Raiders Continue Horizon League Play at Home

Friday, March 28

Dayton, OH

3 PM

Wright State University

Youngstown State

Photo by: Jordan Wommack

3/27/2025 2:00:00 PM | Baseball

Watch on ESPN+ (Friday)Live Stats WSU Game Notes vs Youngstown State

DAYTON – The Wright State baseball team continues Horizon League play at home, hosting Youngstown State for a three-game series at Nischwitz Stadium starting Friday, March 28 at 3 p.m. Due to predicted inclement weather, games two and three will be played as a doubleheader on Saturday, March 29, starting at noon, with approximately 30 minutes between games. All three games feature free admission and live stats, while Friday's game will stream on ESPN+.

Game 1 - Friday, March 28 – 3:00 p.m. – Live Stats – Watch
Game 2 - Saturday, March 29 – 12:00 p.m. – Live Stats
Game 3 - Saturday, March 29 – ~3:00 p.m. – Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a midweek loss to Air Force, falling 9-4 at home.

The Raiders finished with four runs on five hits with six walks against their nine strikeouts. Luke Arnold and Cam Gilkerson each recorded two hits, while Hunter Warren had one. Patrick Fultz led the team with three walks, while Braylen Blomquist, Conlan Daniel, and Boston Smith drew a walk apiece.

The Wright State pitching staff allowed seven earned runs on nine hits with eight walks and 13 strikeouts. Freshman right-hander Malachi Paplanus recorded a team-best five strikeouts in two innings on the mound. Parker Thomas (0-1) took the loss in relief, allowing two runs on two hits. Thomas walked no batters while striking out one in 0.2 innings of work.

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State is currently 4-19 on the season, with a 2-4 record in the Horizon League. Most recently, the Penguins fell to Bowling Green 12-7 on Tuesday. YSU has prevented the sweep in both HL series, defeating Milwaukee 10-7 in game three, and most recently taking Purdue Fort Wayne 12-11 in game two.

As a team, the Penguins are batting .267 this season, led by Kyle Fossum's .471 average, ranked third in the nation. This season, they have tallied 46 doubles, five triples, and 25 home runs. Fossum sits second in the league and No. 19 nationally with 11 doubles, and leads the league with nine home runs, sitting No. 28 nationally. Fossum is seventh in the nation with a .908 slugging percentage, No. 12 in on-base percentage (.561), No. 14 in total bases (79), and No. 18 in hits (41), each league-leading. Brayden Kuriger and Brady Shannon are tied for second in the league, each with two triples this season

YSU's pitching staff has posted a 9.52 ERA this season. They have 159 total strikeouts, led by projected Saturday starter JJ Tylicki (31). The Penguins rank seventh nationally in hit batters (58), with projected Sunday starter Tyler Heflin ranking sixth individually, having hit 11 batters. Projected Friday starter Jacob Gehring has started six games, allowing 22 runs on 38 hits over 33.1 innings for a 5.67 ERA.

HISTORY VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Dating back to 1977, Wright State holds the all-time series record over the Penguins 99-43. Last season, the Raiders dominated Youngstown State, sweeping the regular season 6-0. In the Horizon League Championship Tournament, Wright State defeated YSU 12-2 in the second round before falling 6-3 in the elimination game.

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.

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.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Wright State will be back on the road to face Xavier in a midweek game on Tuesday, April 1, at 3 p.m.

The Raiders will stay on the road for Horizon League play, playing a three-game series at Northern Kentucky from Friday, April 4 to Sunday, April 6. All three games will have live stats provided.