The Wright State Raiders baseball team has had another great season in 2025, dominating the Horizon league regular season and securing their spot in the NCAA tournament for the 4th time in the last 5 years with a conference tournament championship.

Wright State boasts a 38-19 overall record, and an even more impressive 25-5 conference record, ending the season with an 8 game lead in the standings over number 2 Northern Kentucky. Wright State ended the season 20-4 at home, while just 13-15 away from the friendly confines of Nischwitz Stadium. The Raiders were 5-0 in neutral site games.

Long story short, Wright State has elite batting numbers, ranking top 40 nationally in almost every statistical category, however the pitching is not elite, or even close, ranking outside the top 200 nationally in every statistical category.

Before I get into the offensive numbers, some will pop off the page. We all know this, but keep in mind the difference in competition level between all of these teams. SOS per D1Baseball for each team in the Nashville Region:

Vanderbilt - 2

Louisville - 27

ETSU - 94

Wright State - 260

As a team, Wright state is slashing .305/.424/.517 ranking 37th/16th/22nd respectively. Wright State has also left the ball park a solid amount, recording 88 HRs on the season, 31st in the country. Wright State hits for power and naturally strike out a lot. However, their approach at the plate is patient and consistent, as a team Wright State ranks 14th nationally in walks earned. Controlling the zone will be key early for the Vanderbilt staff.

Wright State has 3 clear power hitters that stand out, Boston Smith, JP Peltier, and Cam Gilkerson accounting for 56 of Wright State's 88 homeruns on their own. The rest of the lineup has good batters but noone that jumps off the screen.

The pitching is when things get a bit more questionable for the Raiders. With a team ERA of 6.7, the Wright State staff has not been atrocious but has been a weak point throughout the season that should be exposed against higher level competition. Still not clear who Wright State will start Friday evening against Vanderbilt, but expect to see Wright State hit the bullpen early.

Vanderbilt will face Wright State at Hawkins Field on Friday, May 30th, at 5pm CST. I see no way Vanderbilt loses this game, but I expect Wright State will send at least a couple baseballs over the outfield walls.