Raiders Ready for #HLBASE Tournament Play

Thursday, May 22

Dayton, OH

11 AM

Wright State University

Oakland

Buy Tickets

Parker Falkenstein at PFW 051725 Wommack

Photo by: Jordan Wommack

5/20/2025 5:00:00 PM | Baseball

Tickets Live Stats WSU Game Notes ESPN+ (Game 4)

DAYTON – Wright State will begin postseason play at Nischwitz Stadium, hosting the 2025 Horizon League Baseball Championship from May 21-24. The Raiders will open tournament action on Thursday, May 22, against the lowest-seeded winner from Wednesday's games.

Tickets are on sale now, with both single-day and all-tournament passes available. All tickets are mobile, and fans are encouraged to purchase in advance. Fans without smartphones may purchase tickets at the gate, where they will receive them via text.

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The Horizon League Championship opens with three games on Wednesday. Game one features No. 3 Milwaukee and No. 6 Purdue Fort Wayne at 11 a.m., followed by No. 4 Youngstown State versus No. 5 Oakland at 3 p.m. The two losing teams from those games will meet in an elimination contest at approximately 7 p.m.

Wright State will face Oakland Thursday at 11 a.m., while No. 2 seed Northern Kentucky will take on Milwaukee at 3 p.m. Thursday's action concludes with another game at approximately 7 p.m.

Friday's schedule includes a winners' bracket game at 11 a.m., followed by additional games at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The championship game is set for Saturday at noon, with an if-necessary game to follow.

All games of the 2025 Horizon League Championship will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available throughout the tournament as well.

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.

ALL-LEAGUE HONORS
Wright State earned 16 honors in this season's Horizon League All-League Awards, headlined by Freshman of the Year Hunter Warren and Coach of the Year Alex Sogard.

Five Raiders — Cam Allen, Braylen Blomquist, JP Peltier, Boston Smith, and Hunter Warren — were named to the All-League First Team, while four — Luke Arnold, Cam Gilkerson, Gus Gregory, and Max Whitesell — earned Second Team honors.

Alongside J.J. Thompson and Malachi Paplanus, Blomquist, Gilkerson, and Warren were also named to the All-Freshman Team.

Wright State's 16 All-League selections set a new program record, surpassing the previous mark of 15 set in 2015 and matching the Horizon League record set by Valparaiso in 2012.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Redshirt freshman Hunter Warren was named Horizon League Freshman of the Year on May 20. Warren played and started in all 52 games for the Raiders, ranking second in the league in total hits (74) and hits per game (1.48), and fourth in batting average (.356). In league-only stats, he is tied for second in hits (47) and ranks among the top 10 in batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.468), hit-by-pitch (7), and runs scored (40).

COACH OF THE YEAR
Head coach Alex Sogard continued to lead Wright State's powerhouse program in 2025, guiding the Raiders to a 34–18 overall record and their seventh Horizon League regular-season title. Sogard earned his fifth Horizon League Coach of the Year honor– the most in program history.

SCOUTING THE HORIZON LEAGUE
MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee finished the regular season 21-33 overall, going 16-13 in the Horizon League. MKE is hitting .258 at a team with 108 doubles, nine triples, and 52 home runs.

The Raiders went 4-2 against MKE, falling in the series opener 10-8 on the road and 9-7 at home, making come backs in games two and three (19-7, 12-5 on the road; 14-7, 10-0 at home).

The Raiders put up a .361 batting average against the Panthers with 73 hits, including 16 doubles, three triples, and 10 home runs. Braylen Blomquist held a .611 batting average against MKE, recording 11 hits with three doubles and a home run, tallying 12 RBI. WSU's pitching staff struck out 48 Panthers, led by Garrett Peters eight strikeouts in two appearances, earning the win on April 27.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Northern Kentucky ended the regular season 30-23 overall and 18-12 in the HL. NKU has a .288 team batting average, recording 92 doubles, 15 triples, and 71 home runs.

WSU went 4-2 against the Norse this season, winning 19-5 and 9-6 at NKU before falling 7-4 in the series finale. The Raiders closed their home slate against NKU, winning game one 7-1, falling 6-4 in game two, before taking the rubber match 4-1.

