Wright State senior pitcher Luke Mamer has been a Jack-of-all-trades for the Raiders’ pitching staff the last four years. The 6-foot-5 right-hander from Springfield’s Kenton Ridge High School hopes he is in a role that he can master.
Mamer threw six shutout innings Sunday afternoon, helping the Raiders to a three-game sweep over Oakland to open Horizon League play 3-0. WSU has won five-straight games.
Mamer’s role in the rotation got a bump after staff ace Robby Sexton suffered an elbow injury. Wright State head coach Greg Lovelady said that Sexton’s season is likely over, as the junior needs Tommy John surgery. The rehab for pitchers who have Tommy John surgery can take over a year.
“As a pitcher, we have to be ready to pitch whenever time is called, and that is how I go about it,” Mamer said. “Somebody gets hurt, I just need to be ready.”
“He has done it for four years and really stepped up last year and did the same thing,” Lovelady said. “It was midway through the year, he made some midweek starts, and then all of a sudden was in the weekend rotation.”
Sunday marked Mamer’s second start of the season. In his first start of the year on March 8 versus Missouri State, Mamer took a no-decision after he threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one run.
Mamer’s start Sunday followed solid performances from starting pitchers Jesse Scholtens and Travis Swaney. The duo combined to allow three runs in over 11 total innings for a pair of Raider wins on Saturday.
“All week, we have done a great job on the mound,” Lovelady said. “Just really competed well and kept pitches down. Do those type of things, you give yourself to a chance to be successful.”
After Mamer started in six games out of 13 appearances last season for Wright State, Mamer continued his season by leading the pitching staff of the Champion City Kings in his hometown. Mamer made 10 starts, compiling a 6-3 record with a team-best 2.26 ERA in the Prospects League, which is comprised of top collegiate baseball players from predominantly the Midwest.
“It was awesome getting to play in front of the hometown again, a lot of friends and family came out,” Mamer said. “It is a good organization there. The organization made it fun, and it was awesome to be back in Springfield.”
It was the first season that the Kings joined the Prospects League. By the end of the summer, Mamer’s Kings were drawing capacity crowds to Carleton Davidson Stadium, a ballpark 20 miles northeast of Wright State’s campus.
“It is a good baseball community and it turned out to be very good,” Mamer said. “We had good turnouts and I think they are going to make it a lot better next year.”
Mamer said he sold two of his WSU teammates, outfielder Brad Macciocchi and pitcher Jacob Burk, on the opportunity of playing summer baseball in Springfield.
Bunts 
Senior second baseman Michael Timm is on a nine-game hitting streak… Sinclair Community College transfer Mitch Roman, WSU’s everyday shortstop, is on a five-game hitting streak dating back to the Raiders’ win over Xavier last Wednesday. Roman is leading the Horizon League with 23 hits… WSU improved its all time conference record over Oakland to 9-0.
