Wright State Professional Athletes

Wright State in the Postseason Spotlight

Two Wright State alumni are at the center of one of the MLB playoffs' marquee matchups — just standing on opposite sides of it.

Tarik Skubal — though not listed among the currently active Wright State alumni tracked this period — was the unambiguous story of Game 1 of the NLDS. The lefty turned in a performance that had even his opponents talking: six innings, one run, two hits, seven strikeouts, and a 15-batter retirement streak after Drake Baldwin's leadoff single. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 at Dodger Stadium, with Skubal doing the heavy lifting to put his club in control of the series. Blake Snell, a fellow Dodger and one of the game's premier pitchers, made a point of publicly praising Skubal's outing — a testament to how electric the performance was.

Sean Murphy, meanwhile, is carrying Wright State's banner from the other dugout. The Braves catcher is grinding through a tough series offensively — going 0-for-4 in Game 2 on October 7 after drawing a walk in Atlanta's 3-2 win in Game 1 on October 5, a result that briefly evened things up before the Dodgers reasserted control. His presence remains central to Atlanta's pitching operation; the Braves handed Tyler Mahle the ball in Game 2 specifically to have Murphy behind the plate, the veteran catcher's pitch-framing and game-calling ability a non-negotiable part of Atlanta's playoff formula. Ronald Acuña Jr.'s return to the lineup added a jolt to the Braves' offense, but Atlanta will need Murphy to contribute on both sides of the ball to keep pace in what's shaping up to be a lopsided series.

The Skubal-Murphy dynamic encapsulates the best kind of alumni story: two players from the same mid-major program in Dayton, Ohio, meeting at the highest stage the sport offers. Wright State doesn't produce MLB rosters on the scale of SEC or Big Ten powerhouses, which makes this postseason collision all the more striking. One is dealing in October. The other is the glue holding a Braves team together that is fighting to stay alive.

For the rest of the Wright State alumni pool — Tyler Black in Milwaukee, Quincy Hamilton and Ryan Weiss in Houston, Jesse Scholtens in Tampa Bay, Justin Riemer in Oakland, and Jake Shirk in Pittsburgh — the regular season is over and the spotlight belongs to the postseason. Right now, it belongs to Murphy and, by extension, the man on the mound making his life very difficult: a fellow Raider turning October into his personal showcase.

The series continues with Atlanta in desperate need of wins. Murphy will be behind the dish for every pitch of it.

Wright State's MLB footprint came into focus this final week of the 2026 regular season, with two Raiders making their presence felt on opposite ends of the country.

Jesse Scholtens Gets the Call

The Tampa Bay Rays shook up their pitching staff in the final days of the regular season, optioning a top prospect to clear room for right-hander Jesse Scholtens. The move signals the organization still sees value in the Wright State product as a late-season arm, even with a postseason roster in mind.

Scholtens had last taken the mound September 27 against Philadelphia, working 3.0 innings, striking out three, and allowing three earned runs — leaving his ERA at 4.34. It wasn't a dominant line, but the Rays' decision to bring him back up rather than let him finish the year in the minors speaks to the organizational trust he's built. For a pitcher who traveled a long road to sustained big-league work, the recall is meaningful regardless of the calendar position.

Sean Murphy Heats Up for Atlanta

Meanwhile in Atlanta, catcher Sean Murphy gave Braves fans something to cheer about in an otherwise turbulent final stretch. Over the week, Murphy went 4-for-13 with a home run, two runs scored, and a walk — including a sharp 2-for-5 showing against Miami on September 27 before closing the week with a homer against the Dodgers on October 3.

That Saturday performance — 1-for-3 with a solo shot, an RBI, and a run scored — was Murphy's most complete plate appearance of the stretch and bumped his average to .333 over the week's sample. For a catcher who shoulders both offensive and defensive responsibilities, finishing the regular season on a productive note matters heading into any offseason evaluation.

Murphy's week was a reminder that Wright State quietly produces legitimate big-league contributors, not just roster depth. At catcher — one of the hardest positions to sustain offensively in MLB — he continues to be a reliable presence.

The Bigger Picture

Wright State has seven active alumni across MLB rosters right now, a number that would make most mid-major programs envious. Scholtens and Murphy are the headliners this week, but Tyler Black (Brewers), Quincy Hamilton and Ryan Weiss (Astros), Justin Riemer (Athletics), and Jake Shirk (Pirates) round out a Raider contingent quietly embedded across the league.

As the regular season closes, Wright State's MLB alumni class enters the offseason with momentum — and at least one of them finishing with the ball in the air.

For Wright State fans, the Atlanta Braves' playoff push this week doubles as a hometown showcase. Catcher Sean Murphy and designated hitter Drake Baldwin — both Raiders alumni — were in the starting lineup together as Atlanta positioned itself to clinch a postseason berth as early as Saturday, September 19.

Murphy Grinds Through a Tough Stretch

Murphy has had a difficult offensive September, but he's stayed in the lineup and contributed in key moments. He drove in a run in back-to-back games against the Cubs on September 14 and 16, and scored in both contests during a stretch Atlanta ultimately dropped. On Saturday against Houston, he walked twice and scored a run as the Braves took care of business in a 6-3 win — a result that moved them closer to a playoff spot.

His average sits at .179 through the week's final game, a reflection of a rough individual stretch, but his presence behind the plate in a lineup that also featured a fellow Raider speaks to the depth of Wright State's pro pipeline.

Baldwin Slots In at DH

Drake Baldwin, filling the designated hitter role, joined Murphy in the starting nine for the Braves during what could be a clinch window. The two Raiders in the same lineup, on a team playing for a playoff spot in mid-September, is the kind of moment that tends to get quietly undersold.

The Wright State Pipeline, Quietly Producing

Murphy and Baldwin aren't the only Raiders active in professional baseball. Tyler Black is holding down third base in Milwaukee, Quincy Hamilton and Ryan Weiss are both on Houston's roster, Jesse Scholtens is pitching for Tampa Bay, Justin Riemer is with Oakland, and Jake Shirk is in Pittsburgh. That's seven Wright State alumni across six MLB organizations — a remarkable footprint for a program out of Dayton, Ohio that doesn't always land on national radar.

But it's Atlanta where the story crests this week. The Braves' playoff push, with two Raiders on the active roster, gives Wright State fans something rare: a genuine rooting interest in a pennant race where their school's fingerprints are visible in the lineup card. Whether or not Murphy's bat heats up down the stretch, his durability in a starting role on a contender — alongside Baldwin — makes this a week worth remembering for the Raiders faithful.