WSU hit .274 against the Norse, recording 47 hits with 19 doubles, a triple, and nine home runs. Hunter Warren led the team against NKU, batting .423 with 11 RBI on 11 hits, including five doubles and a home run.

OAKLAND
Oakland wrapped up the regular season with a 17-39 record, going 10-20 in league play. The Golden Grizzlies have a .262 team batting average with 102 doubles, 11 triples, and 29 home runs.

WSU swept the season against Oakland, winning 3-2, 13-3, and 17-10 at home, and 12-5, 24-12, and 5-0 on the road.

The Raiders hit .321 at a team against Oakland, led by Gus Gregory's standout weekend in the series in Rochester, Michigan. Gregory went 5-for-6 at the plate with two doubles and his first career grand slam, tallying 11 RBI in the 24-12 win. Cam Allen struck out 11 Golden Grizzlies over two appearances, allowing no earned runs and only five hits in 11.0 innings of work.

PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Purdue Fort Wayne ends the regular season 11-40 overall, going 9-20 in the Horizon League. As a team, the Mastodons are hitting .264 with 78 doubles, nine triples, and 38 home runs.

This season, the Raiders went 5-1 against the Mastodons, sweeping the series at Nischwitz Stadium 4-3, 9-7, and 5-0. PFW took game one 21-17 after a walk-off grand slam by Justin Osterhouse, but the Raiders took the series, winning 23-11 and 20-9.

The Raiders held a .376 batting average against PFW, recording 78 runs on 80 hits with 12 doubles, two triples, and 11 home runs. Patrick Fultz hit .722 against the 'Dons, while Boston Smith led the team with 18 RBI over the two series. Smith had a record-breaking weekend in the final HL series, breaking the program career home run record (now 46) and single-season home run record (now 21) at PFW.

YOUNGSTOWN STATE
The Penguins finish the regular season 14-40 overall, going 11-19 in the HL. As a team, Youngstown State is hitting .277 with 104 doubles, 10 triples, and 70 home runs.

The Raiders swept YSU this season, going 10-9, 9-5, and 10-9 at home, and 20-8, 12-4, and 12-8 on the road.

WSU hit .346 against YSU, tallying 73 runs on 75 hits with 11 doubles, three triples, and 17 home runs. Cam Gilkerson drove in 11 runs against the Penguins, batting .500 with 12 hits, including two doubles and two home runs. Chet Lax made two appearances against the Penguins, tossing 6.1 shutout innings and striking out seven batters. Lax earned the win against YSU on March 29.

LEAGUE STANDINGS
Wright State secured the top seed in the Horizon League after sweeping Youngstown State (May 2–4), finishing 25–5 in conference play with series wins over Northern Kentucky and Purdue Fort Wayne.

Northern Kentucky sits second at 18-12, followed by Milwaukee at 16-13. Youngstown State (11–19) is fourth, while Oakland (10-20) and Purdue Fort Wayne (9-20) round out the standings.

TAKING EVERY SERIES
The Raiders head into tournament play after a dominant regular season, winning every Horizon League series. Wright State swept Oakland and Youngstown State and recorded a home sweep over Purdue Fort Wayne.

ACADEMIC STANDOUTS
Wright State had four student athletes named to the 2025 Horizon League All-Academic team. Cam Gilkerson and JP Peltier earned their first career honors, while Gus Gregory and Garrett Peters are back-to-back members of the team.

PELTIER AND SMITH ARE GOING YARD
Sophomore outfielder JP Peltier and senior catcher Boston Smith remain two of the top power hitters in the league. Smith ranks second in the Horizon League and seventh nationally with 21 home runs, followed closely by Peltier's 18, which ranks third in the HL.

Smith broke the program's all-time home run record on May 15 with two homers against Purdue Fort Wayne, surpassing Gabe Snyder's mark of 44. He also set the new single-season record, eclipsing Andrew Patrick's 2023 total of 20.

DISCIPLINED AT THE PLATE
Wright State leads the Horizon League and ranks No. 20 nationally with 306 walks, showcasing the Raiders' patience at the plate. Boston Smith leads the HL and ranks No. 24 nationally with 49 walks, while Patrick Fultz follows closely with 46, ranking second in the league. Smith also ranks No. 20 nationally in walks per game (0.98), just ahead of Fultz at 0.92.