Game NotesWEEKEND PREVIEW• The University of Dayton baseball team will return home after four games on the road to host Rhode Island in a three-game series this weekend. The Flyers open up with the Rams on Friday at 3 p.m. before a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday and a 12 p.m. contest on Sunday.
• The Flyers enter the series with a 13-17 record overall and a 5-4 Atlantic 10 mark, which puts them seveth currently in the league. UD has won four of its last five games and three straight at home. Head coach
Tony Vittorio sits at 397 career wins at Dayton heading into the weekend as he will look to add a couple more to that total. In recent action, the Flyers defeated in-state foe Ohio State Wednesday, 8-5 in Columbus.
• Rhode Island is 6-21 overall this year and 2-5 in A-10 play. The Rams have struggled away from home, going 2-13 on the road. Head coach Jim Foster is in his ninth season at the helm and helped URI to a series victory over Fordham in their last conference set. Most recently, the Rams dropped an 8-3 decision to Bryant on Wednesday.
WHO TO WATCH - DAYTON• The Dayton offense is batting .267 as a team with a .382 slugging percentage and a .353 on-base percentage. The Flyers are 11th in the nation stolen bases with 55 in 30 games.
• Junior AJ Ryan is the reigning A-10 Player of the Week and has been an offensive juggernaut since returning from injury. Ryan is batting .406 this season with two home runs and 22 RBI in 19 games.
Robby Sunderman has chipped in 15 RBI, 10 doubles, 11 steals, and a .376 average. Eight different Flyers have double-digit RBI totals.
• The UD pitching staff has a team ERA of 6.70 with 154 strikeouts in 259 1/3 innings of work.
Nate Harris has three saves to lead the bullpen, while
Bryce Lahrman has two and
Nick Weybright has one.
• Getting the starts for the Flyers this weekend are senior
Joe Wahl (0-4, 8.05 ERA, 8 starts), junior
Noah Buettgen (4-3, 4.37 ERA, 33 k's), and sophomore
Charlie Dant (3-3, 4.33 ERA, 34 k's).
• In the Atlantic 10 this season, Dayton ranks sixth in batting average, 11th in ERA, and eighth in fielding percentage. Individually, Sunderman leads the league in batting average (min 2.5 AB/team game) and hits, and ranks second in runs and doubles. Berry is second in home runs as well.
WHO TO WATCH - RHODE ISLAND• Rhode Island offensively is batting .216 as a team, with an on-base percentage of .299 and a slugging percentage of .270. The Rams have 35 doubles and four triples as well.
• Leading the way for URI are Tim Caputo, who has a .324 average, 10 RBI, and 10 runs scored, and Derek Gardella, who has a .283 average, nine RBI, and four doubles.
• The Ram pitching staff has combined for an ERA of 4.28 with 165 k's and 89 walks in 229 1/3 innings of work. URI has used 14 different relievers this season, seven of which have below 4.00 ERA's.
• In the Atlantic 10, Rhode Island ranks last in batting average, fifth in ERA, and last in fielding percentage. Individually, Moyers ranks eighth in ERA and is tied for first in starts.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST – DAYTON, OHIO
Friday - Partly Cloudy, High of 62 degrees, low of 46 degrees.
30% chance of rain, Wind at 5 mph.
Saturday - Sunny, High of 69 degrees, low of 56 degrees.
10% chance of rain, Wind at 10 mph.
Sunday - Mostly Cloudy, High of 70 degrees, low of 57 degrees.
0% chance of rain, Wind at 18 mph.
NATIONAL RANKINGSDayton currently ranks 22nd in the nation in doubles per game and 32nd in total doubles. The Flyers are also 11th in stolen bases per game and 13th in total steals. UD ranks 13th in hit by pitch and 25 in double plays per game. Individually,
Ryan Berry is 41st in home runs per game while
Aaron Huesman is 19th in hit by pitch per game and
Alex Harris is 47th.
AGAINST THIS OPPONENTDayton last played Rhode Island in 2013 for a three-game series in Kingston, R.I. The Flyers took two of three games, including the first game of the weekend, 6-2, and the finale, 6-3.
UD GETS ANOTHER PLAYER OF THE WEEK IN RYANJunior AJ Ryan received his first award this season when the Atlantic 10 Conference named him Player of the Week on April 7. Ryan led the Flyers to a 3-1 record the week prior by batting .563 with nine hits, three doubles, and seven RBI.
SUNDERMAN PICKS UP SECOND STRAIGHT A10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDSenior 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 HONORSJunior 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 AWARDSLast 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 WEEKIn 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 A10The 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 RECOGNITIONMark PodlasPreseason Second Team All-Atlantic 10 – College Sports Madness
Robby SundermanBest Baserunner - College Baseball Insider
COVERING THE NATIONThe 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 CHAMPIONSHIPThe 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 10This 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 NEALDuring 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 PERFORMERDayton 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 CLUBWith 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 LEAGUESMike Hauschild - Lancaster Jethawks (Houston Astros)
Cameron Hobson - Jackson Generals (Seattle Mariners)
Jerry Blevins - Washington Nationals (MLB)
Craig Stammen - Washington Nationals (MLB)
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