May 3, 2006

The University of Dayton softball team steps out of conference for a single game against Ohio Wednesday at UD Softball Stadium at 5:00 p.m. The Flyers are 17-28 overall after this weekend's doubleheader split at Rhode Island. The Bobcats are 24-35 on the season but have lost nine of their last 10 outings. Ohio is 6-12 in MAC action and is fifth in the MAC East Division. 

LEGGO MY EGGO Sophomore first basemen Christine Eggers leads the team with a .345 batting average this year and has tied the single season walks record, set by Shannon St. Clair in 2004. The Flyers lead off hitter has reached base at a .471 clip with her 48 hits to go with her 30 walks. She has drawn 14 walks in her last 11 games, including four in game one of a doubleheader at IPFW. In those 11 games, she is hitting .379 with a .591 on-base percentage. She's upped her career average to .313, fourth-best all-time at UD, and her OBP to .438 which is third all-time at UD. Her walk total is now fourth all-time at UD, one back of Jennifer Burke and Cassie Gross, who share second place with 54. Eggers, Gross and all-time walk leader Shannon St. Clair (110) hit 1-2 and 4 in last year's Flyer lineup. 

ROUDEBUSH CAN RAKE Senior SS Tami Roudebush is hitting .323 on the season with 42 hits in 130 at bats. Last year, Roudebush -- playing third base -- had 22 hits in 113 at bats. She hit safely in 13-straight games from March 15 to April 5. She has hit safely in 26 of her 41 starts and has 13 multi-hit games. Against Fairfield, she delivered three hits in three trips to the plate, including the first triple of her career. She hit her first home run of the season against Fordham. She had hit safely in 13-straight games before reaching on an error once in three at bats in game one vs SJU. Her move from 3B to SS (via 2B and briefly RF) was due to the return of 3B Blair Crabtree from an injury that kept her out most of last year. She hit her second homer of 2006 against Morehead State and now has seven in her career, sixth on UD's all-time list. 

OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT Collectively, the Flyers are hitting .273, compared to .233 last season. All three of UD's returning regular position players - with enough plate appearances to qualify - have a higher average than last season. Dayton's slugging percentage and on-base percentage is higher as well. Dayton is the hardest team in the Atlantic 10 to strike out, having K'd just 141 times in 35 games. 

IN THE CIRCLE Senior starter Melissa Myher has 41 wins, second all-time at UD, with 394 strikeouts, third on UD's all-time list. She recorded her 300th strikeout against FDU in Florida. She has allowed just four earned runs in her last 39.2 innings pitched. Chelsea Grozenski is putting together a solid junior campaign, posting a 7-4 record with a 3.51 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 101.2 innings. She has three shutouts on the season and also threw four innings of hitless relief against Colgate. She allowed just three hits while shuting out Rider and two hits while blanking Army. She shutout Saint Joseph's, 1-0, taking a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing a clean single with one out on April 7th & 8th.
 
FOUR UP, FOUR DOWN Melissa Myher may have tied an NCAA record at Butler on April 13. Myher struck out four Butler batters in the bottom of the second inning, as a dropped third strike enabled the batter to reach first. The NCAA record book does not list most strikeouts in an inning.

THREE RUNS OR MORE After going 18-6 last season and 76-20 since the start of 2001 when scoring three or more runs, the Flyers are 13-11 this season when reaching the three-run mark. But 11-7 when scoring four-plus. 

TAMSYN `ELLOUGH That's not a typo, there's just no K in Tamsyn Kellough this season. UD's RBI leader has come to the plate 165 times this season and struck out just 13 times. The junior is hitting .300 on the season with 42 hits in 140 at bats with nine doubles, a triple and two home runs. She's driven in 23 runs and with 17 walks and a hit-by-pitch has reached base 60 times against those 13 K's. In game one of the Saint Joseph's series, she knocked home the tying and winning runs with a single in the bottom of the seventh to give her 15 RBI on the year and a 3-2 Dayton win. Kellough is also up to 21 career doubles, which places her eighth on UD's all-time list. 

DAYTON DEBUTS Red-shirt freshman Blair Crabtree and freshmen Shalyn Adams and Mollie Schrank are off to impressive starts in their debut seasons. Schrank is hitting .339 with three doubles. Against La Salle, she beat out three infield hits. Adams is hitting .265 with seven doubles and two homers. Against La Salle, she hit her first home run in UD's 8-7 eighth-innning win. She also delivered a three-run game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh against Fordham. She's seen time in right field and catcher this season. Crabtree is hitting .268 and leads UD with three home runs, including her first career blast, against Eastern Kentucky on March 4. Schrank is also documenting UD road trips with an online journal at DaytonFlyers.com. On the Road with the Flyers can be found at: http://daytonflyers.collegesports.com/sports/w-softbl/ROAD.html">http://daytonflyers.collegesports.com/sports/w-softbl/ROAD.html. 

SPEAKING OF DAYTONFLYERS.COM... That's where you can find live stats for all of UD's home softball games, as well as selected road games via CSTV's Gametracker. UD will also have links to live audio from Flyer Radio and 1610 Information Radio. Check UD's softball schedule for available games. 

NEXT TIME OUT: SENIOR DAY The Flyers close the 2006 season at home Saturday against Saint Louis in an Atlantic 10 doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m. Prior to the game, UD will honor it's three seniors: pitcher Melissa Myher, shortstop Tami Roudebush
and catcher Christina Vetter.