Photo by: Jordan Wommack
Raiders take top spot in 2025 Horizon League preseason poll
2/13/2025 3:05:00 PM | Baseball
INDIANAPOLIS/DAYTON – The Wright State baseball program was picked atop the 2025 Horizon League preseason poll, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon. The Raiders received 33 points and three first-place votes from the conference's head coaches.
Northern Kentucky was voted to finish second, receiving 29 points with one first-place vote. Coming in third was Oakland with 19 points and one first-place vote, closely trailed by Milwaukee with 18 points. Rounding out the poll were Youngstown State (14) and Purdue Fort Wayne (13).
Wright State is coming off a 32-24 season, taking the Horizon League regular season title with a 20-10 conference record. The Raiders return 23 players, including 2024 HL All-League Second Team members Cam Allen, Patrick Fultz, and Boston Smith, and All-Freshman Team members Allen and Chet Lax. Gus Gregory was named to the league's All-Tournament team. Wright State welcomes 17 newcomers to the 2025 roster, including 12 freshmen and five transfers.
In addition to the league's projection, the Raiders were predicted to finish atop the league by D1Baseball, being named the HL's only projected regional team. WSU claimed two of D1Baseball's three preseason awards as senior catcher Boston Smith was named the preseason Player of the Year, and sophomore Cam Allen the preseason Pitcher of the Year. Left-handed pitcher Grant Garman of Oakland was named the HL Freshman of the Year.
In its season preview, D1Baseball selected six Raiders as top prospects for the 2025 and 2026 Major League Baseball drafts. Smith was ranked as the top 2025 draft prospect in the Horizon League, with Joey Valentine and Griffen Paige ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. Right-handed pitchers Allen and Brayden Schoetzow were selected as the first and second top prospects for the 2026 draft, respectively, while Conlan Daniel was picked fourth. Daniel, a freshman outfielder, was also named the number two impact freshman in the league by D1Baseball.
Smith, a catcher from Arcanum, Ohio, was the only Raider to earn recognition in the D1Baseball Preseason Player Rankings, being named one of the top 50 catchers in the nation. The senior was selected as the No. 14 catcher, slashing .307/.403/.698 last season with 10 doubles, 19 home runs, and 47 runs batted in.
The preseason accolades don't end with D1Baseball, as Cam Allen and Garrett Peters were named to the National College Baseball Writers Association Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List. The award, now in its 20th anniversary, is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball each season.
The Raiders are set to open the 2025 season in a three-game series against Longwood beginning Friday, February 14 through Sunday, February 16. Wright State will open its home campaign against Miami (OH) on Tuesday, March 4 at 3 p.m.
Northern Kentucky was voted to finish second, receiving 29 points with one first-place vote. Coming in third was Oakland with 19 points and one first-place vote, closely trailed by Milwaukee with 18 points. Rounding out the poll were Youngstown State (14) and Purdue Fort Wayne (13).
Wright State is coming off a 32-24 season, taking the Horizon League regular season title with a 20-10 conference record. The Raiders return 23 players, including 2024 HL All-League Second Team members Cam Allen, Patrick Fultz, and Boston Smith, and All-Freshman Team members Allen and Chet Lax. Gus Gregory was named to the league's All-Tournament team. Wright State welcomes 17 newcomers to the 2025 roster, including 12 freshmen and five transfers.
In addition to the league's projection, the Raiders were predicted to finish atop the league by D1Baseball, being named the HL's only projected regional team. WSU claimed two of D1Baseball's three preseason awards as senior catcher Boston Smith was named the preseason Player of the Year, and sophomore Cam Allen the preseason Pitcher of the Year. Left-handed pitcher Grant Garman of Oakland was named the HL Freshman of the Year.
In its season preview, D1Baseball selected six Raiders as top prospects for the 2025 and 2026 Major League Baseball drafts. Smith was ranked as the top 2025 draft prospect in the Horizon League, with Joey Valentine and Griffen Paige ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. Right-handed pitchers Allen and Brayden Schoetzow were selected as the first and second top prospects for the 2026 draft, respectively, while Conlan Daniel was picked fourth. Daniel, a freshman outfielder, was also named the number two impact freshman in the league by D1Baseball.
Smith, a catcher from Arcanum, Ohio, was the only Raider to earn recognition in the D1Baseball Preseason Player Rankings, being named one of the top 50 catchers in the nation. The senior was selected as the No. 14 catcher, slashing .307/.403/.698 last season with 10 doubles, 19 home runs, and 47 runs batted in.
The preseason accolades don't end with D1Baseball, as Cam Allen and Garrett Peters were named to the National College Baseball Writers Association Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List. The award, now in its 20th anniversary, is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball each season.
The Raiders are set to open the 2025 season in a three-game series against Longwood beginning Friday, February 14 through Sunday, February 16. Wright State will open its home campaign against Miami (OH) on Tuesday, March 4 at 3 p.m.
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