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HEAD COACH ALEX SOGARD

Alex Sogard will enter his sixth year as the head coach of the Wright State Raiders baseball program in 2023-2024.

The Raiders have compiled an 152-89 record in his first five years at the helm of the WSU baseball team, highlighted by four consecutive Horizon League regular season titles and three straight trips to the NCAA Regional.

In Sogard’s time as the head coach, here are the numbers:

  • 3 Horizon League Championship titles – Knoxville Regional ('21), Blacksburg Regional ('22), and Terre Haute Regional ('23)
  • 4 Horizon League regular season titles (every season as HC w/ 2020 covid being cancelled)
  • 3 Horizon League Player of the Year awards ('19, '21, '22)
  • 1 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year award ('23)
  • 3 Horizon League Coach of the Year awards (Most in program history)
  • 4 All-Americans
  • 14 All-Region selections
  • 37 All-Conference selections
  • 8 Wins against Top 25 teams
  • 2 years of having three Top 10 round MLB Draft picks ('19 & '21)
  • 11 total players drafted or signed to professional baseball
  • Team GPA averaging above a 3.0
  • Led the nation in Batting Average, On-Base %, Slugging %, & Scoring 
    Top 25 national marks in Win-Loss %, Runs, Walks, Hits, Doubles, Home Runs, Stolen Bases, K/BB Ratio and Walks per 9 inn. 
    Set program record in Batting Average, Slugging %, On-Base %, Stolen Bases, Walks, Runs, Home Runs x 2, RBI, and Strikeouts x 3
  • 1 Regional Coach of the Year
  • Team USA Stars manager

Sogard coached Wright State to a 39-23 overall record and a 22-8 mark in conference play during the 2023 season, helping the Raiders to their fifth straight Horizon League regular season championship, a third consecutive Horizon League Championship title, and a trip to the NCAA Terre Haute Regional. The regional berth was WSU’s sixth in the past eight seasons.

The Raiders finished the year with top-50 national marks in sacrifice flies (5th, 39), doubles (9th, 141), triples (18th, 20), stolen bases (24th, 110), walks allowed per nine innings (27th, 3.61), shutouts (32nd, 4), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (36th, 2.43). Wright State was just outside the top 50 in walks (52nd, 302), WHIP (53rd, 1.42), runs scored (57th, 441), and ERA (58th, 4.89).

WSU broke a single-season school record with 524 strikeouts over 61 games. Outfielder Andrew Patrick shattered the single-season home run record with 20 while also becoming the year’s first player in NCAA Division I baseball with 20-plus doubles, 20-plus homers, and 30-plus stolen bases. Sebastian Gongora earned Horizon League Pitcher of the Year honors after compiling a 10-1 record with a 3.17 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 93.2 innings over 16 starts, finishing tied for third in wins and tied for ninth in strikeouts in the program’s yearly record book.

Both Patrick and Gongora collected East-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team honors, marking the fourth consecutive season (excluding 2020) that Wright State had multiple All-Region selections under Sogard. The 2023 Raiders also racked up eight All-Horizon League honors, including six on the First Team (Gehrig Anglin, Jay Luikart, Sammy Sass, Jake Shirk, Gongora, and Patrick) and two on the All-Freshman Team (Patrick Fultz and Joey Valentine).

In 2022, Sogard led the Raiders to a 30-27 overall record and a 23-9 mark against conference opponents. Wright State earned its fourth regular season championship in a row, a second consecutive Horizon League Championship title, and a trip to the NCAA Blacksburg Regional.

WSU continued its yearly trend of reaching new heights under Sogard, as the team broke single-season records in strikeouts (490) and home runs (81). Gehrig Anglin also tied a single-season home run record with 16 on the season. 

Outfielder Alec Sayre was selected in the 17th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins. He batted .358 with 18 doubles, one triple, 10 homers, 54 runs batted in, 63 runs scored, and nine stolen bases en route to being named Horizon League Player of the Year. Sayre’s honor marked the fourth-straight awards season Wright State had captured HL Player of the Year honors, following Quincy Hamilton in 2021, Peyton Burdick in 2019, and Gabe Snyder in 2018.

