Raiders Set for Series at Oakland

DAYTON – Wright State baseball will continue its road swing, traveling to Oakland for a three-game series starting Thursday, April 17. All three games will stream on ESPN+ with live stats available.

Game 1 - Thursday, April 17 – 3:00 p.m. – Live Stats – Watch
Game 2 - Friday, April 18 – 2:00 p.m. – Live Stats – Watch
Game 3 - Saturday, April 19 – 1:00 p.m. – Live Stats – Watch

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a midweek loss to Ohio State, falling 18-2 on Tuesday night.

JP Peltier drove in both runs with a single to left center, scoring Boston Smith, who reached on a walk, and Gus Gregory, who reached on a double.

WSU starter Grant Stratton took the loss after allowing seven earned runs in the first inning. Parker Thomas notably entered in the fourth and struck out three batters over 2.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
Oakland is 9-28 on the season, going 4-11 in the Horizon League. The Golden Grizzlies recently dropped a series at Milwaukee. They fell 5-0 in the opener, bounced back to win game two 9-7, and then lost the rubber match 10-7.

The Golden Grizzlies are hitting .258 as a team, led by Taylor Tomlin's .394 average, ranked third in the HL. Oakland has a league-leading 70 doubles, while sitting fourth in the league with four triples and fifth with 20 home runs on the season. Brandon Nigh is second in the league and No. 37 nationally with 14 doubles on the season, while ranked second nationally with seven sacrifice flies. Trent Rice leads the league and is No. 23 nationally in stolen bases (22), averaging .69 stolen bases per game.

On the mound, Oakland's pitching staff holds a 7.54 ERA, ranked third in the HL. Grant Garman and Hunter Pidek have each started nine games, ranked No. 20 nationally, while Blake Sehike leads the league in pitching appearances (16).

HISTORY VS. OAKLAND
Since 1979, the Raiders lead the all-time series over Oakland 57-18. Last season, the two went 3-3, each winning the rubber match as the visiting team. Earlier this season, WSU swept Oakland at home, opening Horizon League play with a walk-off win, 3-2.

WINNING THE NUXIE
The Raiders took home the Joe Nuxhall Championship with wins over Cincinnati and Xavier, first defeating the Bearcats 10-3 on Tuesday. After a nearly two-hour weather delay, Wright State defeated Xavier 10-8 in the championship on Wednesday night.

NUXHALL MVP
Sophomore JP Peltier was named the Joe Nuxhall Classic MVP after hitting a walk-off homer against Xavier on Wednesday, April 9. Wright State opened scoring on the day with a four-run first inning, but the Musketeers were quick to tie it in the top of the second. The game stayed tied through the seventh, but Peltier entered to pinch hit in the bottom of the eighth, breaking the tie with an RBI single to left field. Xavier took the lead in the top of the ninth, but in his second at-bat of the night, Peltier launched a first-pitch homer down the left-field line, driving in three runs for a 10-8 victory.

AN UNCONVENTIONAL START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
Wright State had an unusual start to Horizon League play, with the first month of scheduled series altered by inclement weather to include doubleheaders. Despite the scheduling challenges, the Raiders won all four series, sweeping Oakland and Youngstown State at home, while splitting two of the doubleheaders — both 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 ranks second in the Horizon League with 11 home runs and an average of 0.32 homers per game.

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
The Raiders will return to Nischwitz Stadium, hosting Xavier on Tuesday, April 23 for the teams' third midweek matchup this season. WSU will stay in the Nisch, taking on Milwaukee in a three-game series starting Friday, April 25.

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Players Mentioned

Gus Gregory

JP Peltier

Boston Smith

Grant Stratton

Parker Thomas

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