Tuesday, May 9
Dayton, OH
6 PM
Wright State University
vs
Dayton
Photo by: Alex Underwood
Baseball to host Dayton and UCF at Nischwitz Stadium
5/8/2023 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
DAYTON — The Wright State baseball program will host two midweek contests at Nischwitz Stadium from May 9-10. The Raiders will face crosstown foe Dayton on Tuesday, followed by a Wednesday matchup versus Central Florida. Both games will begin at 6 p.m. and broadcast live on ESPN+ with Chris Collins on the call.
Tuesday, May 9 - 6 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats
WSU RHP Garret Simpson (0-0, 8.25 ERA, 12.0 IP)
UD RHP J.J. Gatti (0-0, 5.56 ERA, 11.1 IP)
Wednesday, May 10 - 6 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats
- Starting pitching to be determined for both teams.
LAST TIME OUT
WSU is coming off a 4-0 week at home, taking down Ohio State 3-1 and securing a weekend sweep over Northern Kentucky. The Raiders defeated OSU for the second time this season, limiting the Buckeyes to just one run on eight hits while striking out 20 batters in the stretch. Wright State outscored the Norse 26-12 over three games to move into sole first place in the Horizon League standings.
Andrew Patrick paced the WSU offense by slashing .474/.500/1.105 with three doubles, three homers, five runs batted in, six runs scored, and a 5-of-6 mark on stolen bases in the four victories. Joey Valentine went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched over three appearances in relief.
HISTORY VS. UD
Wright State leads the all-time series 88-46-1, which includes a 17-2 mark against Dayton dating back to the 2009 season. The Raiders fell to UD 8-3 at Day Air Ballpark in the first meeting between the two teams this season on April 18.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton is 18-30 overall under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Jayson King. The Flyers boast a 10-8 record in conference action, highlighted by series wins over Rhode Island, Saint Louis, George Mason, and George Washington.
Senior infielder Ben Jones has been UD's top hitter, as he leads the team in batting average (.361), doubles (12), runs (42), and OPS (1.054). Senior first baseman Marcos Pujols is batting .320 with seven doubles, 10 homers, and 32 RBI.
HISTORY VS. UCF
Wednesday will mark the second-ever meeting between Wright State and Central Florida. The Raiders fell to UCF 6-5 on the road during the 1991 season.
Seventh-year head coach Greg Lovelady previously spent three seasons at the helm of the Wright State baseball program, where he compiled a 124-56 record and won the Horizon League Regular Season or Tournament Championship (or both) in each campaign. He was named the 2014 and 2016 Horizon League Coach of the Year, as well as the 2016 ABCA/Diamond Mideast Regional Coach of the Year. Jeremy Randolph, UCF's Director of Operations, was a four-year letter-winning pitcher for the Raiders from 2015-18.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
The Knights have gone 27-20 on the season, which includes a 9-8 mark in road games. UCF has beaten nationally-ranked Florida State twice, Stetson twice, and North Florida twice in midweek competition.
UCF ranks 12th nationally with 89 home runs in addition to conference-best marks in runs per game (7.2), on-base percentage (.387), and slugging percentage (.509). Redshirt senior catcher Ben McCabe is batting .370 with 11 doubles, 16 homers, 41 RBI, and 52 runs scored. The pitching staff sits 23rd in the country with 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
AP RAKES
Andrew Patrick has placed himself into contention for Horizon League Player of the Year, as he leads the conference in home runs (15), slugging percentage (.709), stolen bases (23), and total bases (127) while ranking second in hits (60), doubles (16), triples (3), runs scored (52), and OPS (1.132). The Hilliard, Ohio native has recorded a team-leading ten three-hit performances and four multi-homer games.
PITCHING DOMINANCE
Wright State's pitching staff possesses a 3.57 ERA in its last 15 games. WSU has won 13 times in the span, tallying 153 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .222 batting average.
LOTS OF POP
Wright State leads the Horizon League with 59 home runs. Six players have gone yard five-plus times, paced by Andrew Patrick with a team-leading 15 in the category.
SPEED KILLS
The Raiders rank 28th nationally and first in the Horizon League with 90 stolen bases. Andrew Patrick has swiped a team-high 23 bases on 25 attempts, while Gehrig Anglin has stolen 13 bases. Dane Thomas is 11-for-12 on stolen base attempts, while Avery Fisher is a perfect 10-for-10 in the category.
TEAM GUYS
Wright State ranks 12th in the country with 29 sacrifice flies. Jay Luikart and Sammy Sass are tied for first in the HL with five sacrifice flies apiece.
LIVING UP THE HYPE
Starting pitcher Sebastian Gongora — the preseason Pitcher of the Year by D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game USA — is 7-1 with a 3.01 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 68.2 innings of work. The redshirt sophomore tops the HL in wins, ERA, opposing batting average (.235), and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.47). He has racked up five quality starts against conference opponents.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Five Raiders have collected Horizon League weekly honors through 11 weeks in the 2023 campaign. Jake Shirk was the most recent recipient, as he earned HL Pitcher of the Week on May 2 after firing a one-hitter with 14 strikeouts.
