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Dayton will face Saint Joseph's at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The University of Dayton softball team opens its Atlantic 10 Championship journey on Wednesday with a game against the Saint Joseph’s Hawks at 3:30 p.m. ET at the D.L. Phillips Softball Complex on the campus of Charlotte.
Dayton and Saint Joseph’s split the season series which was played at Villanova’s Softball Complex due to field conditions at the Hawks’ home field. The Flyers are 22-24 and finished 11-8 in the A-10’s regular season for the sixth spot. Saint Joseph’s is 28-14 and was 10-4 in conference action.
The Flyers are led by the big bat of junior Lauren Nacke. A First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection, Nacke leads the team with a .406 average and has pounded 17 home runs. That mark ties the cumulative number of home runs she hit in her first two seasons as a Flyer. In addition, Nacke has reached base in the last 24 games and ranks seventh in the nation in home runs per game (0.37), 10th in slugging percentage (.844) and 12th in home runs (17).
Sophomore Kathleen Maloof is also a key component to the Flyers’ offense. Maloof is second on the team hitting .347 and leads UD with nine doubles. Her home run and RBI marks are single-season bests. She also holds Dayton’s single-season doubles record with 19 in her freshman season. Maloof was honored by the Atlantic 10 on Tuesday when she was picked to the Atlantic 10 Second Team after being named an honorable mention in her freshman season.
Freshman Alysha Isaacson continued a trend of rookie Flyers being selected to the A-10’s All-Rookie Team. Isaacson is the sixth Flyer to be selected in the All-Rookie Team’s six year existence. She leads a strong pitching staff, carrying a 12-11 record with a 3.27 ERA. She has made 21 starts and most recently tied the school’s single-season save record with her third of the season against Ohio State.
Junior Sarah Wedel is also a dangerous threat in the circle for UD. Wedel has a 3.48 ERA and has set a new career-best with seven wins this season. Her ERA is also the best of her career.
The Flyers will face a strong Saint Joseph’s team that finished third in the conference. The Hawks are led by Dana Parks who has a .438 average and leads the team with 63 hits. Monica Aguilar is hitting .387, the second-best average on the team, and leads SJU with 39 RBI.
Dayton can expect Erin Gallagher to make the start in the circle on Wednesday. Gallagher is 21-8 with seven shutouts and 12 complete games for the Hawks. She carries a 1.51 ERA through 190.0 innings pitched and also has 192 strikeouts.
First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. A live stream and Gametracker will be available at DaytonFlyers.com. The Flyers’ game will follow the game between No. 4 Temple and No. 5 Charlotte at 1:00 p.m.
