Raiders Ready #HLBASE Tournament Play

Thursday, May 21

Dayton, OH

3 PM

Wright State University

No.4 Youngstown State / No. 5 Oakland (HL Championship)

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Photo by: Alexis Sherman

5/20/2026 5:00:00 PM | Baseball

DAYTON- The Wright State baseball team (25-26, 17-7 HL) will begin postseason play at Nischwitz Stadium this week, hosting the 2026 Horizon League Championship from May 20-23. The Raiders will open tournament action on Thursday, May 21, at 3 p.m. against the winner of game one between Oakland and Youngstown State on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now, with both single-day and all-tournament passes available. All tickets are mobile, and fans are encouraged to purchase in advance. Fans without smartphones may purchase tickets at the gate, where they will receive them via text.

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All games of the 2025 Horizon League Championship will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available throughout the tournament as well.

SCOUTING THE HORIZON LEAGUE
Milwaukee
The Panthers finished the regular season with a 22-31 overall record and 14-10 mark in Horizon League play. The Raiders took the season series over Milwaukee 4-2, sweeping the Panthers at Nischwitz Stadium and dropping the series 2-1 on the road.

Northern Kentucky
The Norse finished with a 25-28 record during the regular season, finishing with an even 12-12 record in Horizon League play. Wright State took the season series over Northern Kentucky 5-1, sweeping the series at Nischwitz Stadium and taking the series 2-1 on the road.

Youngstown State
The Penguins finished the regular season with a 15-38 overall record and 12-12 in Horizon League play. Wright State and Youngstown State split the season series, with each team picking up a road sweep.

Oakland
The Golden Grizzlies finished with an 11-40 record during the regular season, finishing with a 5-19 mark in Horizon League play. Wright State swept the season series over Oakland, completing sweeps on the road and at Nischwitz Stadium.

SAME TIME SAME PLACE?
Wright State will host the Horizon League Championship at Nischwitz Stadium for the eighth straight season and 14th season overall. The eight straight championships in Dayton, Ohio, match the previous league high set by Notre Dame hosting eight straight tournaments in South Bend, Indiana, from 1988 to 1995.

ALL-LEAGUE HONORS
Wright State was well represented when the Horizon League announced its yearly All-League awards Tuesday afternoon, earning a league-high 14 awards.

Heading the Raiders' honors were Freshman of the Year Keegan Holmstrom, Patrick Fultz, who picked up the Sportsmanship Award, and Head Coach Alex Sogard, who was named the Coach of the Year for the sixth time, extending his program record.

Wright State placed five players, Andrew Duncan, Keegan Holmstrom, Chet Lax, Griffen Paige, and Hunter Warren, on the All-League First Team. The Raiders placed four more players, Michael Bilo, Braylen Blomquist, Patrick Fultz, and JP Peltier, on the All-League Second Team. Holmstrom earned additional recognition by being named to the All-Freshman team alongside fellow newcomers Cooper Gilkerson and Michael Zielinski.

ACADEMIC STANDOUTS
Wright State placed six students on the 2026 Horizon League Baseball All-Academic Team, with Patrick Fultz, Gus Gregory, Chet Lax, Griffen Paige, JP Peltier, and Hunter Warren all earning All-Academic honors.

COACH OF THE YEAR
Wright State skipper Alex Sogard earned his third consecutive and sixth Horizon League Coach of the Year title of his illustrious career, extending his program record. Sogard led the Raiders to their eighth consecutive Horizon League Regular Season Title with a 25-26 overall record and 17-7 mark in conference play. Sogard led the Raiders to five power conference wins over four different opponents, defeating Cincinnati, No. 6 Georgia, No. 19 Tennessee, and Ohio State twice.

Under Sogard's guidance, Wright State leads the Horizon League in a multitude of offensive statistical categories, including hits (523), triples (21), total bases (846), and slugging percentage (.472). The Raiders also get it done on the mound, leading the Horizon League in ERA (5.65), hits allowed (440), runs allowed (305), and strikeouts (428). The Raidergang is also one of the best defensive teams, leading the Horizon League and ranking 19th nationally with a 0.980 fielding percentage.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Redshirt freshman first baseman Keegan Holmstrom picked up the Horizon League Freshman of the Year award following his stellar first collegiate season. It is the second consecutive Freshman of the Year honor for the Raiders, with Warren earning the honor a season ago. Holmstrom played in 50 games for the Raiders with 43 starts, slashing .358/.424/.452 across his freshman campaign. The Grove City, Ohio, native recorded a hit in 33 games this season with 17 multi-hit games. Holmstrom's .358 batting average ranked second in the Horizon League and 135th nationally. The redshirt freshman played a nearly perfect first base defensively, sporting a league-high.997 fielding percentage, recording a league-best 347 putouts.

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Senior Patrick Fultz was named the Horizon League Sportsmanship Award recipient, the first in program history. Fultz has been a four-year starter for the Raiders, winning four Horizon League Regular Season Titles and a pair of Tournament Championships. The Springfield, Ohio, native serves as the baseball representative on the Wright State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and leads the team during team gatherings.

FLASHING THE LEATHER
Wright State has been one of the best defensive teams in the country in 2026, currently sporting a fielding percentage of 0.980. This ranks the Raiders 19th in the country and first in the Horizon League.

GOING FOR THREE
Wright State has been stretching doubles into triples all season. The Raiders' 21 three-baggers and 0.41 triples per game lead the Horizon League and rank third and fourth, respectively, in Division I baseball. Andrew Duncan leads not only the Raiders and the Horizon League with eight triples on the season but is also tied for first in all of Division I baseball. Two other Raiders rank in the top 125 in DI baseball, with Cy Turner's four triples coming in at second in the Horizon League and 42nd nationally, and Braylen Blomquist's three triples ranking him third in the conference and 112th nationally.

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.