Raiders Ready to Close Regular Season Home Slate Against NKU

DAYTON – Wright State baseball returns to Nischwitz Stadium for its final regular-season home series, hosting Northern Kentucky beginning Friday, May 9.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early before the series finale on Sunday, May 11, as the team honors five 2025 graduates and celebrates Senior Day with 11 Raidergang seniors.

Game 1 - Friday, May 9 – 3:00 p.m. – Live Stats
Game 2 - Saturday, May 10 – 2:00 p.m. – Live Stats
Game 3 - Sunday, May 11 – 1:00 p.m. – Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State is coming off a series sweep at Youngstown State, defeating the Penguins 20-8, 12-4, and 12-8.

The Raiders batted .361 over the weekend, led by Cam Gilkerson's .692 average and nine RBI. WSU totaled 19 extra-base hits, including seven doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs. Senior catcher Boston Smith also had a standout weekend, sending all four of his hits over the fence with one homer in each game. Smith drew eight walks (two intentional), drove in seven runs, and posted a 2.484 OPS.

On the mound, the Raiders posted a 6.33 ERA in the series. Cam Allen, J.J. Thompson, and Warren Hartzell each recorded a win, with Allen leading the staff with nine strikeouts across five innings.

SCOUTING THE NORSE
Northern Kentucky enters the series with a 26-20 overall record, sitting second in the Horizon League at 14-10. The Norse recently won a series at Milwaukee, falling 5-4 in 11 innings in Game 1, winning 10-6 in 12 innings in Game 2, and taking the rubber match 6-5.

Offensively, NKU is hitting .289 as a team, ranked second in the HL, led by Logen Devenport's .438 average—third in the nation. The Norse have totaled 88 doubles, 62 home runs, and a league-leading 12 triples. Devenport also leads the league with 19 doubles (No. 18 nationally), ranks fourth in the nation in on-base percentage (.549), and fifth in slugging percentage (.819). Tyler Shaneyfelt leads the HL and ranks tenth nationally with 64 runs, also ranking ninth in runs per game (1.42). The Norse also lead the league in sacrifice flies (22), with Josh Williams' eight ranking fifth nationally.

On the mound, NKU has a 6.80 ERA, second-best in the HL. Projected starters Aaron Boster and Conner Linn have each made 12 starts this season, tied for No. 16 in the nation. Boster leads the HL in hits allowed per nine innings (7.43), while Kaden Echeman leads in strikeouts (64).

HISTORY VS. NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Since 1975, Wright State holds a 53-19 advantage in the all-time series. Earlier this season, the Raiders won the series, taking the first two games 19-5 and 9-6 before falling 7-4 in the finale.

LEAGUE STANDINGS
After sweeping Youngstown State, Wright State leads the Horizon League with a 21-3 conference record. Northern Kentucky sits in second place at 14-10, following its series win over Milwaukee. Milwaukee is third at 12-11.

Youngstown State is fourth at 9-15, followed by Purdue Fort Wayne (8-15) and Oakland (7-17).

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 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. 13 in the nation with five triples on the season and is eighth in triples per game (.14). Blomquist notably went for three in back-to-back games at Oakland.

PELTIER'S GOING YARD
Sophomore outfielder JP Peltier remains a consistent power threat, ranking among the league's top home run hitters. He ranks second in the Horizon League and No. 27 nationally with 16 home runs and third with an average of 0.36 homers per game.

DISCIPLINED AT THE PLATE
Wright State is third in the Horizon League and ranks No. 35 nationally with 261 walks this season, highlighting the Raiders' patient approach at the plate. Boston Smith leads the league and ranks No. 18 nationally with 45 walks, while Patrick Fultz's 39 rank third in the HL. Smith also leads the league and ranks ninth nationally in walks per game (1.05), 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 will close the regular season on the road, beginning with a Tuesday, May 13, matchup at Kent State. The Raiders then head to Purdue Fort Wayne for a three-game series starting Thursday, May 15.

Raiders Ready to Close Regular Season Home Slate Against NKU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cam Allen

Braylen Blomquist

Patrick Fultz

Cam Gilkerson

Gus Gregory

Warren Hartzell

JP Peltier

Boston Smith

J.J. Thompson

Footer