The 2022 campaign featured ten All-Horizon League honors for the Raiders, including three First Team selections (Alec Sayre, Gehrig Anglin, Julian Greenwell), four Second Team selections (Zane Harris, Jay Luikart, Jake Shirk, Alex Theis), and three All-Freshman Team selections (Sebastian Gongora, Justin Riemer, Andrew Patrick). Sayre and Zane Harris also earned a spot on the East-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Team.

In the 2021 summer, Sogard served as the manager of the Stars Collegiate National Team, which featured 48 of the top non-draft eligible collegiate players in the country. 

Sogard guided Wright State to a 35-13 finish and a first-place 28-4 record in Horizon League action during the 2021 season. WSU’s 28-4 HL record was the most conference wins in single-season program history.  Sogard collected Horizon League Coach of the Year for the second year in a row in addition to ABCA/ATEC East Region Coach of the Year honors. He was one of eight head coaches to earn regional honors at the Division I level.

The Raiders had another year for the record books in 2021, leading the country in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, scoring at 10.5 runs per game. WSU also finished second nationally in runs, fourth in doubles, seventh in walks, ninth in strikeout-to-walk ration, 13th in win-loss percentage, 16th in stolen bases, 20th in home runs, 21st in fewest walks per nine innings, and 32nd in pitchers’ strikeouts per 9 innings.

The offense broke the single season WSU records for batting average (.339), slugging percentage (.579), on-Base percentage (.447), runs (502), home runs (78), RBI (456), and strikeouts (443).

Infielder Tyler Black was selected as the 33rd overall pick in the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, becoming the highest drafted position player in program history.  Black finished runner-up as Horizon League Player of the Year after hitting .383 with top-five conference marks in almost every offensive category. He was also a Third Team All-American selection and named to the All-Midwest Region Team.

Outfielder Quincy Hamilton was selected in the 5th round of the MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. The 2021 Horizon League Player of the Year batted .374 with 88 RBI, 21 doubles, 19 home runs and six triples, leading the conference in the majority of offensive categories. Notably, he finished top-10 nationally in runs, on-base %, walks, and RBI. Hamilton was also a First Team All American and on the All-Midwest Region Team.

Starting pitcher Jake Schrand was drafted in the 9th Round of the MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins. Schrand, who was a lockdown closer for the Raiders in 2020, transitioned into the starting rotation in 2021, where he anchored the pitching staff and ranked 40th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings.  

Infielder Damon Dues signed a free agent deal with the San Francisco Giants. Dues, a Second Team All-Horizon League member, finished the year hitting .335 with 67 runs scored and 23 stolen bases. Senior catcher Konner Piotto signed a free agent deal with the Texas Rangers.  Piotto was the backbone of the pitching staff and also excelled at the plate hitting .346 with a .439 on-base %.

2021 marked the second time in program history the Raiders had three players drafted in the top 10 rounds of the MLB Draft (19 & 21).  The five players moving on to professional baseball was tied for the second-highest total in team history. In all, the 2021 Raiders totaled nine All Horizon League honors, including five on the First Team (Quincy Hamilton, Tyler Black, Austin Cline, Sammy Sass, Alec Sayre), three on the Second Team (Zane Harris, Bradley Brehmer, and Damon Dues), and one All Freshman Team (Jake Shirk) selection.  The Raiders also had a program-record seven players on the All Midwest Region team (Tyler Black, Quincy Hamilton, Sammy Sass, Damon Dues, Alec Sayre, Zane Harris, Austin Cline). In the shortened 2020 season, Sogard led the Raiders to three road victories over ranked teams, taking down No. 1 Louisville and beating No. 11 Tennessee twice. The Raiders were ranked No. 19 in RPI and had the fifth-toughest schedule in the country.

