April 26, 2006

DAYTON, Ohio -  Matt Speckman has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at the University of Dayton. The 6-2 right handed pitcher from Lawrence Central HS in Indianapolis will play under Head Coach Tony Vittorio beginning with the 2007 season.

Speckman has led the Bears to a 6-3 record so far this spring and has been impressive on the mound. He struck out 11 against Greenfield-Central HS and fanned 12 in a victory over Perry Meridian HS. Speckman came back the following day to smack a game-winning grand slam in a 7-4 win at Martinsville HS.

"Matt has unlimited potential at the collegiate level," UD Pitching Coach Todd Linklater said. "He is a physical presence on the mound with the ability to get batters out in many different ways."

Speckman joins a group of six players that committed to join the Flyer baseball program in November. The group includes High School stars Stephen Konsler (Lake Forest, Ill.), Robert Simmons (Streamwood, Ill.) and Cole Tyrell (Minooka, Ill.) as well as Junior College transfers Alex Dye (Champaign, Ill.), Lucas Farden (Shorewood, Wash.) and Shawn Gizynski (Woodinville,Wash.).

"Matt is a great addition to our program," Vittorio said. "He will fit in well with a talented group that committed this past fall. I am anxious to work with Matt both in the classroom and on the baseball field over the next four years."

UD is tied for first place in the Atlantic 10 standings this season with a 12-3 conference record. The Flyers are 23-14 overall this season heading into Wednesday's matchup with Urbana at Time Warner Cable Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.