Baseball ready to take on Xavier in Joe Nuxhall Classic

DAYTON- The Wright State baseball team (14-14, 8-1 HL) will take the short trip down to Prasco Park Tuesday evening to take on Xavier as part of the Joe Nuxhall Classic. First pitch in Mason is slated for 5 p.m., and admission for all fans is free.

The game will be available to stream on AWRE, but there will be no commentary. Live stats will also be provided.

GAME INFORMATION
Tuesday, Apr. 7 – LIVE STATS | WATCH (AWRE)

PROJECTED STARTER
Tuesday- JJ Thompson, LHP

HISTORY VS. XAVIER
Wright State and Xavier will meet for the 84th time Tuesday evening, a series the Raiders lead 45-38 all-time. The two teams met three times a season ago, with the Raiders going 2-1 against the Musketeers. Wright State fell 11-5 at Xavier before bouncing back and winning 4-0 at Nischwitz Stadium. The third meeting came in the championship game of the Joe Nuxhall Classic when a three-run walk-off home run off the bat of JP Peltier powered the Raiders to a 10-8 win.

SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS
Xavier enters Tuesday at 12-21 on the season. The Musketeers are winners of four of their last five but are coming off a 10-9 loss to Georgetown Saturday afternoon. Clay Burdette powers the Xavier offense, leading the Musketeers in batting average (.378), runs (19), hits (37), doubles (10), RBIs (27), total bases (75), and is second in home runs (8).

LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders got a gem out of starter Chet Lax as it went on to complete the weekend sweep of rival Northern Kentucky, defeating the Norse 6-1.

Lax was outstanding in his sixth start of the season, pitching 7.1 shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six Northern Kentucky batters. The left-hander was lights out, pitching a no-hitter into the top of the sixth when Jack Paulick ripped a single through the left side.

The Raiders jumped all over Northern Kentucky with four runs in the top of the first inning. Hunter Warren and Braylen Blomquist opened the game with back-to-back singles before Andrew Duncan would open the scoring with an RBI double to left that scored Warren from second. Keegan Holmstrom would drive in both Blomquist and Duncan, serving an RBI single to the gap in right-center. Patrick Fultz would cap off the inning and bring in Holmstrom on a sacrifice bunt.

The teams would then exchange zeros on the scoreboard for 5.5 innings. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Holmstrom would bring in his third run of the day, roping an RBI single through the right side to score Duncan for the second time today. The Raiders would then add another run of insurance in the bottom of the eighth when Warren came in to score on a passed ball.

Cooper Gilkerson was the lone man out of the bullpen for the Raiders, entering the game at the top of the eighth with runners on first and third base. The right-hander would only need one pitch to get out of the jam, producing an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Gilkerson would allow one run and strike out three Norse batters in the top of the ninth, but it was too little too late for Northern Kentucky.

REIGNING CHAMPS
A season ago, Wright State was crowned the champion of the Joe Nuxhall Classic. The Raiders took down Cincinnati 10-3 before defeating Xavier 10-8 in the championship game. JP Peltier played hero in the championship game. He entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth to give the Raiders a 5-4 advantage. After Xavier took the lead in the top of the ninth, Peltier would walk the game off with a three-run homer to lift the Raiders to a 10-8 win.

HOT START TO THE HORIZON LEAGUE
Wright State has once again started conference play hot with an 8-1 record after its first three series against Milwaukee, Oakland, and Northern Kentucky. 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 13 of its last 14 games at home, going 9-5 in that stretch. Their one road game in that stretch came not too far from home, taking a day trip last Tuesday to face off against Cincinnati. But their stretch in southern Ohio isn't done yet; the Raiders will remain in the area as they participate in the Joe Nuxhall Classic at Prasco Park in nearby Mason. 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 baseball infielder Keegan Holmstrom and left-handed pitcher Chet Lax have swept the Horizon League weekly award, earning HL Batter and Pitcher of the Week honors, the league office announced Monday.

Holmstrom hit to the tune of a .600 batting average as the Raiders went on to sweep Northern Kentucky over the weekend. Holmstrom reached base safely multiple times and scored a run in all three games, with two hits in Thursday's series opener, a pair of walks on Friday, and four hits on Saturday. In Saturday's sweep-clinching win, Holmstrom was responsible for four of the Raiders' six runs as he drove in three and came in to score once. The first baseman also showed off his speed, swiping three bases on the weekend.

Lax was brilliant in his sixth start of the season on Saturday against Northern Kentucky. Lax pitched 7.1 shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six NKU batters. The left-hander carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before allowing his first hit of the day. The win marks Lax's fifth on the season and puts him atop the Horizon League standings

Holmstrom earns his second consecutive weekly award after being named the HL Batter of the Week last Monday. Lax also earns his second weekly award of the season after being named the HL Pitcher of the Week on March 11.

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 open the road portion of its conference slate this weekend at Youngstown State. The Raiders and Penguins are slated to meet at 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Baseball ready to take on Xavier in Joe Nuxhall Classic

Players Mentioned

Braylen Blomquist

Andrew Duncan

Patrick Fultz

Cooper Gilkerson

Keegan Holmstrom

Chet Lax

JP Peltier

JJ Thompson

Hunter Warren

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