DaytonDailyNews.com

Mike Larabee sees as many positive signs as he can, and he sees a big one even though his Wright State Raiders must play at No. 2 seed Northwestern on Friday in a first-round NCAA softball game.

"Loyola (the regular season Horizon League champion) beat them a couple weeks ago," Larabee said. "Loyola was 1-2 in our tournament, so I let our kids know that."

Larabee also contacted Northwestern's Big Ten foe Illinois, where he worked before WSU, to get more info.

"That's an outstanding program at Northwestern," Larabee said, "but, hey, you know what? We can beat them."

Despite a No. 7 seed in the Horizon League tournament, WSU went 4-0, scoring four runs in the eighth inning of the final game to beat Cleveland State 7-3 on Saturday.

That earned the Raiders the automatic NCAA bid. Wright State is one of only two teams in the field with a losing (25-33) record. Furman (21-34-1), winner of the Southern Conference, is the other.

Wright State is in the double-elimination bracket with Northwestern — participating for the 10th time, fifth straight time and coming off a national runner-up finish — Illinois State (42-15-1) and Notre Dame (31-22).

Larabee's enthusiasm comes from what he calls a team with "the attitude and team chemistry the best it has ever been. That, and a combination of young talent. Coming into our tournament, we were giving teams a lot of extra outs. In the tournament, we gave them what they deserved."

Larabee said there has been a lot of parity in the Horizon League, but knows Northwestern is a step above, even if Loyola — the No. 1 Horizon League seed before the tourney — beat the Wildcats.

Northwestern played 30 of its 56 games this season against teams that made the NCAA field, finishing 20-10.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.