FAIRBORN — Wright State’s baseball season hit a speed bump last weekend. Cruising toward the Horizon League regular-season championship, on top of the standings all season, the Raiders lost their grip on first place in the final series.

A three-game sweep by Wisconsin Milwaukee cost WSU the championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. As stunning as it was, it wasn’t the end of the world.

Coach Rob Cooper hopes his team forgets it and moves on as it opens the Horizon tournament at 4 p.m. today against No. 4 seed Illinois-Chicago.

“We obviously didn’t play well,” Cooper said. “We’ve played well during the year and for most of the year. It’s the same team that won 14 games in a row. It’s the same team that has beat a ranked team in Virginia and a ranked team in N.C. State. It’s the same team that was in first place for all but one weekend.”

Wright State finished the regular season 36-19 — that’s the most regular-season wins in Cooper’s eight seasons — and 20-10 in the Horizon.

If the Raiders win the conference tournament, it would have the most conference tournament titles of any current Horizon League member. Wright State, Illinois-Chicago and Milwaukee all have won four titles.

Wright State has won three of the last six (2006, 2009 and 2011). Cooper hopes that experience helps, but knows it’s a wide-open, double-elimination tournament.

WSU has beaten the other five teams in the field, but it also has at least one loss against each of those teams. Wright State won the tournament as the No. 3 seed in 2006 and 2009. It was the top seed a year ago.

“I think if somebody gets hot for four days, they can win the tournament,” Cooper said. “In a tournament format, where crazy things can happen, I don’t count anybody out.”

Valparaiso, the regular-season champion and the hottest team in the league with 17 wins in its last 19 games, has never won the tournament.

Cooper said Monday he hadn’t decided who he would start on the mound in the tournament. Taylor Braun (6-1, 4.11 ERA), Andrew Elliott (1-1, 3.56) and Joey Hoelzel (5-4, 6.85) started the three games last weekend at Milwaukee.

Wright State’s top four ERA leaders come on in relief: Luke Mamer (1.72 ERA in 31 1/3 innings); Jordan Marker (2.45, 55 IP); Jack Van Horn (2.64, 34 IP); and Michael Schum (3.19, 42 1/3 IP).

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0351 or David.Jablonski@ coxinc.com.