Raiders Welcome Mastodons for Horizon League Weekend Series

DAYTON – The Wright State baseball team returns to Nischwitz Stadium to continue Horizon League play, hosting Purdue Fort Wayne for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 11 at 3 p.m.

Saturday's game will feature a 90s Decade Day with themed music and walk-up songs, while Sunday will include a mini baseball bat giveaway. All three games will have live stats, with Saturday and Sunday's games broadcast on ESPN+.

Game 1 - Friday, April 11 – 3:00 p.m. – Live Stats
Game 2 - Saturday, April 12 – 2:00 p.m. – Live Stats – Watch
Game 3 - Sunday, April 13 – 1:00 p.m. – Live Stats – Watch

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a championship win in the Joe Nuxhall Classic, defeating Cincinnati 10-3 on Tuesday, and took down Xavier 10-8 with a walk-off homer by JP Peltier.

Nate Manley opened scoring for the Raiders against UC, delivering a two-RBI double through the right side. The Bearcats tied the game at three in the fourth, but Manley put WSU back in the lead with a full-count homer to left center. Chet Lax was awarded the win, throwing 3.0 innings and striking out three batters. Warren Hartzell closed for the Raiders, tossing three scoreless, hitless innings with four strikeouts.

The Raiders opened the championship game strong with a four-run first, as Manley and Braylen Blomquist each drove in two runs on singles. But the Musketeers were quick to match with a four-run top of the second. The score stayed tied through the seventh, as freshman lefty J.J. Thompson entered in the third and struck out five while holding the Musketeers hitless over 3.2 innings. Fellow freshman Malachi Paplanus took the mound in the sixth, allowing just one hit over 2.1 innings and striking out four.

The Raiders broke the tie in the eighth, as Peltier entered to pinch hit, driving in Will Cook to score with a single. Xavier surged with a four-run ninth, taking the lead 8-6, but Wright State carried its late-game momentum into the bottom half. Blomquist made it a one-run game with an RBI ground out, before Peltier hit the game-winning walk-off homer down the left-field line on the first pitch, sealing the 10-8 victory.

SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne enters the series 6-24 overall and 5-6 in the Horizon League. The Mastodons recently fell to Toledo 9-4 on Wednesday, after dropping a series at Milwaukee, 7-1 and 6-1.

PFW is hitting .242 as a team, led by Camden Karczewski's .289 average. The 'Dons lead the Horizon League in double plays with 21 on the season. Grant Sawa's four sacrifice bunts lead the league, while Kevin Hall Jr. sits third with four sacrifice flies.
On the mound, PFW's pitching staff holds a 8.70 ERA. Projected Friday starter Dillon Fischer leads the team with 32 strikeouts this season, pitching 40.2 innings over nine appearances. Zane Danielson is projected to start Saturday and sits just one strikeout behind Fischer, owning a team-best 4.30 ERA. Sunday starter Gavin Walters has appeared in seven games, making five starts. Walters has thrown 16.2 innings, striking out eight batters while allowing 18 runs.

HISTORY VS. PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Since 2002, the Raiders lead the all-time series against Purdue Fort Wayne 18-7. Last season, Wright State won both series, first taking the rubber match at PFW before sweeping the Mastodons at Nischwitz Stadium.

AN UNCONVENTIONAL START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
Wright State has had an unusual start to Horizon League play, with all four weekend series altered by inclement weather to include doubleheaders. Despite the scheduling challenges, the Raiders have won all four series, though they've split two of the doubleheaders — both while playing on the road.

PELTIER'S GOING YARD
Sophomore outfielder JP Peltier has been a consistent power threat, ranking among the nation's top home run hitters. He sits second in the Horizon League with 10 home runs and ranks No. 51 nationally in homers per game (0.36).

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 on the road, traveling to Ohio State for a midweek game on Tuesday, April 15. First pitch at Bill Davis Stadium is set for 6 p.m. Fans can keep up with the game through the B1G+ livestream and live stats.

The Raiders will stay on the road for Horizon League play, traveling to Oakland for a three-game series starting Thursday, April 17. All three games will stream on ESPN+ and have live stats provided.

Raiders Welcome Mastodons for Horizon League Weekend Series

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Players Mentioned

Braylen Blomquist

Will Cook

Warren Hartzell

Chet Lax

Nate Manley

Malachi Paplanus

JP Peltier

J.J. Thompson

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