GAME	DATE/TIME	LOCATION	MEDIA
at Wofford	Feb. 15, 2014 - 4 p.m.	Russell King Field Spartanburg, S.C.	Live Stats Live Video
at USC-Upstate	Feb. 16, 2014 - 11 a.m.	Harley Park Spartanburg, S.C	Live Stats
vs. Ball State	Feb. 17, 2014 - 12 p.m.	Russell King Field Spartanburg, S.C.	Live Stats

 











WEEKEND PREVIEW
• The University of Dayton baseball team will open up the 2014 season this weekend at the Spartanburg Classic in South Carolina. The Flyers will go up against Wofford at 4 p.m. on Saturday to start the weekend. On Sunday, Dayton plays host USC-Upstate at 11 a.m. Finally, Dayton plays Ball State at Harley Park at 12 p.m. Monday to finish off the weekend.
• The Flyers are coming off a 2013 season in which they finished with an 11-39-1 record overall and a 3-21 Atlantic 10 record. Dayton returns eight position players that saw starting time last season, three starting pitchers, and its top reliever.
• Wofford finished the 2013 season with a 20-36 record, but was an even .500 at home. The Terriers bring back seven position starters and eight pitchers from last year's squad. WU opens the season up with Dayton on Friday.
• Ball State had a 31-24 record overall last year and was 10-4 in neutral contests. The Flyers and Cardinals did not meet in 2013, but have plenty of history in playing each other. Head coach Rich Maloney is in his 9th year at Ball State and was predicted to lead BSU to a MAC West Division Championship in 2014. The Cardinals open up with Morehead State on Friday before meeting the Flyers.
• USC-Upstate went 28-30 in 2013 with a 19-14 record at home. The Spartans will host Dayton on Sunday after opening with George Mason and Ball State. Veteran head coach Matt Fincher returns for his 17th year at USC-Upstate and helped the Spartans to a 4-3 victory over Dayton last season (March 2). USC-Upstate has a talented line-up and a history of producing professional players.
 
WHO TO WATCH - DAYTON
• The Dayton offense batted .234 last season with 91 extra-base hits, 81 stolen bases, and a .310 on-base percentage.
• The Flyers bring back Robby Sunderman, who finished second on the team in average, third in RBI, and first in runs scored. Mark Podlas also returns, and led UD last year with five home runs.
• The UD pitching staff returns three starters from last year and has an experienced bullpen to help support those three.
• Noah Buettgen, Joe Wahl, and Charle Dant will get the weekend nods as the starters while five relievers return from last season as well.
• Nick Weybright is in the closing role once again after a stellar year in 2013. Last season, he led the team with four saves and had a 2.53 ERA.

WHO TO WATCH - THE OPPONENTS
• Wofford did not lose much in terms of the departing seniors from last year as seven position starters return in 2013. Josh Hyman led the team with six home runs last season while batting .338 and recording 36 RBI. Seth Neely had 38 RBI and a .315 average last year as well.
• The Terrier pitching staff brings back two starting pitchers from last season in Jesse Morris and Luke Leftwich, but the Flyers will face Matthew Milburn, who had four starts in 31 appearances and a 4.91 ERA in his freshman campaign. Wofford also has closer Erick Eck coming off a 10-save season with a 2.80 ERA.
• Ball State batted .273 last year with 136 extra-base hits, 45 stolen bases, and a .381 slugging percentage.
• The Cardinals will be led by Sean Godfrey, who batted .329 with five home runs, 15 doubles, 30 RBI, 18 steals, and 45 runs scored last year. T.J. Weir chipped in a team-high seven home runs as well.
• Ball State's pitching staff is less experienced, but the Flyers will face off against Clay Manering, who moves from the bullpen to the starting rotation. Last season, the senior lefty had a 3.98 ERA, a 2-2 record, and 13 k's in 20.1 innings of work.
• USC-Upstate has two preseason All-Atlantic Sun Conference performers and the preseason A-Sun Pitcher of the Year in Chad Sobotka.
• The Spartans batted .299 in 2013 while recording 100 doubles, 14 triples, and 19 home runs. The extra-base hits are a strength for this team, which had a .389 slugging percentage and a .377 on-base percentage last year.
• Luke Weber and Tyler Lesch had 42 and 40 RBI last season respectively with 38 extra-base hits between the pair.  Weber also batted .332 and hit for a .484 slugging percentage.
• As far as pitching goes, USC-Upstate lost four of its top five pitchers, but returns David Roseboom, who had a 4.35 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 13 starts last year. Chad Sobotka is the top reliever and had seven saves to go with a 3.86 ERA.
 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST –
             Spartanburg, SC
Saturday - Mostly Sunny, High of 47 degrees, low of 33 degrees.
0% chance of rain, Wind at 5 mph.
Sunday - Partly Cloudy, High of 59 degrees, low of 35 degrees.
10% chance of rain, Wind at 7 mph.
Monday - Partly Cloudy, High of 50 degrees, low of 39 degrees.
10% chance of rain, Wind at 7 mph.
 
