DAYTON – The Wright State baseball team is set to compete in the NCAA Nashville Regional, hosted by No. 1 overall seed Vanderbilt. The Raiders will face Vanderbilt in game two of the regional on Friday, May 30, at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT, with the game airing on SEC Network. Also joining the four-team bracket are No. 2 seed Louisville and No. 3 seed East Tennessee State.
 
Tickets will be available for purchase online beginning Thursday, May 29 at 10 a.m. CT for all-session packages. Based on availability, a limited number of single-game tickets will go on sale on Friday, May 30.
 
The regional opens with a matchup between No. 2 seed Louisville and No. 3 seed East Tennessee State on Friday, May 30, at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. Game two between No. 1 seed Vanderbilt and No. 4 seed Wright State is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT.
 
Saturday will begin with an elimination game between the losers of games one and two at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. The winner's bracket game will follow at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT.
 
Sunday's schedule includes an elimination game between the winner of game three and the loser of game four at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. The winner of that contest will then face the winner of game four at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT. If necessary, a final game will take place on Monday, June 2.
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT MVP
Patrick Fultz was named Horizon League Championship MVP after appearing in all five games of the tournament, slashing .545/.600/.682 with 12 hits and six RBI. The third baseman went five-for-five in the Saturday opener, driving in three runs in game one of the championship doubleheader on May 24.
 
Joining Fultz on the All-Tournament Team were shortstop Luke Arnold, pitcher Chet Lax, catcher Boston Smith, and pitcher Garrett Peters.
 
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. At the conclusion of the regular season, Warren had 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 tied for second in hits (47) and ranked 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.
 
KNOW THE FOES
NO. 1 VANDERBILT
The No. 1 overall seed Vanderbilt is coming off an SEC Tournament title, defeating Ole Miss 3-2 on Sunday afternoon. This marks the Commodores fifth SEC title, with four under head coach Tim Corbin. First baseman Riley Nelson, third baseman Brodie Johnston, and outfielder RJ Austin were named to the 2025 SEC All-Tournament Team.
 
Vanderbilt holds a 42-16 overall record and are currently on an eight-game winning streak. They entered the SEC tournament as the four seed, going 19-11 in conference play.
 
Vanderbilt has one of the top pitching staffs nationally, leading the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (11.9), led by right-handed junior Cody Bowker who ranks No. 18. The Dores' 3.76 ERA is ninth nationally, while their 7.20 hits allowed per nine innings are fourth. Vanderbilt's strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.22) and WHIP (1.21) both rank sixth nationally, while their seven shutouts are good for fourth in the nation. Junior southpaw JD Thompson has tallied 110 strikeouts this season, ranking No. 14 in the nation.
 
The Dores are batting .270 as a team, led by Nelson's .358 average. With 504 hits on the season, Vanderbilt has tallied 88 doubles, 16 triples, and 62 home runs. Johnson leads the team in RBI (53) and home runs (13), while Nelson has a team-best 73 hits. Austin leads the team in stolen bases, tallying 22 on the season.
 
Dating to their first meeting in 2009, Vanderbilt leads the all-time series against the Raiders 4-0. The two last faced in the 2021 season opener, with the Dores taking a doubleheader 14-1 and 1-0.
 
NO. 2 LOUISVILLE
Entering as the No. 10 seed, Louisville is coming off an early elimination in the ACC Championship, falling to the No. 15 seeded Pitt 13-11 on Tuesday, May 20. The Cardinals are currently 35-21 overall and finished the ACC with a 15-15 conference record.
 
Louisville holds a .306 team batting average, ranked No. 33 nationally and fifth in the ACC, led by Lucas Moore's .372 average. The Cardinals have recorded 576 hits this season, as Moore leads the team and is second in the conference with 84. They have 114 doubles, 72 home runs, and lead the ACC with 18 triples (No. 20 nationally). Louisville is ninth in the nation for stolen bases (146), averaging 2.61 stolen bases per game. Moore's 46 stolen bases lead the ACC and are good for second in the nation, just three behind Jackson State's Jordan McCladdie (49).
 
On the mound, Louisville holds a 5.72 team ERA, a 1.55 strikeout to walk ratio, and average 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings. A junior right-hander, Patrick Forbes leads the team in strikeouts with 85 on the season.
 
Wright State holds a tight 9-8 all-time series record lead against Louisville, first meeting in 1988. The two last met ahead of the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, with the Raiders taking down the #1 ranked Louisville 10-3 (Feb. 19, 2020).
 
NO. 3 EAST TENNESSEE STATE
Following their first SoCon Regular Season Title since 1980, East Tennessee earned an automatic bid into NCAA post season play with its first-ever SoCon Tournament title after a 7-5 victory over Samford on Sunday afternoon. The Buccaneers hold a 41-15 overall record, going 14-7 in conference play.
 
