to reach three home runs in a game this season.
WIN NO. 100
Head coach Alex Sogard reached 100 career wins in Wright State's 8-0 win over NKU (4/23). Among fourth-year Division I coaches, Sogard entered the season with the top winning percentage (.680), fewest losses, and third-most wins.
RBI KING
Zane Harris is tied for first in the conference with 37 RBI. The senior has batted .333 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 31 RBI over his last 21 games.Â
PATIENT AT THE PLATE
The Raiders have walked 215 times through 40 games, good for 46th nationally and first in the conference. WSU drew a season-high 13 free passes in its series finale against NKU (3/27).
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 43rd nationally in total hit by pitch (14). Wright State sits atop the Horizon League in HBP (52) as a team.
NEWCOMERS SHOWING OUT
Justin Riemer ranks fourth on the team with a .301 batting average and has added 17 RBI and 22 runs. Drew Baker has batted .294 with three doubles and five RBI in limited action. He doubled twice in his first career start against Xavier (3/16). Chris Gallagher has recorded a 4.13 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 24.0 innings.
ACTIVE STREAKS
Harris » 12-game reached base streak
Anglin » 10-game reached base streak
Greenwell » 9-game reached-base streak
Sass » 8-game reached-base streak
Fisher » 7-game reached-base streak
Sayre » 6-game hitting streak
Shirk » 5-plus innings pitched in seven-straight appearances
Simpson » No runs allowed in four-straight appearances
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP/OF
/ Baseball
1B
/ Baseball
LHP/UTL
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballBaseball Highlights vs. UCF (5/10/23)
Tuesday, May 30
Baseball Highlights vs. Dayton (5/9/23)
Tuesday, May 30
Baseball Highlights vs. Ohio State (5/2/23)
Tuesday, May 30
Baseball Highlights vs. Youngstown State (4/14/23)
Tuesday, May 30