AGAINST THESE OPPONENTS LAST SEASON
In 2013, Dayton split in their two contests with Wofford, winning the first meeting 5-4 and falling in the second 4-3. Both games took place at Wofford. Against USC-Upstate, the Flyers dropped a 4-3 decision to the Spartans. Dayton did not play Ball State in 2013, but did pick up a 14-5 win over the Cardinals in their last meeting on March 27, 2012.
 
FLYERS PICKED TO FINISH tenTH IN A-10
The Atlantic 10 released their 2014 preseason poll and tabbed the Flyers to finish 10th in the league this year. After failing to reach the postseason in 2013, Dayton reconstructed its lineup and brought in a number of new faces. Little is known about the Flyers around the league, which puts them in prime position to upset the A-10 favorites.
 
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Mark Podlas
Preseason Second Team All-Atlantic 10 – College Sports Madness
 
Robby Sunderman
Best Baserunner - College Baseball Insider
 
WEYBRIGHT AN ALL-ROOKIE PERFORMER
Dayton closer Nick Weybright was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team after a breakout freshman season for the Flyers. The Indianapolis native had a 2.53 ERA, a 3-1 record, and four saves in 21.1 innings of work. Weybright also had a 20-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio and was a solid component of the UD bullpen.
 
COVERING THE NATION
The 2014 Dayton roster has players from across the United States has Coach Vittorio and his staff have recruited the best in brightest players not only in the Midwest, but from each region of the country. Flyers hail from 10 different states, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, New York, Washington, and California.
 
GETTING BACK TO THE A10 CHAMPIONSHIP
The Dayton Baseball won both the regular season and tournament titles in 2012, advancing to the first NCAA tournament in school history. This year's squad has eight players that were members of the 2012 Championship team and four coaches that were involved in that title run as well. With many new faces in the line-up these returners have stressed the importance and what it takes to get back on top of the A10.
 
THE NEW AND IMPROVED ATLANTIC 10
This season will mark a new era in the Atlantic 10 Conference as far as baseball is concerned with schools leaving and joining the A10. Departing after last season were Butler, Xavier, and Charlotte. New to the A10 this year will be George Mason, with Davidson joining in 2015.
 
VITTORIO JOINS 600 WIN CLUB
With a dramatic 5-4 win over Wofford on Friday, March 1, 2013 Coach Vittorio got the 600th win of his career. Already the winningest coach in Dayton history, Coach V surpassed yet another milestone in his career.
 
FORMER FLYERS IN THE MINOR, MAJOR LEAGUES
Brian Blasik - Quad Cities River Bandits (Houston Astros)
Mike Hauschild - Lancaster Jethawks (Houston Astros)
Cameron Hobson - Jackson Generals (Seattle Mariners)
Jerry Blevins - Washington Nationals (MLB)
Craig Stammen - Washington Nationals (MLB)

HONORARY FLYER CAMERON NEAL
During the 2013 season, the Dayton Baseball program announced the addition of Cameron Neal to its family. Cameron is a local boy that has battled a brain tumor. He was partnered up with the Flyers through the Friends of Jaclyn foundation. What started out as a young boy meeting with a few players has blossomed into a tight-knit relationship that not only benefits Cameron, but the players as well. With his own locker and uniform, Cameron will be seen at as many of the games as he can attend this season. He is not part of just a community service project, but truly a member of the Dayton Baseball team.