Raiders ready to host Ohio State

Tuesday, April 23

Dayton, OH

2 PM

Wright State University

Ohio State

Photo by: Jordan Wommack

4/22/2024 4:00:00 PM | Baseball

Game Notes vs. OSU Live Stats Watch on ESPN+

DAYTON – The Wright State baseball team will host Ohio State for a midweek game on Tuesday, April 23. The game is set for a 2:00 p.m. first pitch. Fans can keep up with the action on ESPN+ livestreaming or through live stats.

Ohio State - Tuesday, April 23 - 2:00 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a weekend series loss against Milwaukee, falling short in the ten-inning series opener 9-10, taking the win on Saturday 16-8, and slipping in the rubber match 6-7.

The Raiders finished with 31 runs on 33 hits with 26 walks against their 33 strikeouts. Ben Vore led the team with eight RBI in his six hits, three of which being opposite-field home runs. Patrick Fultz followed with five RBI, closely trailed by Julian Greenwell and Andrew Patrick with four. Drew Baker and Sammy Sass each recorded three RBI over the series.

Cam Allen (0-1) was charged with the Friday loss after entering for the ninth inning, allowing the tying and winning runs on four hits with two walks and a balk, striking out one batter. Garret Simpson (3-1) earned the lone win after pitching the first six innings, allowing five runs on five hits with two walks and three batters struck out. Josh Laisure (0-2) was charged with the finale loss after allowing the game winning run, allowing no hits and walking two batters while striking out three in one and a third innings of work

SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
Under direction of second year head coach Bill Mosiello, Ohio State currently has a 19-17 overall record, going 7-5 at home and 8-11 on the road.

Ohio State currently has a .275 team batting average, with 240 runs on 337 hits. The Buckeyes have tallied 68 doubles, 15 triples, and 35 home runs with 199 walks against their 335 strikeouts. On the mound, the team has a 5.51 ERA, striking out 292 batters with 168 walks.

The Buckeyes are led Henry Kaczmar's .324 batting average, with 46 hits and 34 runs scored. Tyler Pettorini leads the team with 34 RBI, a .496 slugging percentage, 70 total bases, and four sacrifice flies.

HISTORY VS. OHIO STATE
Ohio State holds the all-time record over Wright State 25-18-1, with their last matchup being earlier this month, where the Buckeyes won 14-13. Wright State last came out victorious in May of 2023, taking the at home game 3-1. The two teams have faced each other seven times over the last ten seasons, with the Raiders taking three of the matchups.

NATIONALLY KNOWN
"Jay Luikart" and "Sammy Sass" have become common names when it comes to national rankings. Luikart's 56 RBI rank him No. 12 in the nation. Sass sits at No. 20 with his 1.40 RBI per game, coming in at No. 38 with 49 total RBI. Sass's .49 doubles per game put him at seventh in the nation, and No. 12 with 17 doubles total, while his 1.71 hits per game rank him tenth. Luikart and Sass are tied for No. 37 in the nation with 60 total hits. Luikart ranks No. 22 with his 119 total bases, and with 16 home runs to date, Luikart is No. 21 nationally. Sass's mere 14 strikeouts in his 150 at-bats ranks him No. 40 as the toughest to strikeouts, averaging a strikeout once every 10.7 at-bats. Sass sits at No. 30 in the nation with his .400 batting average.

NATIONWIDE NUMBERS
Wright State's .321 batting average puts them at No. 12 nationally, sitting fifth with 451 hits on the season, eighth with 381 runs, and fourth with a .583 slugging percentage. Averaging 9.8 runs per game the Raiders come in seventh nationally. When it comes to extra-base hitting, the Raiders do not shy away, sitting at No. 17 with 93 doubles, sixth with 84 home runs, and No. 44 with 12 triples.

Alongside Luikart and Sass, two other Wright State batters have made a name for themselves within national rankings. Boston Smith and Ben Vore's four triples put them at No. 18 in the nation. With 58 RBI on the season, Vore sits eighth in the nation, and at No. 34 with a .767 slugging percentage.

Jake Shirk is No. 44 with only 1.72 walks allowed per nine innings.

