Sitting alongside team supporters in a crowded room at TJ Chumps in Fairborn, Wright State baseball players cheered loudly as it was announced the Raiders will be facing off against Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament.
For outfielder Mark Fowler it was a relief to see the team’s name pop up on the screen despite knowing the Raiders had clinched a berth in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
“Finally seeing our name pop up there solidified the feeling that we’ve been feeling the last few days, that we’re in, and now it’s time to take care of business,” Fowler said.
The Raiders received their first automatic bid to the NCAA tournament since 2011 after defeating Milwaukee 17-4 over the weekend to win the Horizon League tournament.
Wright State coach Greg Lovelady had a successful background as a catcher on two national championship teams at Miami and was motivated to bring his players similar experiences when he became a coach.
“This is one of those experiences that they’re never going to forget, and they’re going to remember it for the rest of their lives,” Lovelady said. “Seeing the excitement on their faces and how jacked up they’ve been, that means a lot to me.”
The Raiders were selected to be the No. 3 seed in the Champaign, Ill. Region. They are slated to play No. 2 seeded Notre Dame in the opening game Friday at 1 p.m. of the double elimination regional. It will be a battle of Midwestern teams with the other teams opposing Wright State in the regional including No. 1 Illinois and No. 4 Ohio.
Whichever team Wright State was selected to play was irrelevant, according to Lovelady.
“We’re going to go out there and play the way we’re capable of playing and do the things that we practiced,” Lovelady said. “Who throws the ball to us and who hits the ball to us is irrelevant in the way we go about our business.”
The Raiders proved their capability after upsetting national power Miami once in the early portion of their schedule and losing other tight contests against the Hurricanes. WSU also defeated nationally seeded Missouri State early in the season.
Wright State boosts a batting order full of offensive ability. Fowler was named MVP of the Horizon League Tournament after hitting .389 along with two homeruns. Other sparks in the Raider offense include Sean Murphy, Mitch Roman and Ryan Fucci, who all hit over .400 for the league tournament.
“We don’t have to expect one guy to be the guy,” Lovelady said. “We know that any one of our nine guys have an opportunity every weekend to help us win games. We don’t need a hero”
Jesse Scholtens and Luke Mamer are at the top of the Raider pitching rotation with 6-4 and 4-2 records respectively. After pitching in two games with one day of rest over the weekend, it is uncertain if Mamer will be the starter against the Irish.
“If I feel like Luke needs another day, then we’ll go with Jesse,” Lovelady said. “I feel like either of them have the stuff, ability and competitiveness to compete with anybody in the country.”
The challenge of winning the league tournament offers a precursor for the new challenge that awaits the Raiders, Lovelady noted.
“Any time you play in a tournament where you’re life is on the line, that is always good practice,” Lovelady said. “We tried to go into every weekend using that as a tournament format. That was always preparing us for a tournament type of atmosphere.”
A.J. Trapino leads the Wright State pitching staff in wins with an 8-0 record and 2.22 ERA. Jeremy Randolph is not far behind with a 7-0 record and 2.55 ERA. As a freshman, Randolph found the experience of being selected to the NCAA tournament to be surreal.
“There is really no feeling to describe it. As a freshman, you’re just in awe of what’s going on,” Randolph, a native of Miamisburg, said.
As a senior, Fowler will shortly be reaching the end of the road for his Raider career. Though he finds this bittersweet, Fowler is satisfied with how his last season has transpired.
“I’m happy that we’ve made it this far and I’m happy with the season that I’ve had,” Fowler said. “It’s everything that I could ask for to close out my college career. It’s been a great ride.”
