DAYTON – The Wright State baseball team returns to Nischwitz Stadium to take on the Air Force Academy for the Stars, Stripes, and Flight Classic on Tuesday, March 25 at 5 p.m. Fans can keep up with the action in-person with free admission or tune in on the ESPN+ livestream.
Tuesday, March 25 – 5:00 p.m. ET – Live Stats – Watch
LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a series win at Milwaukee, falling in the series opener before winning game two and taking the rubber match.
The Raiders finished with 39 runs on 37 hits, with 21 walks and 20 strikeouts.
Luke Arnold,
JP Peltier, and
Boston Smith led the team with five hits each.
Braylen Blomquist and
Hunter Warren had four hits, while
Conlan Daniel,
Patrick Fultz, and
Cam Gilkerson had three each. Making up the Raiders' 12 extra-base hits were four doubles, two triples, and six home runs.
Warren Hartzell and
Jarrett Heilman were awarded the wins, as Hartzell closed game two, allowing no runs or hits while striking out three batters in 3.0 innings. Heilman led the team in strikeouts, with seven over 5.2 innings of work in the series finale. WSU's pitching staff finished the series allowing 22 runs on 33 hits with 12 walks and 20 strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
The Falcons are currently 7-16 on the season, with a 2-4 record in the Mountain West Conference. Most recently, the Falcons lost a three-game series to San Jose State, falling 14-1, 14-3, and 2-0.
As a team, the Falcons are batting .250 this season, led by Walker Zapp's .357 average. They have 36 doubles on the season, six triples, and 16 home runs. Tripp Garrish leads the Mountain West in walks (21), while Christian Taylor is third with three sacrifice flies.
Air Force's pitching staff holds a 7.89 ERA this season. They have 177 total strikeouts, led by Dylan Rogers with 23.
HISTORY VS. AIR FORCE
Wright State holds the all-time series record against the Falcons 7-0. The two last met in 2007, playing a four-game series on the Falcons' home turf.
PELTIER IS BATTER OF THE WEEK
JP Peltier is the third Raider to receive Horizon League weekly honors, being named the Batter of the Week on March 18.
Starting in left field, Peltier helped the Raiders to a 3-0 start in Horizon League play, defeating Oakland 3-2, 13-3, and 17-10. The sophomore slashed .533/.533/1.000, leading the team with eight hits—including two homers and a double—while driving in seven runs.
Peltier drove in all three runs in the series opener against Oakland, opening scoring with a 376-foot, first-pitch homer over the left-field wall to give WSU a 2-0 lead in the sixth. After the Golden Grizzlies tied it at two in the top of the ninth, Peltier delivered once again, blasting a walk-off home run to clinch the 3-2 victory.
STARTING OFF STRONG
Wright State opened Horizon League play with a 3-2 win over Oakland, thanks to a walk-off homer by
JP Peltier.
The series opener remained scoreless until the sixth inning when Peltier jumped on the first pitch, launching a 376-foot homer over the left-field wall to give WSU a 2-0 lead. Oakland responded with an RBI single in the seventh and tied the game at two with an RBI double in the ninth. Leading off the bottom of the ninth, Peltier delivered once again, crushing a walk-off home run to secure the 3-2 victory.
DANIEL IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Freshman centerfielder
Conlan Daniel earned national recognition, landing at No. 3 on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays (March 2) for a diving catch at the warning track against #24 Ole Miss.
HEAD COACH – ALEX SOGARD
Leading the charge for Wright State is head coach
Alex Sogard, who has built a powerhouse program during his tenure. After leading the Raiders to a 32-24 overall record, earning their sixth HL Regular Season title, Sogard earned his fourth Horizon League Coach of the Year honor in 2024, becoming the first to do so in program history.
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.
BACK ON HOME TURF
Wright State resumes Horizon League play at home, hosting Youngstown State for a three-game series beginning Friday, March 28 at 3 p.m. Game one will stream on ESPN+, with live stats available for all three games.
