Wright State baseball: Patrick, other vets back to lead strong offense

“We’ve had some good ones, but he belongs in the conversation,” Sogard said.

The 6-foot-4 junior from Hilliard Darby mashed a school-record 20 homers last year, batted a team-best .326, swiped a Horizon League-high 31 bases in 35 attempts and racked up 59 RBIs in 61 games.

“He can bunt for a hit. He can beat out an infield hit. He can steal a base. He can also hit 25 home runs. He can kind of do everything,” Sogard said.

“He’s always really hit since he’s been here, and now he’s an elite centerfielder. He really sets the tone for us at the top of our lineup.”

Patrick may be a one-man wrecking crew, but the Raiders — who went 39-23 last season while winning their fifth straight HL regular-season title and third consecutive league tourney crown — have lively bats around him.

Catcher Sammy Sass (.291, 11 HRs, 41 RBIs), first-baseman Julian Greenwell (.283, 10, 41) and right-fielder Jay Luikart (.294, 11, 43) are all taking their fifth year of eligibility.

Luikart also is a valuable piece on the mound, making 14 appearances last year with six saves.

The Raiders return every starting position player except second basemen Gehrig Anglin, and that crew may have to carry the load while the pitching staff finds its footing.

Chaminade Julienne grad Sebastian Gongora, who went 10-1 last season and was named HL pitcher of the year, has transferred to Louisville, leaving a hole at the top of the rotation.

“I think we have the talent. We definitely have the arms. It’s just a matter of getting them the innings. They don’t have the experience that maybe we had last year,” Sogard said.

Jake Shirk (5-5, 4.71 ERA) will likely be the lead starter. Ty Roder (2-1, 5.27) will have a bigger role.

“We may do a piggyback system where we throw two starters in one game, just to get them built up,” Sogard said.

The Raiders open the season Friday with a three-game series at Louisiana, which went 37-23 last season and, in 2022, won the Sun Belt Conference and played in the NCAA tourney.

Wright State also will have three-game matchups with 2022 national runner-up Oklahoma and fellow mid-majors Memphis and Eastern Kentucky.

“It’s more challenging maybe than it looks on paper,” Sogard said of the non-league schedule. “Louisiana has a great environment, and that’s what we want.

“On the mound, we’ll be challenged early, but that’s okay. We’re going to get a lot of guys’ feet wet and throw some young guys right into the fire and prepare for conference play.”

When it comes to Wright State baseball, there’s a perception that the team just waltzes through league competition each spring while awaiting an inevitable trip to the NCAA tournament.

But looks can be deceiving.

Sogard and his staff might have been gnawing their fingernails to the nub while trying to advance last year.

After an early loss at Nischwitz Stadium, they had to beat Oakland twice on the last day in a win-or-go-home scenario.

They did it with a ninth-inning, tie-breaking homer by Patrick in the first game and then clinched it with a Patrick grand slam and seven shutout innings by Haught in the second game.

Tristan Haught earned the win in both games by throwing two-plus innings in relief to finish off the opener.

“We’ve never done it that way. I don’t know of any team that could do it the way we did it,” said Sogard, meaning their pressure-packed climb out of the loser’s backet.

“When we got our (championship) rings this fall, it was one of my prouder on-the-field moments as a coach. They embodied the relentless spirit of ‘Raidergang.’ We talk about being relentless a lot, and they showed it.”