Game Notes

DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton softball team is set to host a mid-week doubleheader Thursday againt regional rival Ohio University. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at UD Softball Stadium and admission is free.

ABOUT THE FLYERS
Dayton (8-12) picked up two wins last weekend in a weather-shortened Dayton Flyers Spring Classic, a 9-5 victory over Eastern Michigan and a 2-1 squeaker over Oakland. The Flyers' mid-week doubleheader against Morehead State was postponed due to cold weather and snow so UD was only able to get in two games on the week.

Senior Rachel Archer leads the team with a .379 average and 25 hits while senior Kasi Vazquez has knocked out a team-best six home runs and has collected a team-leading 16 RBI. Sophomore Emily Froment holds the team's low ERA at 4.25 while junior Kayla English and freshman Gabrielle Snyder each have four wins on the season.

SCOUTING OHIO
The Ohio Bobcats are 14-12 and are coming off a 3-1 win over Wright State in the team's home opener on Friday at the Ohio Softball Field. The win snapped a four-game losing skid for the Bobcats as OU went 1-4 at the Red and Black Classic hosted by Louisville. Adrienne Gebele is the team's best hitting, carrying a .388 average and leading the team with 31 hits. Savannah Jo Dorsey is the squad's ace with 11 wins on the season and a 3.64 ERA.

SERIES STUFF
Dayton and Ohio have previously met 21 times during the all-time series between the two squads with the Bobcats holding the 16-5 advantage. UD and OU last squared off on March 15, 2013 in a doubleheader in Athens, Ohio, as Dayton swept the two-game series.

LAST TIME OUT
The Flyers picked up two wins this past weekend at the 2014 Dayton Flyers Spring Classic. Play was shortened due to cold temperatures and high winds, allowing Dayton to only get in two of four scheduled games. On Friday, the Flyers claimed the 9-5 win over Eastern Michigan followed by a 2-1 close-call against Oakland on Saturday.

FOUR EVERYDAY HITTERS ABOVE .300
Four everyday players for the Flyers are currently hitting above the .300 mark with senior Rachel Archer leading the way at .379. Senior Jordan Jennings is batting at .359 followed by junior Tiffany Ricks at .357. Freshman Gabrielle Snyder does double duty carrying a .326 average while holding a 4.42 ERA in the circle for the Flyers. Senior Alysha Isaacson is also batting at .333 in a pinch-hitter role, connecting on nine hits in 27 at bats.

LEAGUE LEADERS
Several Flyers rank among the top five in the Atlantic 10 Conference in several categories, including senior Kasi Vazquez who leads the league with six home runs and ranks second with 0.30 home runs/game. Junior Tiffany Ricks is in third place in the conference with 0.30 doubles per contest and 0.90 runs/game while junior Natalie Mariano is the third-toughest to strike out in the A-10 (31.5). Freshman Gabrielle Snyder is right behind Mariano as fourth-toughest to strikeout ((23.0) and Vazquez is fourth in the league with 0.60 walks per game. Senior Rachel Archer is tied with Ricks for fifth place in the stolen bases category (0.35/game).

ENGLISH HONORED AS CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Junior right-handed pitcher Kayla English picked up her first Atlantic 10 Conference Pitcher of the Week nod March 17, her fourth career award, after collecting two wins during the Flyers Spring Classic. English tossed a complete game on Saturday in the Flyers' 2-1 win over Oakland, striking out four and allowing only one earned run over seven innings of work. She also tossed three innings of relief and was the pitcher of record against Eastern Michigan on Friday. For the week, English went 2-0 with an ERA of 0.70 over 10 innings pitched.

UD PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN A-10
Dayton softball has been chosen to finish sixth in Atlantic 10 play this season, according to the preseason poll conducted by the league's 10 head coaches. Dayton tallied a school-record 12 wins in league action in 2013 and made the program's fifth appearance in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship - coach LaPlaca's second appearance in the post-season tournament in the last three seasons. She guided her team to a 22-24 overall record - the program's best winning percentage (.478) since 2005 - and a 12-9 mark in league action. The Flyers finished the 2013 regular season in sixth place in conference standings.