DAYTON, Ohio – Two weeks remain until the University of Dayton Flyers return to the baseball diamond in search of their second Atlantic 10 Championship. Dayton returns an outstanding stable of pitchers that look to make an impact this season.
A tandem of power pitchers highlight this year’s staff. UD is led by Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Cameron Hobson, as well as Burny Mitchem, a redshirt sophomore who was dominant in his three starts before injuring his knee in early 2009.
Hobson, a southpaw, torched batters in 2009 collecting 83 strikeouts in 78.2 innings. He owned a 7-1 record and a 3.43 ERA, which included a pair of saves for the Red and Blue. A tireless and efficient worker, Hobson threw one complete game and averaged just over five strikeouts to every walk he allowed in his rookie campaign.
“Cameron is physically gifted, but also sincerely refuses to lose,” University of Dayton head coach Tony Vittorio said. “I wish more kids knew how healthy that was. Whenever you can put those two things together, you are going to have a lot of success.”
Mitchem was an A-10 All-Rookie Team pick in his first season. He posted a team-best ERA of 2.06 in 39.1 innings of relief. He was a member of the Ping! All-Freshman Team and earned Player of the Week honors on July 15, 2008 from the Great Lakes League, after pitching a no-hitter for eight innings in an 8-0 win for the Columbus All-Americans.
Last season, Mitchem appeared to have a bright year ahead of him. In the fall of 2008 he was signed by the Orleans Cardinals to play summer baseball in the prestigious Cape Cod League the following summer. He also started out the season piling up 13 strikeouts to one walk in 16.1 innings of action, while earning one A-10 Pitcher of the Week award. Mitchem was so overpowering on the hill that he hadn’t allowed an earned run, at least until the inning that he suffered a season-ending ACL tear.
“When Burny is on the mound he is a force,” Vittorio said. “He is a big, hard-throwing pitcher. We are excited about what Burny can do for us this season.”
The Flyers have at least one starting hole to fill with the graduation of Quinn Haselhorst in 2009. Dayton may call on veteran Eric Wagner, who was 6-1 in midweek starts last season and commanded a 3.99 ERA. Also in the mix is Mike Hauschild, a durable sophomore who made nine of his 11 starts last season during weekend games. Hauschild fanned 39 batters in 63.2 innings of work, and pitched two complete games for the Brown Street Bombers.
“Eric has tons of experience and is a great competitor for us,” Vittorio said. “I also think that Mike Hauschild may have some of the best “stuff” of anyone on our team.”
Even with the strengths of Wagner and Hauschild, it is hard to overlook a player like Chris Beesley. The Hudson, Ohio native accumulated a 4-3 record with 25 strikeouts in 2009. He made 17 appearances and five starts for Dayton in his junior season.
“Chris wasn’t highly recruited out of high school, but he has done an outstanding job working his way into the rotation,” said Vittorio.
The Flyers also have a few players that are returning from injury last season. Will Balbach, Tim Lynn and Matt Speckman expect to contribute to UD’s title defense in 2010 after redshirting last season.
Ian Gardeck, a power pitcher from Lake in the Hills, Ill., has shown a lot of promise since joining the Flyers this fall. The rookie right-handed pitcher possesses one of the top arms on the team. Out of high school, he was ranked as the top-rated right-handed pitcher from Illinois in 2009 by Perfect Game Crosschecker. He was named all-area as a junior and senior in high school.
Two additional freshmen, Bryce Lahrman and Trent Haughn, were impressive in their fall campaigns. Lahrman was the 10th-best right-handed pitching prospect out of Illinois according to Perfect Game. Haughn was named First Team Western Buckeye League All-Conference in his senior season at Ottawa-Glandorf and was voted the Titans’ most valuable player.
“Trent is a pitcher that really surprised us this fall. He has an opportunity to make an impact on our team as early as this season,” said Vittorio.
The Flyers open the season on the road against the Army Black Knights on Friday, Feb. 19 and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, Feb. 20 and Sunday, Feb. 21 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Dayton is scheduled to play its home opener on Friday, March 12, hosting the Indiana State Sycamores at Time Warner Cable Stadium.
