WEEKEND PREVIEW
• The University of Dayton baseball team will open up the Atlantic 10 season this weekend as it hosts the Richmond Spiders for a three-game set. The Flyers start with a 3 p.m. contest on Friday followed by a 1 p.m. start on Saturday and a 12 p.m. start on Sunday to finish up the weekend.
• The Flyers head into the Richmond series with a 5-13 record overall and a 2-2 home mark. UD was on a two-game winning streak before falling to Toledo on Wednesday, 11-6. Head coach
Tony Vittorio is in his 15th year with the program.
• Richmond is 7-10-1 under first-year head coach Tracy Woodson. The Spiders have spent most of their season at home, going just 2-2 on the road. This season, Richmond has wins over Fairfield, Quinnipiac, and Penn. Most recently, the Spiders swept Penn in a three-game series, outscoring them 12-8.
WHO TO WATCH - DAYTON
• The Dayton offense is batting .228 as a team with 42 extra-base hits, 24 steals, and a .317 on-base percentage. The Flyers have scored at least four runs an collected a minimum of six hits in the last five contests, including two 10+ hit games.
• Senior
Robby Sunderman leads the team with a .338 average and earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors this week. Sophomore
Aaron Huesman has a team-high 16 RBI to go with his .313 average while junior
Zach Schira has chipped in 11 RBI and a .279 clip.
• The UD pitching staff has a combined ERA of 7.83 and 85 strikeouts in 154 innings of work. Senior Bryce Larhman has two saves on the season with senior
Nate Harris contributing the other save.
• Getting the starts for the Flyers this weekend are senior
Joe Wahl (0-4, 9.13 ERA, 5 starts), junior
Noah Buettgen (2-3, 6.75 ERA, 5 starts), and sophomore
Charlie Dant (3-2, 3.47 ERA, 5 starts).
• Dayton defensively has a .962 fielding percentage with 27 errors and 21 double plays turned. There are 16 different Flyers that boast a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage so far this year.
• In the Atlantic 10 this season, Dayton ranks 12th offensively, 11th in pitching and fourth in fielding. Individually, Schira ranks second in stolen bases and fourth in doubles. Huesman ranks fifth in RBI while Dant is tied for first in wins and second in innings pitched.
WHO TO WATCH - RICHMOND
• Richmond is batting .252 through 18 games with a .376 slugging percentage and a .347 on-base percentage. The Spiders have also stolent 14 bases in 17 attempts and have 12 home runs on the year.
• Doug Kraeger leads the team with 14 RBI, three home run, and five doubles while Tanner Stanley has 12 RBI, three home runs, and 14 runs scored.
• The Spiders' pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.74 with seven players under 4.00 on the season. UR also has 124 strikeouts to just 67 walks through 161 1/3 innings.
• Getting the start against Dayton will be Richmond's top three starters, all left-handed pitchers. Dylan Stoops (0-2, 1.88 ERA, 17 k's) will get the nod on Friday followed by Zak Sterling (2-1, 3.04 ERA, 15 k's) on Saturday and Zach Grossfeld (1-1, 1.93 ERA, 15 k's) on Sunday.
• Richmond ranks eighth in the A-10 offensively, seventh pitching-wise, and fifth in fielding. Individually, Stoops has the seventh-best ERA in the league followed closely by Grossfield in eighth and Sterling in 10th. Small ranks second in walks.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST –
   DAYTON, OH
Friday - Partly Cloudy, High of 65 degrees, low of 46 degrees.
30% chance of rain, Wind at 21 mph.
Saturday - Partly Cloudy, High of 52 degrees, low of 32 degrees.
10% chance of rain, Wind at 11 mph.
Sunday - Mostly Sunny, High of 42 degrees, low of 25 degrees.
0% chance of rain, Wind at 8 mph.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Dayton currently ranks 8th in the nation in double plays per game (1.24) and 12th in total double plays (21). Dant is 21st in the nation in complete games while Buettgen, Dant, and Wahl are all tied for 14th in starts. Sunderman is also the 41st toughest to strikeout in Division I.
AGAINST THESE OPPONENTS
Dayton last played Richmond in the 2012 Atlantic 10 Championship game in which the Flyers came out on top 3-0. That victory earned UD a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history and Dayton's second A-10 title.
SUNDERMAN PICKS UP A10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior leader
Robby Sunderman had an oustanding week for the Flyers and was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week. The veteran third baseman batted .703 with a pair of 4-for-5 games while leading Dayton in numerous categories including RBI, hits, runs, total bases, and doubles.
SCHIRA EARNS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS
Junior transfer
Zach Schira was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on March 10 after leading the Flyers offensively the weekend prior. The Chandler, Arizona native batted. 400 with three RBI, six hits, two doubles, and caught all four games behind the plate.
A PAIR OF FLYERS PICK UP A-10 AWARDS
Last week's Atlantic 10 Weekly Baseball release saw two Dayton baseball players recognized for their efforts on the diamon.
Sophomore pitcher
Charlie Dant was named Co-Pitcher of the Week after tossing a complete game in a 4-1 win over Belmont. Dant struck out seven and walked just one while giving up a single run to the Bruins. It was his first career complete game and moved his record to 2-0 on the year.
Freshman pitcher
Mark Giesler was named Rookie of the Week after pitching three shutout innings for the Flyers in their contest against Middle Tennessee State. The Jasper, Ind. kept Dayton in a tight ball game and held the Blue Raiders in check over the last three innings.
HUESMAN NAMED A10 CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
In the first Atlantic 10 awards release of the season, sophomore
Aaron Huesman picked up Co-Player of the Week honors after his performance the first two days of the Spartanburg Classic. The Dublin, Ohio native batted .556 with nine RBI, two home runs, including a grand slam in Dayton's two contests.
FLYERS PICKED TO FINISH TENTH IN A10
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Mike Hauschild - Lancaster Jethawks (Houston Astros)
Cameron Hobson - Jackson Generals (Seattle Mariners)
Jerry Blevins - Washington Nationals (MLB)
Craig Stammen - Washington Nationals (MLB)