Alex Sogard was named the head baseball coach at Wright State on July 6, 2018 after two years as an assistant with the Raiders.

"Our baseball program is one of the top programs in the country, nationally known and respected - that is our mentality and our expectation level," WSU Director of Athletics Bob Grant said.  "Ron Nischwitz, Rob Cooper, Greg Lovelady and Jeff Mercer have all embraced this and have steered the program to this level.  I have great confidence in Alex's ability to continue this tradition of excellence.  His high character, work ethic, knowledge of the game and experience of playing at a high level have benefited our program and our student-athletes tremendously the last two years.  He understands our PSA model and that the pillars of our program are personal development and over achievement.  I could not be more excited for him to lead the RaiderGang."

Raider baseball has been one of the most successful programs in the Midwest since 2006, advancing to eight NCAA Tournaments that included the regional finals in 2015 and 2016.  That stretch saw WSU win eight Horizon League Tournament titles and seven regular-season crowns.  In the last seven seasons, Wright State has beaten 16 ranked teams, including #11 Miami (FL) and #18 Ole Miss in 2015, #8 North Carolina State and #20 Ohio State in 2016, #10 Clemson twice and #4 South Carolina in 2017, #20 Louisiana twice in 2018, #9 East Carolina, #10 Ole Miss, #19 Virginia Tech, and #18 Oklahoma State in 2019, and in the shortened 2020 season the Raiders beat #1 Louisville, and #11 Tennessee twice.

Wright State has averaged 40 wins per season over the last seven seasons (2015-2022) ranking 21th nationally in overall wins out of 299 total D1 programs in the country, and is one of only 24 teams in the country who have a winning record over that span against top 50 RPI opponents.  In the past seven years, the Raiders have been to five Regionals.  They have also sent 27 players to pro ball since 2015, including nine Top 10 Round MLB Draft picks.

In his first season as head coach in 2019, the Raiders finished 42-17 overall and 22-8 in the conference.  The 42 wins were the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history, earning him Horizon League Coach of the Year.  The Raiders had a year for the record books, breaking single-season records for walks (368), stolen bases (169), runs (501), and home runs (67).  They were also ranked second nationally in walks and stolen bases, third in runs, fifth in on-base %, ninth in fielding percentage, 10th in batting average, and 27th in home runs. 

The Raiders had a number of big wins again in 2019, including #9 East Carolina, #10 Ole Miss, #18 Oklahoma State and Indiana.

Peyton Burdick, who was selected in the 3rd round by the Miami Marlins, which was the 82nd pick overall.  Burdick was the Horizon League Player of the Year after hitting .407 and leading the conference in almost every offensive category.  He was also a Second Team All-American and a First Team All-Midwest Region pick.

Fellow Outfielder JD Orr was selected in the 10th round by the Miami Marlins as well.  Orr shattered the single-season stolen base record with 60 in addition to breaking the career stolen base record at Wright State with 118. Orr also set set a single-season runs scored (83) on his way to earning First Team All-Horizon League honors.

Third baseman Seth Gray was drafted 4th round by the Minnesota Twins, 119th overall.  Seth was First Team All-Midwest Region recipient as well as a First Team All-Horizon League member after hitting .351 with 11 homers and 70 RBI.

Starting Pitcher Bear Bellomy was drafted 28th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Bear was named to the First Team All-Horizon League team after posting a 9-3 record with a 3.57 ERA and being runner-up for HL Pitcher of the Year. It was the first time in program history the Raiders had three players drafted in the top 10 rounds in the MLB draft. The four players drafted was the second most in program history behind the 2016 team (5 players). 

Senior outfielder Zach Weatherford won the NCAA D1 Rawlings Gold Glove in center field and he also signed with the Cleveland Indians.  Senior shortstop Chase Slone and senior pitcher Tyler Luneke both signed to play professionally as well. The 7 players moving on to professional baseball set a program record for the most players moving on to pro ball in any one season.

