Game Notes
WEEKEND PREVIEW
• The University of Dayton baseball team will continue Atlantic 10 play as it heads to Fordham for a three-game series with the Rams this weekend. The Flyers take on Fordham at 1 p.m. Friday, and in a doubleheader Saturday (10 a.m. and 1 p.m.) at Houlihan Park in the Bronx.
• The Flyers are 8-14 on the season and currently on a two-game winning streak. UD has won three of its last four contests including a pair of wins over Richmond to open the A-10 campaign. Head coach
Tony Vittorio is in his 15th year at the helm and has the Flyer offense firing on all cylinders.
• Fordham heads into the weekend with an 8-12 record overall, a 1-2 Atlantic 10 mark, and a 4-3 home record. The Rams are coming off a tough 9-0 loss at home to Marist college on Tuesday, but third-year head coach Kevin Leighton has a talented line-up and rotation to work with. FU has lost four of its last five contests.
WHO TO WATCH - DAYTON
• The Dayton offense is batting .255 overall with a .361 slugging percentage and a .343 on-base percentage. The Flyers are coming off a game in which they stole nine bases, bringing their total to 41 on the year. UD has also scored double-figure runs in three of the last four games.
• Senior
Robby Sunderman is back-to-back A-10 Player of the Week and has been one of the hottest hitters in the country as of late. In the last nine games, the senior third baseman has had at least one run and two hits in each contest while riding a 14-game on-base streak and batting .625.
• Junior
Zach Schira has a team-high 18 RBI to go with seven doubles and sophomore
Aaron Huesman has added 17 RBI.
Ryan Berry is coming off a six-RBI performance against Baldwin Wallace Wednesday.
• The UD pitching staff has a team ERA of 7.59 and 115 strikeouts through 192 innings of work. Senior
Bryce Lahrman has two of the team's saves while seniors
Nate Harris and
Joe Wahl have one each.
• Getting the starts for the Flyers this weekend are senior
Joe Wahl (0-4, 9.43 ERA, 6 starts), junior
Noah Buettgen (2-3, 5.26 ERA, 6 starts), and sophomore
Charlie Dant (3-2, 4.14 ERA, 6 starts).
• In the Atlantic 10 this season, Dayton ranks sixth offensively, 11th pitching-wise, and seventh defensively. Individually, Sunderman ranks second in batting average, second in doubles, second in steals, and third in total bases. Podlas ranks second in home runs while Schira ranks third in stolen bases.
WHO TO WATCH - FORDHAM
• Fordham is batting .245 as team with 38 steals, 22 sacrifice hits, and a .332 on-base percentage. The Rams have 39 extra-base hits and 50 walks in 20 games this season.
• Tim Swatek not only pitches for Fordham, but he also leads the team with a .377 average, 26 hits, and 13 RBI. Ryan McNally has eight doubles and 11 RBI this season as well.
• The Rams pitching staff has a combined ERA of 5.53 with 125 k's, 81 walks, and 213 hits allowed in 166 innings. Closer Greg Weissert has four saves.
• Fordham ranks 16th in the nation in stolen bases with 1.95 per game and 44th in sacrifice bunts with 22 on the year. Swatek ranks 2nd in the A10 and 56th in the country in batting average while McNally ranks 45th in doubles per game.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST –
   BRONX, N.Y.
Friday - Rainy, High of 55 degrees, low of 44 degrees.
50% chance of rain, Wind at 15 mph.
Saturday - Rainy, High of 51 degrees, low of 41 degrees.
70% chance of rain, Wind at 9 mph.
Sunday - Rainy, High of 47 degrees, low of 36 degrees.
50% chance of rain, Wind at 22 mph.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Dayton currently ranks 23rd in the nation in hit by pitch and 37th in double plays per game. Podlas is 19th in home runs per game and 59th in home runs while AJ Ryan is 46th in on-base percentage and
Aaron Huesman is 26th in hit by pitch. Dant, Buettgen, and Wahl are all tied for 13th in starts.
AGAINST THIS OPPONENT
Dayton hosted Fordham for a three-game set back in 2012. The Flyers took two of three in that series, including a 4-3 win in the opener and an 11-5 win in the second game. The Rams took the most recent meeting 9-8 on April 15, 2012.
SUNDERMAN PICKS UP SECOND STRAIGHT A10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Senior leader
Robby Sunderman had another oustanding week for the Flyers and was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the second time in a row. The veteran third baseman led the team in batting average, runs, hits, and total bases yet again.
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)
