Baseball set to host Northern Kentucky for a three-game set

Thursday, April 2

3 PM

Wright State University

Northern Kentucky

Photo by: Addyson Olsen

Baseball set to host Northern Kentucky for a three-game set

4/1/2026 7:00:00 PM | Baseball

DAYTON- The Wright State baseball team (11-14, 5-1 HL) will return home to Nischwitz Stadium to host Northern Kentucky for a three-game set. Due to the Easter Holiday, the Raiders will take on the Norse on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Fans who arrive early to Thursday's series opener will receive a free BEAT NKU t-shirt (while supplies last)

Friday's game will be available to stream with Chris Collins and Bob Grote on the call. Live stats will be available for all three contests.

GAME INFORMATION
Thursday, Apr. 2 – LIVE STATS
Friday, Apr. 3 – WATCH (ESPN+) | LIVE STATS
Saturday, Apr. 4 – LIVE STATS

PROJECTED STARTERS
Thursday- Cam Allen, RHP
Friday- Griffen Paige, LHP
Saturday- Chet Lax, LHP

HISTORY VS. NORTHERN KENTUCKY
The two rivals have faced off 76 times, entering this weekend, a series the Raiders hold a dominant 56-20 advantage in. A season ago, Wright State went 5-2 against Northern Kentucky, winning both the home and away series 2-1, and then defeated the Norse 18-1 in the Horizon League Tournament at Nischwitz Stadium.

SCOUTING THE NORSE
Northern Kentucky enters the weekend at 13-14 on the season, and 6-3 in Horizon League play. The Norse are coming off a 15-12 loss at the hands of Bellarmine on Tuesday afternoon. Northern Kentucky did sweep conference foe Youngstown State at home a week ago.

LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders got a two-home run day from junior outfielder Gus Gregory on the road at Cincinnati Tuesday evening, but ultimately fell short of the Bearcats 8-5.

Cincinnati opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with an RBI single off the bat of Enzo Infelise.

The Raiders would respond right back in the top of the first with Gregory's first home run of the day and of the season. The junior launched the two-run blast off the scoreboard in right field to give the Raiders a one-run advantage.

The Bearcats would regain the lead in the bottom of the second with three runs of their own. Ryan Tyranski would bring in one on an RBI bunt single and come in to score on a two-run home run off the bat of Luke Sefcik.

Gregory would tie the game at four runs apiece in the top of the third with his second two-run homer of the game. He worked a six-pitch at bat before parking the 2-2 pitch over the wall in right-center.

JJ Thompson got the start on the mound, pitching three innings and striking out three Bearcats before turning the ball over to the Wright State bullpen. The Raiders got shutout outings from Cooper Robinson and Broady Papay, who went one and 1.1 innings, respectively.

Cincinnati broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Sefcik recorded his third RBI of the day with a double up the left field line before Jackson Smith and Quienton Coats launched back-to-back home runs to give the Bearcats an 8-4 lead. Coats' home run was his nation's leading 20^th of the season.

New arms would continue to pour out of the Wright State bullpen, with Keegan Holmstrom, Nate Shaw, Abe Crall, Matthew Johnson, and Evan Boeckmann would combine for the final 2.2 innings.

Gregory would continue to swing a hot bat for the Raiders in the top of the ninth, roping an RBI double into the game in right-center, scoring JP Peltier from first.

HOT START TO THE HORIZON LEAGUE
Wright State has once again started conference play hot with a 5-1 record after its first two series against Milwaukee and Oakland. This record matches what the Raiders did a season ago, a campaign that saw the Raiders go 25-5 in conference play to clinch their seventh consecutive regular-season title.

HOME COOKING
After starting the season with 13 of its first 14 games coming away from the friendly confines of Nischwitz Stadium, Wright State has played 10-consecutive games at home, going 6-4 in that stretch. But their stretch in southern Ohio isn't done yet, with a quick road trip to Cincinnati on Tuesday before hosting rival NKU in Dayton for a three-game series starting Thursday afternoon. Following the Easter holiday, the Raiders will remain in the area as they participate in the Joe Nuxhall Classic at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio, starting April 7. Wright State will then open the road portion of its 2026 conference campaign at Youngstown State April 10-12.

SWEEPING THE #HLBASE WEEKLY HONORS
Wright State infielder Keegan Holmstrom and right-handed pitcher Michael Zielinski have swept the Horizon League Weekly awards, earning HL Batter and Pitcher of the Week honors, the league office announced Monday.

Holmstrom was an on-base machine in the middle of the Wright State order as the Raiders went 3-1 on the week with a win over Ohio State and a series win over Oakland. Holmstrom hit to the tune of a .538 batting average while sporting a .667 on-base percentage. The first baseman had seven hits on the week, including multiple hits in three of the Raiders' four contests, while also showcasing his elite plate discipline with five walks to just one strikeout. While on base, Holmstrom also came around to score five times. The Grove City native also played a perfect first base on the weekend, recording 37 putouts and no errors.

Zielinski was the lone man out of the bullpen in Friday's win over Oakland, pitching four shutout innings. The left-hander pitched the final four innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five Golden Grizzlies en route to his first save of the season.

RANKED WINS
Wright State has picked up a pair of wins over ranked opponents so far this season. The Raiders upset No. 6 Georgia 6-4 during opening weekend, then defeated No. 19 Tennessee last weekend 6-0. This is the first time the Raiders have picked up multiple ranked wins since they won three ranked wins in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, defeating No. 1 Louisville 10-3 before defeating No. 11 Tennessee twice, taking the series opener 5-4 and the series finale 6-3

RAIDERS RUNNING IT BACK
In the era of the transfer portal, where many teams lose so much talent year-to-year, Wright State has recruited talent and kept them in Dayton. The Raiders returned 65% of their total production from a season ago, when factored by total points (fantasy baseball points calculation done by D1Baseball), the Raiders rank ninth in total returning production. The Raidergang return 56% of their roster from a season ago, 64% of their plate appearances, and 55% of their innings pitched. Wright State has brought back six lineup mainstays from a season ago, as well as two of its three weekend starters.

SCOUTING THE 2026 SQUAD
The Raidergang returns 20 players from a season ago while adding 19 newcomers (10 transfers and nine true freshmen). The squad consists of five seniors, nine juniors, nine sophomores, and 16 freshmen.

The roster features a strong in-state contingent, with 54% of players (21) from Ohio. But the Raiders also recruit well nationally, with 13 other states being represented in the roster. The other 13 states include California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

UP NEXT
Wright State will take the short trip over to Mason on Tuesday, April 7, to face off against Xavier as part of the 2026 Joe Nuxhall Classic. First pitch at Prasco Park is slated for 5 p.m.