Wright State also had some outstanding freshman seasons, starting with second baseman Tyler Black who was named Horizon League Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American. Black was also selected to be All-Midwest Region Second Team after hitting .353 with seven homers and 41 RBI.  The Raiders also had two freshman pitchers, Sam Wirsing and Bradley Brehmer, who combined to go 14-0 on the mound in 2019.

In all, the 2019 Raiders had nine All-Horizon League Honors including six on the First Team (Peyton Burdick, JD Orr, Zach Weatherford, Seth Gray, Tyler Black, and Bear Bellomy), two on the Second Team (Chase Slone, Bradley Brehmer), and two All-Freshman Team (Damon Dues and Bradley Brehmer) selections.  The six First Team selections tied the most all-time at Wright State. 

In 2018 as the Raiders ended 39-17, 22-6, the pitching staff finished the season ranked nationally in earned run average, hits allowed per nine innings and WHIP.  The Raiders also had three players hear their names called in the 2018 MLB draft, including two pitchers.  Starting pitcher Ryan Weiss was selected in the 4th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks and 129th overall.  Weiss posted a 9-2 record with one save and 92 strikeouts over 98 innings this past Spring.   He was named to the All-Horizon League First Team and Second Team All-Region.  Fellow starter Caleb Sampen was selected in the 20th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Sampen went 5-0 record in 11 appearances with a 3.26 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 47.0 innings.  Horizon League Player of the Year Gabe Snyder was taken in the 21st round by the Minnesota Twins. Senior second baseman Matt Morrow was also signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The North Carolina State graduate primarily worked with the pitchers but was involved in all aspects of the program that has shown great recent growth, including the 2018 Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles and a berth to the NCAA Tournament.  He was also instrumental in helping WSU to its first-ever top 100 recruiting class (87th) in 2018. The Raiders 2019 recruiting class was also ranked 89th nationally.

“I'm excited and honored to be the head coach here at Wright State University,” Sogard said.  “I look forward to continuing the legacy that was passed on to me. Coach Nischwitz, Coach Cooper, Coach Lovelady, and Coach Mercer have created the foundation of success at Wright State, and I am grateful to follow in their footsteps.  I'm very excited about this opportunity as we continue to elevate the tradition of the RaiderGang."

In his first season, the Raiders reached new heights as Wright State received its first-ever top 25 ranking, finishing 38-21, 21-9.  The Raider pitching staff compiled a 3.70 ERA and broke the all-time WSU single season strikeout record with 423.  Weiss posted an 8-1 record while Danny Sexton, who was signed by the San Diego Padres, went 8-2.

The left hander was drafted by the Houston Astros in 2010 in the 26th round of the MLB Draft and played seven seasons of professional baseball.  In his first full season with the Astros organization, he led the Single A Lexington Legends in strikeouts.  He advanced as high as AAA and was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League in 2012 (Mesa Solar Sox) and 2013 (Peoria Javelinas) with stints in the Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles organizations as recently as 2016.  Sogard worked as the pitching instructor for several elite camps, including the Pro 5 Academy in Raleigh, NC.

The 35-year-old started his collegiate playing career at Oregon State where OSU won back to back National Championships in 2006 and 2007 before moving to North Carolina State for his final three collegiate seasons.  In 2008, Sogard closed the regional championship game against South Carolina to win the Raleigh Regional.  Sogard was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2008 in the 26th round of the MLB Draft but chose to stay in school, ultimately being drafted by the Astros in 2010. His career also includes playing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Czech Republic in 2012 in Germany and 2016 in Mexico.  His brother, Eric, was a 2nd round pick by the San Diego Padres in the MLB Draft out of Arizona State and is currently a utility infielder in the big leagues.  Since 2010, he has played with the Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, and Chicago Cubs. 

Sogard is a 2010 graduate of North Carolina State with a B.S. degree in Science Technology with a specialty in Nutrition and Exercise Science

He and his wife, Arlie, have four children, Fisher, Penny, Kyler, and Archie and they reside in Beavercreek, OH.