Raiders hit the road for three-game set at Milwaukee

Friday, April 24

Milwaukee, WI

4 PM

Wright State University

Milwaukee

Photo by: Addyson Olsen

4/23/2026 6:00:00 PM | Baseball

DAYTON- The Wright State baseball team (18-19, 11-1 HL) will hit the road this weekend, traveling up north to America's Dairyland for a three-game set with Milwaukee.

The Raiders and Panthers will meet at 4 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be available to stream on ESPN+, and live stats will also be provided.

GAME INFORMATION
Friday, Apr. 24 – LIVE STATS | WATCH (ESPN+)
Saturday, Apr. 25 – LIVE STATS | WATCH (ESPN+)
Sunday, Apr. 26 – LIVE STATS | WATCH (ESPN+)

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

HISTORY VS. MILWAUKEE
Wright State leads the all-time series over Milwaukee 92-72. Earlier this season, the Raiders swept the Panthers to open Horizon League play. In the series, the Wright State outscored Milwaukee 22-12 while hitting .301 as a team with 31 hits.

A season ago, the Raiders and Panthers faced off a total of nine times, with the Raiders winning the season series 6-3. The Raiders took two of three in both regular-season meetings. The Panthers sent the Raiders to the losers' bracket in the Horizon League tournament with a 12-6 win. Wright State would bounce back and beat Milwaukee 13-4 and 2-0 to clinch its eleventh Horizon League Championship.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee enters the weekend at 13-25 on the season and 8-7 in Horizon League. The Panthers are currently riding a six-game winning streak dating back to April 12. In that stretch, Milwaukee defeated Oakland in the rubber match of a three-game set, swept Northern Kentucky, and a pair of midweek wins over Central Michigan and St. Thomas.

Dylan O'Connell leads the Panthers offensively with a .364 batting average. O'Connell also leads the team in hits (47), runs scored (40), RBIs (29), doubles (12), home runs (8), and total bases (85)

LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders rode a big six-run eighth inning to take down in-state rival Cincinnati Tuesday night at Nischwitz Stadium, 12-7.

Gus Gregory was on fire Tuesday afternoon, going a perfect 5-5 at the dish with three runs scored and three RBIs. The Junior also killed the Bearcats in Cincinnati earlier this season with four hits, including two homers, and five runs driven in. Between the two games, Gregory is 8-9 with five extra base hits, five runs scored, and eight RBIs.

Cincinnati would jump on the Raiders early, scoring single tallies in the first and third innings while striking for two runs in the second. Gregory would get the Raiders on the board in the bottom of the second, coming in to score on a double play.

Braylen Blomquist would tie the game up at four runs apiece in the bottom of the fourth, hitting a three-run homer off the foul pole in left field. The home run is Blomquist's fourth of the season.

The Bearcats would regain the lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth off the bat of Christin Michelle.

Gregory would regain the lead for the Raiders with an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh, bringing home Hunter Warren and Keegan Holmstrom.

The Raiders would keep their foot on the gas, scoring six insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the lead out of reach for Cincinnati. Cy Turner would get the party started in the eighth, launching a two-run homer over the wall in left center. The homer is Turner's fourth in his last five games. Holmstrom would follow up Turner's home with an RBI single of his own, coming in to score on a wild pitch later in the inning. Gregory would rope his second RBI double of the day down the line in right field to score JP Peltier from second. Cam Gilkerson would cap off the inning with an RBI double of his own, driving in Gregory.

Cincinnati would attempt to mount a ninth-inning comeback, bringing two runs across in the bottom of the ninth, but it was too little too late.

JJ Thompson got the start on the mound for the Raiders, allowing four runs (three earned) across 3.1 innings of work. Michael Bilo and Abe Crall would combine for the next 1.2 innings, allowing just one run while striking out four combined Bearcats. Matthew Johnson got the win for the Raiders, pitching to no-hit innings while striking out a pair of batters. Cooper Gilkerson got the first save of his collegiate career, pitching the final two frames while allowing two runs on two hits, while striking out two batters.

WINS AGAINST THE POWERS
Wright State has picked up wins over four different power conference opponents so far in the 2026 campaign, setting a new program best. The Raiders have knocked off Cincinnati, Georgia, Ohio State, and Tennessee. The last time Wright State picked up four wins over power conference opponents was 2017, when the Raiders defeated No. 10 Clemson (Twice), Pittsburgh, and No. 4 South Carolina.

HOT START TO THE HORIZON LEAGUE
Wright State has once again started conference play hot with an 11-1 record after its first four series against Milwaukee, Oakland, Northern Kentucky, and Youngstown State. This record surpasses 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.

FLASHING THE LEATHER
Wright State has been one of the best defensive teams in the country in 2026, currently sporting a fielding percentage of 0.983. This ranks the Raiders 12th in the country and first in the Horizon League.

ROUNDING FOR THREE
Wright State has been stretching doubles into triples all season. The Raiders' 16 three-baggers and 0.43 triples per game lead the Horizon League and rank third in Division I baseball. Andrew Duncan leads the way with six triples on the season, good for first in the Horizon League and second in the nation. Cy Turner follows him with three on the season, good for second in the Horizon League, and 45th nationally.

BECAUSE HE GETS ON BASE
Redshirt freshman Keegan Holmstrom has been a professional hitter at the dish in his first season for the Raiders. Holmstrom leads the team and the Horizon League in batting average and on-base percentage; both marks currently rank in the top 100 nationally. His .402 batting average ranks 18th in the country while his .484 on-base percentage places 95th nationally.

DOUBLES MACHINE
JP Peltier has been spraying extra base hits all over the field this season. The junior leads the team and the Horizon League in doubles. His 17 two-baggers also rank him 12th nationally.

TURNER TIME
Cy Turner has been heating up at the dish for the Raiders over the last five games. The senior is hitting to the tune of a .526 batting average and an impressive 1.979 OPS. Over this stretch, Turner is leading the Raiders in hits (10), runs scored (8), runs batted in (8), home runs (4), triples (2), and total bases (26).

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 return home to take on regional rival Miami (OH) on Wednesday, April 29. First pitch at Nischwitz Stadium is slated for 3 p.m.