Raiders Ready for Three Games at NC State

Friday, March 7

Raleigh, NC / Doak Field at Dail Park

3 PM

Wright State University

NC State

Photo by: Jordan Wommack

3/6/2025 3:00:00 PM | Baseball

Watch on ACCNX (Friday)Watch on ACCNX (Saturday)Watch on ACCNX (Saturday)Watch on ACCNX (Sunday)Watch on ACCNX (Sunday)Listen Listen WSU Game Notes at NC State WSU Game Notes at NC State

DAYTON – The Wright State baseball team is set to take on head coach Alex Sogard's alma mater NC State for a three-game series beginning Friday, March 7 through Sunday, March 9. All three games will stream on the ACC Network and have live stats provided.

Game 1 - Friday, March 7 – 3:00 p.m. ET – Watch – Listen
Game 2 - Saturday, March 8 – 2:00 p.m. ET – Watch – Listen
Game 3 - Sunday, March 9 – 1:00 p.m. ET – Watch – Listen

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a home opener win over Miami (OH), defeating the RedHawks 11-3 on Tuesday afternoon.

Wright State (4-6) finished with 11 runs on nine hits with six walks against their six strikeouts. Nate Manley led the team with three hits, followed by Conlan Daniel and Cam Gilkerson with two each. Fultz and JP Peltier each added one hit, both putting it over the wall for a home run. Joining in the extra-base hitting were Gilkerson and Manley, putting up two doubles each.

Starting pitcher Chet Lax (1-1) earned the win after allowing one run on three hits with one strikeout. Three Raiders—Warren Hartzell, Malachi Paplanus, and Parker Thomas—each recorded two strikeouts, while J.J. Thompson and Noah Williamson added one apiece.

SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK
Under 37th year head coach Elliot Avent, NC State is currently 8-5 on the season. The Wolfpack recently defeated Campbell (11-1) and UNC Greensboro (10-0).

As a team, NC State is currently batting .289 on the season, led by Ryder Woodson's .667 batting average. NC State has 29 doubles on the season, two triples, and 16 home runs. Luke Nixon ranks No. 34 nationally with six doubles, while Ty Head ranks No. 16 nationally with 15 walks, and Matt Heavner is No. 19 with three sacrifice bunts this season.

NC State's pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.82, sitting No. 57 nationally. Projected Sunday starter Ryan Marohn ranks No. 32 nationally with a 12.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and No. 28 with 24 strikeouts this season.

HISTORY VS. NC STATE
WSU and NC State have seen each other only six times in the series dating back to 1994. The all-time series record sits tied 3-3, as either team won a game apiece in 1994, not meeting for another 18 seasons as the Raiders won in 2012. The teams last met in February 2016, with the Wolfpack winning the series 2-1.

LEADOFF HOMER
The Raiders opened the home slate with a bang as leadoff hitter JP Peltier put the Raiders on the board with a solo homer to left field in the first.

FULTZ'S GRAND SLAM
In the 2025 home opener against Miami (OH), junior third baseman Patrick Fultz secured the Raiders' win with a grand slam to left field in the bottom of the fourth.

Nate Manley opened the bottom of the fourth with a single to left field, advancing to third on a Cam Gilkerson double. Luke Arnold reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Manley to score as Gilkerson was out at third. Arnold stole second before Conlan Daniel got on base on a single. The bases became loaded as Boston Smith was hit by a pitch, allowing Fultz to crush a grand slam to left field, giving WSU a 7-2 lead.

SWEEPING THE HORIZON LEAGUE AWARDS
Wright State baseball's Boston Smith and Garrett Peters swept the first week of Horizon League awards, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon. Smith was named the Horizon League Batter of the Week and Peters the Pitcher of the Week.

A senior catcher, Smith slashed .500/.667/1.250 with four hits, three walks, and one hit by pitch, driving in six runs. Smith homered twice in the season opener—first a solo shot in the fourth inning, then a two-run homer in the eighth—helping the Raiders to a 12-1 win in game one of the doubleheader against Longwood.

Peters earned Horizon League Pitcher of the Week honors after securing the save in game two of Friday's doubleheader. The senior left-hander pitched the final three innings at Longwood, securing a 14-8 win while facing the minimum nine batters and allowing no runs, hits, or walks. Peters struck out five batters—two swinging and three looking.

RAIDERGANG NEWCOMERS
Seventeen new faces join the Raidergang in 2025, featuring a mix of 12 freshmen and five transfers.

HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Wright State was picked atop the 2025 Horizon League preseason poll, receiving 33 points and three first-place votes from the conference's head coaches. Northern Kentucky followed, voted to finish second with 29 points and 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).

PRESEASON ACCOLADES
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.

Beyond D1Baseball's rankings, Cam Allen and Garrett Peters were named to the National College Baseball Writers Association Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List. Now in its 20th year, the award recognizes the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball each season.

SMITH'S A TOP 50 CATCHER
Boston 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. Last season, the senior slashed .307/.403/.698 with 10 doubles, 19 home runs, and 47 RBIs, earning him the No. 14 ranking among catchers.

RAIDER REWIND
Wright State is coming off a 32-24 season, securing 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. The now sophomore Gus Gregory was named to the league's All-Tournament team.

STUDENT-athletes
Wright State posted a team grade point average of 3.543 for the Fall 2024 semester, and a 3.495 cumulative grade point average. 35 athletes finished with a GPA higher than 3.00, 26 with a GPA over 3.5, and 15 earned a 4.0 or higher. The Raiders have maintained a team GPA above 3.00 in 24 of the past 25 semesters. Twenty student-athletes were added to the Spring 2024 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
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.

MAJOR LEAGUE RAIDERS
Wright State is known for developing Major League talent, with Sean Murphy and Jesse Scholtens leading the way. 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. Murphy 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. Scholtens made his debut with the Chicago White Sox in September 2023 after working his way through the minors.

DRAFT TALENT
Two Raiders were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. Centerfielder, Andrew Patrick, was the first Raider picked in the 2024 MLB Draft, being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 504th pick in the 17th round. Patrick started 147 of his 150 games over three seasons at Wright State, recording a .288 career batting average with 36 doubles, 37 homers, and 120 RBI. The outfielder collected multiple Horizon League All-League honors in his time as a Raider, being named to the All-Freshman Team in 2022, followed by earning a spot on the All-Horizon League First Team as a sophomore. In 2023, he earned a spot on the East-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team.

Similarly, senior right-handed pitcher Jake Shirk was the next Raider drafted, chosen by the Pirates with the 534th pick in the 18th round. Shirk appeared in 58 games in his four years at Wright State, sitting fifth in program history with 45 games started. After making all 12 appearances from the bullpen his first year, the right-handed pitcher primarily served as a starter for Wright State the following three seasons. His 22 career wins tie him for eighth in program history. In his 270 career-innings pitched, Shirk struck out a total of 214 batters, a rate of 7.13 per nine innings. He was awarded All-Horizon League honors twice, first earning a spot on the Second Team (2022) then being named to the First Team (2023).

BACK IN THE NISCH
The Raiders return to Nischwitz Stadium on Tuesday, March 11, to take on Kent State. The game is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch with free admission. Fans can keep up with the game virtually via live stats.