LEADING THE LEAGUE AT BAT
The Raiders dominate the HL leaders at bat, taking up three of the top five spots when it comes to RBI (Ben Vore– 58, 2; Jay Luikart– 56 3; Sammy Sass – 49, 4; Boston Smtih – 38, 5). The Raiders have three HL leaders when it comes to home runs, as Luikart leads with 16, closely followed by Boston Smith and Ben Vore, each recording 15. Luikart and Sass both sit tied for third with 60 hits on the season, as Luikart leads with 1.71 hits per game. Boston Smith and Vore sit tied for second with four triples, while Sass's 17 doubles sit him at the top of the league.

Wright State dominates in slugging percentages, with four batters in the top five spots, as Vore sits second with a .767 slugging percentage, Smith sits third (.743), Sass fourth (.727) and Luikart fifth (.726). Sass's .400 batting average sits him second in the league. Both Sass and Vore lead the league with four sacrifice flies on the season.

POWER FIVE WIN
Wright State took down Power Five school Oklahoma 12-2 earlier this season. In the run-heavy series finale, the Raiders put up 12 runs on 15 hits, with four walks and only five strikeouts. Leading the way for the Raiders was Drew Baker with a hit in each of his four at bats. Following him was Patrick Fultz, Julian Greenwell, Sammy Sass, and Ben Vore, each putting up two hits. Gus Gregory, Parker Harrison, and Jay Luikart each gave a single hit on the day. The Raiders recorded four home runs on the day, one each from Baker, Luikart, Sass, and Vore.

AGAINST THE 'POWERS'
Wright State has knocked off a "Power Five" conference program 22 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
2/25/23 — at Kentucky — W, 12-9
3/21/23 — at Ohio State — W, 3-0
2/26/24 — at Oklahoma — W, 12-2

BACK-TO-BACK BATTER OF THE WEEK
Sammy Sass earned his second consecutive Horizon League batter of the week honor on April 16, being awarded the honor previously on April 9.

The Senior earned his second batter of the week award after batting .611 with 11 hits in 18 at-bats against Miami (OH) and Northern Kentucky. He tallied eight extra base hits, made up by three doubles and five home runs, with 14 total RBI and a 1.611 slugging percentage over the four games. Of his five homers, four came in one game against Miami (OH), making him the just second NCAA DI batter to do so in the 2024 season. Sass held a .538 batting average against NKU, recording eight RBI over three games.

Sass earned his first weekly award after going 10-for-17, with two doubles and a triple, tallying nine RBI and three runs scored over the week, helping to lead the Raiders to a 4-0 April start. Sass finished the week with a .600 on base percentage and .824 slugging percentage. The Upper Arlington, Ohio native held a .615 batting average against Horizon League opponent Youngstown State, tallying eight RBI and two stolen bases against the Penguins. Sass's ten hits over the week sat him No. 11 in national stats and at the top of the Horizon League.

D1BASEBALL.COM PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sammy Sass was named the D1Baseball.com player of the week on April 15. Sass's weekly honors come in part after a monumental midweek game against Miami (OH), recording four home runs in a single game. This feat has only been reached one other time in the 2024 season, and is a first in the Horizon League. Against Miami, Sass recorded four runs in five at-bats, tallying six RBI, reaching base once on balls and again on a hit by pitch.

Over the week, the Upper Arlington, Ohio native averaged .611 at bat, recording 11 hits in 18 at-bats against Miami and Horizon League opponent Northern Kentucky University. He finished the week with eight extra-base hits, including his four midweek homers, as well as three doubles and another home run against NKU. Sass tallied 14 RBI, a 1.611 slugging percentage, and a .873 weighted on-base percentage over the four games.

FRESHMAN STANDOUTS
Standout freshmen for the Raiders this season include Brayden Shoetzow on the mound and Nate Manley at catcher. Shoetzow has made nine appearances on the season, being awarded two saves, first at Louisiana and later at Eastern Kentucky. The Granger, Indiana native averages a team leading 3.86 ERA, with three earned runs on the season.