Jake Shirk - Pitcher of the Week - 2/21/23
Gehrig Anglin - Batter of the Week - 3/14/23
Andrew Patrick - Batter of the Week - 3/28/23
Sebastian Gongora - Pitcher of the Week - 3/28/23
Julian Greenwell - Batter of the Week - 4/18/23
Jake Shirk - Pitcher of the Week - 5/2/23
ACTIVE STREAKS
Sass » 21-game reached base streak
Greenwell » 20-game reached base streak
Smith » 14-game reached base streak
Gongora » 5-plus innings pitched in nine-straight starts
Shirk » 5-plus innings pitched in seven-straight starts
Valentine » 7-straight scoreless outings
Roder » 4-straight scoreless outings
Tuesday, May 9 - 6 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats
WSU RHP Garret Simpson (0-0, 8.25 ERA, 12.0 IP)
UD RHP J.J. Gatti (0-0, 5.56 ERA, 11.1 IP)
Wednesday, May 10 - 6 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats
- Starting pitching to be determined for both teams.
LAST TIME OUT
WSU is coming off a 4-0 week at home, taking down Ohio State 3-1 and securing a weekend sweep over Northern Kentucky. The Raiders defeated OSU for the second time this season, limiting the Buckeyes to just one run on eight hits while striking out 20 batters in the stretch. Wright State outscored the Norse 26-12 over three games to move into sole first place in the Horizon League standings.
Andrew Patrick paced the WSU offense by slashing .474/.500/1.105 with three doubles, three homers, five runs batted in, six runs scored, and a 5-of-6 mark on stolen bases in the four victories. Joey Valentine went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched over three appearances in relief.
HISTORY VS. UD
Wright State leads the all-time series 88-46-1, which includes a 17-2 mark against Dayton dating back to the 2009 season. The Raiders fell to UD 8-3 at Day Air Ballpark in the first meeting between the two teams this season on April 18.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton is 18-30 overall under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Jayson King. The Flyers boast a 10-8 record in conference action, highlighted by series wins over Rhode Island, Saint Louis, George Mason, and George Washington.
Senior infielder Ben Jones has been UD's top hitter, as he leads the team in batting average (.361), doubles (12), runs (42), and OPS (1.054). Senior first baseman Marcos Pujols is batting .320 with seven doubles, 10 homers, and 32 RBI.
HISTORY VS. UCF
Wednesday will mark the second-ever meeting between Wright State and Central Florida. The Raiders fell to UCF 6-5 on the road during the 1991 season.
Seventh-year head coach Greg Lovelady previously spent three seasons at the helm of the Wright State baseball program, where he compiled a 124-56 record and won the Horizon League Regular Season or Tournament Championship (or both) in each campaign. He was named the 2014 and 2016 Horizon League Coach of the Year, as well as the 2016 ABCA/Diamond Mideast Regional Coach of the Year. Jeremy Randolph, UCF's Director of Operations, was a four-year letter-winning pitcher for the Raiders from 2015-18.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
The Knights have gone 27-20 on the season, which includes a 9-8 mark in road games. UCF has beaten nationally-ranked Florida State twice, Stetson twice, and North Florida twice in midweek competition.
UCF ranks 12th nationally with 89 home runs in addition to conference-best marks in runs per game (7.2), on-base percentage (.387), and slugging percentage (.509). Redshirt senior catcher Ben McCabe is batting .370 with 11 doubles, 16 homers, 41 RBI, and 52 runs scored. The pitching staff sits 23rd in the country with 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
AP RAKES
Andrew Patrick has placed himself into contention for Horizon League Player of the Year, as he leads the conference in home runs (15), slugging percentage (.709), stolen bases (23), and total bases (127) while ranking second in hits (60), doubles (16), triples (3), runs scored (52), and OPS (1.132). The Hilliard, Ohio native has recorded a team-leading ten three-hit performances and four multi-homer games.
PITCHING DOMINANCE
Wright State's pitching staff possesses a 3.57 ERA in its last 15 games. WSU has won 13 times in the span, tallying 153 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .222 batting average.
LOTS OF POP
Wright State leads the Horizon League with 59 home runs. Six players have gone yard five-plus times, paced by Andrew Patrick with a team-leading 15 in the category.
SPEED KILLS
The Raiders rank 28th nationally and first in the Horizon League with 90 stolen bases. Andrew Patrick has swiped a team-high 23 bases on 25 attempts, while Gehrig Anglin has stolen 13 bases. Dane Thomas is 11-for-12 on stolen base attempts, while Avery Fisher is a perfect 10-for-10 in the category.
TEAM GUYS
Wright State ranks 12th in the country with 29 sacrifice flies. Jay Luikart and Sammy Sass are tied for first in the HL with five sacrifice flies apiece.
LIVING UP THE HYPE
Starting pitcher Sebastian Gongora — the preseason Pitcher of the Year by D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game USA — is 7-1 with a 3.01 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 68.2 innings of work. The redshirt sophomore tops the HL in wins, ERA, opposing batting average (.235), and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.47). He has racked up five quality starts against conference opponents.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Five Raiders have collected Horizon League weekly honors through 11 weeks in the 2023 campaign. Jake Shirk was the most recent recipient, as he earned HL Pitcher of the Week on May 2 after firing a one-hitter with 14 strikeouts.
Jake Shirk - Pitcher of the Week - 2/21/23
Gehrig Anglin - Batter of the Week - 3/14/23
Andrew Patrick - Batter of the Week - 3/28/23
Sebastian Gongora - Pitcher of the Week - 3/28/23
Julian Greenwell - Batter of the Week - 4/18/23
Jake Shirk - Pitcher of the Week - 5/2/23
ACTIVE STREAKS
Sass » 21-game reached base streak
Greenwell » 20-game reached base streak
Smith » 14-game reached base streak
Gongora » 5-plus innings pitched in nine-straight starts
Shirk » 5-plus innings pitched in seven-straight starts
Valentine » 7-straight scoreless outings
Roder » 4-straight scoreless outings
Players Mentioned
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