WEEKEND PREVIEW• The University of Dayton baseball team hosts La Salle University this weekend for a home Atlantic 10 series. The action begins Friday at 1 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Stadium. The second game of the set will take place Saturday at 4 p.m. followed by the finale Sunday at 12 p.m.
• The Flyers head into the series with a 20-25 record overall and a 10-5 home mark. With an 11-10 A-10 record, Dayton is holding onto the sixth-seed in the A-10 tournament. This weekend will be important as 15th-year head coach
Tony Vittorio looks to get the Flyers back to the postseason. Most recently, UD lost to nearby Wright State on Wednesday.
• La Salle is 12-30 this season with a 7-12 conference record and a 6-17 road mark. The Explorers did not have a mid-week game after winning the series finale at Fordham Sunday, 10-9. That win ended an eight-game losing streak by La Salle. Head coach Mike Lake is in his seventh year with the program as the Explorers are fighting to keep their A-10 tournament hopes alive.
WHO TO WATCH - DAYTON• The Dayton offense is batting .270 with a .381 slugging percentage and a .360 on-base percentage. The Flyers have 76 steals and 89 doubles this season while drawing 140 walks and 84 hit-by-pitches. Getting runners on base has not been a problem for UD.
• Leading the way with 36 RBI this season is
Aaron Huesman with AJ Ryan chipping in 29 RBI and
Alex Harris adding 27 RBI.
Robby Sunderman has team-highs of 42 runs scored, 15 doubles, a .365 average, and 17 steals.
• The UD pitching staff has combined for a team ERA of 6.00 through 45 contests. The Flyers have struck out 225 batters while holding opposing hitters to a .293 average.
Nick Weybright and
Nate Harris are tied for the team lead with three saves apiece.
• Getting the start for Dayton this weekend will be junior
Noah Buettgen (6-5, 3.91 ERA, 49 k's), sophomore
Charlie Dant (4.28 ERA, 5-5, 46 k's), and senior
Joe Wahl (12 starts, 6.37 ERA, 36 k's).
• In the Atlantic 10 conference, the Flyers rank fourth in batting average, 11th in team ERA, and fourth in fielding percentage. Individually, Sunderman is third in batting average while Ryan is eighth and Harris is ninth. Sunderman also leads the league in hits and ranks third in runs scored and doubles. Huesman is tied for fourth in RBI this season and
Ryan Berry is tied for second with seven home runs.
WHO TO WATCH - LA SALLE• La Salle offensively is batting .264 as a group with 16 triples and 23 home runs through 42 games. Despite their record, the Explorers rank 23rd in the nation in triples per game and 53rd in home runs per game.
• Justin Korenblatt ranks 22nd in the nation with five triples this season and leads the team with a .356 average, 29 RBI, and eight steals. Mark Williams also has 29 RBI and five home runs in 2014 to help the cause.
• The Explorers' pitching has an ERA of 6.76 and 252 strikeouts compared to 169 walks. Adam Cherry anchors the bullpen with a 3.69 ERA and five saves while Shawn O'Neill has four saves.
• The starters against Dayton this weekend are TBA.
• In the Atlantic 10, La Salle ranks sixth in batting average, 12th in team ERA, and 10th in fielding percentage. Indvidually, Korenblatt is sixth in batting average, second in triples, and tied for fifth in hits. Williams is tied for fifth in home runs as well.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST –   DAYTON, OH
Friday - PM T-Storms, High of 75 degrees, low of 62 degrees.
50% chance of rain, Wind at 17 mph.
Saturday - Partly Cloudy, High of 76 degrees, low of 59 degrees.
10% chance of rain, Wind at 13 mph.
Sunday - Isolated T-Stroms, High of 82 degrees, low of 66 degrees.
30% chance of rain, Wind at 12 mph.
NATIONAL RANKINGSDayton currently ranks 23rd in doubles per game and 29th in total doubles. The Flyers are also 18th in stolen bases per game and 22nd in total steals. On top of that, UD is eighth in the nation in hit by pitches and 45 in sacrifice flies. Individually,
Alex Harris is 17th in on-base percentage and 26th in hit by pitch per game. Huesman is also Top 50 in that category as well. Pitching wise, Buettgen is sixth in the country in complete games and 27th in starts.
AGAINST THIS OPPONENTDayton last played La Salle back in May of 2012 when the Flyers battled their way to a series sweep. The Explorers put up a fight though as UD won the games 3-2, 4-3, and 5-2. The wins helped Dayton clinch a share of the regular season A-10 title.
COACH VITTORIO GETS 400TH WIN AT DAYTONHead coach
Tony Vittorio recorded his 400th win at the University of Dayton on Sunday, April 12, 2014 with a 9-5 victory over Rhode Island at home.
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)
Â