Manley got off to a slower start for his first year of collegiate ball. The anticipated redshirt did not appear in a game until March 15 for the series against Milwaukee. Manley recorded his first collegiate home run in the series finale against Milwaukee, and broke the personal record with two homers against Akron just two days later. In his 17 appearances, Manley has tallied 26 hits, 12 walks, 20 RBI, and is four-for-four on stolen bases. Manley currently leads the team with a .481 batting average.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES
The Raiders were claimed the top spot in the 2024 Horizon League preseason poll, with 34 points and four first-place votes. Multiple Raiders were awarded preseason honors by D1 Baseball. Jay Luikart and Andrew Patrick were honored in the top 100 outfielders, and Sammy Sass in the top 50 catchers. D1 Baseball named Patrick as the top prospect of the Horizon League, followed by Ty Roder as the number five prospect.

VETERAN GROUP
The Raiders are returning 25 athletes, 13 of which were starters in the 2023 season. Andrew Patrick, Sammy Sass, and Jake Shirk were awarded a spot on the All-Horizon First Team, while Patrick Fultz and Joey Valentine were added to the All-Freshman Team. Julian Greenwell, Andrew Patrick, Jake Shirk, and Joey Valentine earned Horizon League weekly honors, with Patrick and Shirk being awarded twice. Patrick was also named to the East-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team.

STUDENT-athletes
WSU held a team average grade point average of 3.55 for the 2023 fall semester. 31 athletes finished with a GPA higher than 3.00, 23 with a GPA over 3.5, and 11 earned a 4.0 or higher. Since 2012, the Raiders have maintained a team GPA of 3.00 or above in 21 of their last 22 seasons. Fifteen student-athletes were added to the Spring 2023 Horizon League Academic Honor Roll, which requires a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher with at least three semesters at the same institution.

HEAD COACH – ALEX SOGARD
Head coach Alex Sogard has acquired many accolades in his time at WSU. Most recently, Sogard became the first Raider to win three Horizon League Coach of the Year honors. After leading the Raiders to a 39-23 overall record, earning their fifth HL Regular Season title, and to their third NCAA Regional Appearance, Sogard was awarded the 2023 Horizon League Coach of the Year title.

His Coach of the Year awards are not the only accomplishment Sogard achieved at WSU. In 2019, Sogard took the Raiders to a 42-17 record, tallying the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history. Sogard led the Raiders to three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances, 2021-2023, being named the 2021 ABCA/ATEC East Coach of the Year. In June 2021, Sogard was named to the 2021 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team coaching staff.

PRO RAIDERS
The Raiders are no strangers to sending their athletes pro, with three current professional players, Peyton Burdick, Sean Murphy, and Jesse Scholtens. Burdick, drafted by the Miami Marlins in 2019, was recently traded to the Baltimore Orioles after his 2022 debut with the Marlins. Murphy debuted with the Athletics in September 2019 and earned the Gold Glove award following the 2021 season. In 2023, Murphy served as the starting catcher on the National League All-Stars. team signed a 6-year, $73 million contract extension with the Atlanta Braves in December 2022, which includes a $15 million club option for the 2029 season. Scholten recently made his debut with the Chicago White Sox in September 2023 after working his way through the minors.

DRAFT TALENT
The 2023 draft gave attention to a few of the Raidergang. Middle infielder, Justin Reimer, was the first Raider to be picked in the 2023 MLB draft, being the 133rd pick in the fourth round. Before a season-ending injury, Reimer put up .323/.563/.645 through the first 12 games of 2023, with four extra-base hits (3 home runs), seven runs batted in, 12 runs scored, 15 walks, and three stolen bases. He reached base in all 12 games, including multiple times on eight occasions. Right-handed pitcher, Luke Stofel, comes in as the second Raider to sign a professional contract in Major League Baseball, joining the Detroit Tigers as a free agent. Stofel is the first Raider in nearly a quarter-century to sign with the Tigers, the previous being Busty Beam in the 20th round of the 1999 MLB draft. A notable mention, Alex Theis, signed a professional contract with the Florence Y'alls of the Frontier League.

STAYING AT HOME
The Raiders will stay at home, hosting a three-game series against Purdue Fort Wayne April 26-28. Fans can keep up with the action through live stats.