ETSU's .313 batting average ranks No. 18 nationally, as the Bucs are led by Cooper Torres's .378 average. The Bucs have tallied 608 hits this season, including 117 doubles, 16 triples, and 116 home runs, ranked fourth in the nation. Torres's 23 home runs rank third in the nation, while he is fifth with .41 home runs per game. The Bucs are No. 14 nationally in runs (493), No. 14 in scoring (8.8), No. 19 in hits (608). Their .568 slugging percentage is fourth in the nation, as Torres ranks third nationally (.783). Grant Gallagher ranks third nationally in walks (64) and is second in walks per game (1.14).
 
The Bucs have a 4.44 team ERA, a 2.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and are No. 19 nationally with a .732 win-loss percentage. Brady Frederick ranks No. 20 nationally with a 2.54 ERA and is seventh overall with 5.58 hits allowed per nine innings. Frederick also ranks ninth nationally with a WHIP of 0.89.
 
CAN'T BE TOUGHER
Last time Wright State faced Vanderbilt, the Raiders faced the pitching combination of Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker in a doubleheader on February 22, 2021. Leiter went on to be drafted No. 2 overall that season by the Texas Rangers, while Rocker was selected No. 10 overall by the New York Mets but did not sign.
 
ON THE CUSP
Wright State has played in a pair of regional finals, falling to No. 2 national seed Louisville 3-1 in 2015 and then losing an early lead the next season as the Raiders fell to No. 6 national seed Illinois 8-4. Wright State's four combined wins over the 2015 and 2016 regionals are the last victories by a Horizon League member in the NCAA Tournament.
 
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.
 
TAKING EVERY SERIES
The Raiders went into Horizon League 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 rank among the nation's top power hitters. Smith is tied for the Horizon League lead and ranks third nationally with 23 home runs, followed by Peltier with 20, good for third in the conference.
 
Smith broke the program's all-time home run record during the final regular-season series against Purdue Fort Wayne (May 15–17), surpassing Gabe Snyder's 44 career homers. He also set a new single-season program record, eclipsing Andrew Patrick's 2023 mark of 20. Smith and Youngstown State's Kyle Fossum each hit 23 homers during the Horizon League Championship, setting a new single-season league record.
 
DISCIPLINED AT THE PLATE
Wright State leads the Horizon League and ranks No. 14 nationally with 330 walks, showcasing the Raiders' patience at the plate. Boston Smith leads the HL and is ninth nationally with 56 walks, while Patrick Fultz follows closely with 49, ranking second in the league. Smith also ranks No. 12 nationally in walks per game (1.02), just ahead of Fultz at 0.89.
 
BLOMQUIST FOR THREE
Braylen Blomquist is making himself known on the national leaderboard. The freshman infielder leads the Horizon League and ranks No. 19 in the nation with five triples on the season and is No. 20 in triples per game (.11). Blomquist notably went for three in back-to-back games at Oakland (April 17-18).
 
HIGH SCORING TEAM
The Raiders have a reputation for putting runs on the board, reaching double-digit scoring in 26 games this season. WSU is 25-1 when scoring ten-plus runs, holding a 15-0 record when scoring between 10 and 13 runs. The Raiders have tallied 20 or more runs in four games.
 
The Raiders rank ninth in the nation in runs (517), tenth in scoring (9.1), and lead the Horizon League and are No. 30 nationally in hits (589).
 
RAIDERS GET ON BASE
Wright State's .424 on-base percentage ranks No. 16 in NCAA Division I baseball, while they are No. 22 in slugging percentage (.517), and No. 14 in walks (330). Senior catcher Boston Smith ranks No. 12 in slugging percentage (.763), and is No. 20 in on-base percentage (.509).
 
AGAINST THE 'POWERS'
Wright State has knocked off a "Power Five" conference program 25 times since 2014.
 
2/16/14 — vs. Michigan State (Neutral Site) — W, 7-1
3/1/14 — at #4 Oregon State — W, 6-2
2/22/15 - at #18 Ole Miss — W, 3-1
3/1/15 — at #11 Miami — W, 12-6
5/31/15 — vs. Notre Dame (NCAA Regional) — W, 4-0
2/26/16 — at #8 NC State — W, 10-8
3/5/16 — at Georgia — W, 3-1
6/5/16 — vs. #20 Ohio State (NCAA Regional) — W, 7-3
2/17/17 — at #10 Clemson — W, 6-4
2/19/17 — at #10 Clemson — W, 9-2
2/26/17 — at #4 South Carolina — W, 5-1
3/5/17 — vs. Pittsburgh (Neutral site) — W, 3-1
2/16/19 — at #10 Ole Miss — W, 9-5
2/24/19 — at #19 Oklahoma State — W, 5-4
4/3/19 — at Indiana — W, 15-4
2/19/20 — at #1 Louisville — W, 10-3
3/6/20 — at #11 Tennessee — W, 5-4
3/8/20 — at #11 Tennessee — W, 6-3
3/4/22 — at Virginia Tech — W, 11-5
2/25/23 — at Kentucky — W, 12-9
3/21/23 — at Ohio State — W, 3-0
2/26/24 — at Oklahoma — W, 12-2
4/23/24 — vs. Ohio State — W, 14-13
4/8/25 — vs. Cincinnati (Neutral site) — W, 10-3