Raiders Set to Face Kent State Tuesday Night

DAYTON – The Wright State baseball team will close its regular season on the road, beginning with a Tuesday night matchup at Kent State. First pitch at Olga Mural Field is set for 6 p.m. Fans can follow the action through live stats or the BoxCast livestream.

Tuesday, May 13– 6:00 p.m. – Live Stats – Watch

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a series win over Northern Kentucky, defeating the Norse 7–1 in game one, falling 6–4 in game two, and taking the rubber match 4–1.

The Raiders hit .260 as a team over the weekend, led by Boston Smith, who batted .500 with six RBI. WSU recorded 11 extra-base hits—six doubles, one triple, and four home runs. Smith paced the offense with five hits, including a double and three home runs.

On the mound, Wright State pitchers posted a 2.67 ERA in the series. Griffen Paige and Warren Hartzell each earned a win, with Paige striking out eight over six innings in the series opener.

SCOUTING THE FLASHES
Kent State enters Tuesday's game at 34–15 overall and 21–6 in the MAC. The Flashes recently swept Western Michigan 6-5, 16-4, and 10-9.

Offensively, KSU ranks seventh in the nation with a team batting average of .319. Hayden Jatczak leads the lineup with a .390 average, second-best in the MAC. The Flashes have totaled 116 doubles (No. 12 nationally), 27 triples (second in the nation), and 65 home runs. Jatczak leads the nation in doubles (26) and ranks seventh nationally in RBI (71). Kent State also ranks fourth in runs scored (480), third in scoring (9.8 runs/game), and tenth in slugging percentage (.541). Jatczak's .765 slugging percentage is good for No. 16 in the country.

On the mound, Kent State holds a 5.69 team ERA, second-best in the MAC. Peyton Cariaco leads the MAC in appearances (23) and ranks 11th nationally with 10 saves.

HISTORY VS. KENT STATE
Kent State leads the all-time series 22–15 since the first meeting in 1973. The teams last faced off earlier this season, with Wright State earning an 11–6 win at Nischwitz Stadium.

LEAGUE STANDINGS
Wright State secured the top seed in the Horizon League after sweeping Youngstown State (May 2–4). The Raiders improved to 23–4 in conference play following the series win over Northern Kentucky.

Milwaukee sits second at 15–11, followed by Northern Kentucky at 15–12. Youngstown State is fourth (11–16), while Purdue Fort Wayne (8–18) and Oakland (8–19) round out the standings.

SEVEN-PEAT
The Raiders clinched their seventh regular season title after defeating Youngstown State 12-8 on Sunday, May 4. Wright State has posted at least 20 Horizon League wins in each of the past seven seasons.

WSU is set to host the Horizon League Championship from May 21-24. The Raiders will begin tournament play on Thursday, May 22, at 11 a.m. Tickets are available online for as low as $7.50 per day.

CAM GILKERSON IS BATTER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt freshman Cam Gilkerson was named Horizon League Batter of the Week on May 6 after leading Wright State to a sweep of Youngstown State. He hit .692 (9-for-13) with a double, two home runs, and nine RBI, without striking out once. Gilkerson posted a 1.231 slugging percentage, a .688 OBP, and was 2-for-2 on stolen bases.

HAVE A DAY GUS GREGORY
Sophomore outfielder Gus Gregory delivered a historic performance in Wright State's 24-12 win at Oakland delivering a record-setting 11 RBIs, the highest in a single game in Wright State history and the second-highest total in the nation this season. Gregory went 5-for-6 at the plate with two doubles and his first career grand slam, accounting for nearly half of the Raiders' runs. His 11 RBI rank second nationally in a single game this season and nearly doubled the previous Horizon League record of six.

BLOMQUIST FOR THREE
Braylen Blomquist is making himself known on the national leaderboard. The freshman infielder leads the Horizon League and ranks No. 14 in the nation with five triples on the season and is tenth in triples per game (.13). Blomquist notably went for three in back-to-back games at Oakland.

PELTIER AND SMITH ARE GOING YARD
Sophomore outfielder JP Peltier and senior catcher Boston Smith continue to be among the top power hitters in the league. Both are tied for second in the Horizon League with 16 home runs. Smith ranks second in the league in home runs per game (0.35), followed by Peltier in third (0.34).

Smith is currently tied for second in program history with 42 career home runs—just three shy of Gabe Snyder's all-time record of 44 (2015–18).

DISCIPLINED AT THE PLATE
Wright State is third in the Horizon League and ranks No. 39 nationally with 272 walks this season, highlighting the Raiders' patient approach at the plate. Boston Smith leads the league and ranks No. 25 nationally with 46 walks, while Patrick Fultz's 42 rank second in the HL. Smith also leads the league and ranks No. 16 nationally in walks per game (1.00), followed closely by Fultz at 0.91.

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.

FINISHING THE REGULAR SEASON
Wright State wraps up the regular season with a three-game road series at Purdue Fort Wayne beginning Thursday, May 15.

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Players Mentioned

Braylen Blomquist

Patrick Fultz

Cam Gilkerson

Gus Gregory

Warren Hartzell

Griffen Paige

JP Peltier

Boston Smith

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