DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton softball team looks to continue its current run of success in Atlantic 10 play with a weekend series on the road at George Mason, starting Saturday April 9 at noon.

The Flyers and Patriots open the series with a Saturday double header and finish the weekend off with a single game on Sunday, April 10 at noon.

SERIES PREVIEW
Dayton has improved its record to 15-13-1 this season and has a 4-1-1 mark in A-10 play. The Flyers picked up a key sweep of Saint Louis earlier in the week and look to continue a five-game winning streak.

George Mason has an overall record of 15-14 this season, including a 9-3 mark at home, and are 2-3 in the Atlantic 10. The Patriots have lost three of their last five games, most recently splitting a mid-week double header against Maryland-Eastern Shore. Head Coach Joe Verbanic is in his 12th season in charge at George Mason.

WHO TO WATCH – DAYTON
The Flyers are hitting .233 as a team this season, led by junior Gabrielle Snyder who comes in with a .421 average. The Indianapolis, Ind. native also leads the team with 11 runs scored, six doubles, and a .521 on base percentage. Senior Katelyn Gibson and sophomore Kailee Budicin are the only other Flyers with averages over .300, sitting at .350 and .307 respectively.

Dayton's pitching has been a driving force behind its success, with a team ERA of just 2.20, 180 strikeouts and an opponent batting average against of just .211. Snyder leads the Flyers with five wins and a 1.47 ERA, while sophomore Manda Cash has turned in four wins and has a 1.73 ERA to go along with 87 strikeouts.

Freshman hurler Jessica Gilliam has won back-to-back A-10 Rookie of the Week awards and has a season ERA of 2.82 with a 5-5 record.

WHO TO WATCH – GEORGE MASON
George Mason comes into the weekend with a team batting average of .271 on the season, led by senior Casey Price at .369. Price has a team-best 21 runs batted in, 10 doubles and two triples on the season. The Patriots have just two home runs on the season, but have a slugging percentage 30 points higher than the Flyers thanks to 37 team doubles.

The Patriots' pitching staff has carried it at times this season, with the trio of Marina Vitalich, Sarah Kleinfelter and Gabriella Lopez combining for a 2.54 ERA in 181.2 innings, while holding opponents to a .241 batting average. Vitalich, a freshman from San Pedro, Calif., leads the team with eight wins and a 1.85 ERA.

WEATHER
Temperatures are expected to be in the 40's on Saturday, while the forecast also calls for winds near 30 miles per hour and a chance of rain. The Sunday predictions are much more favorable, with temperatures in the 50's and sunshine.

SERIES INFORMATION
Dayton is 4-1 all-time against George Mason, with the two squads only squaring off in the Atlantic 10 Championships last season. The Patriots won the first matchup but the Flyers eliminated Mason with a 5-4 win in the semi-final.

In UD's win over George Mason, current Flyers Kayla Haberstich and Manda Cash had games to remember, as Haberstich went 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored, while Cash pitched six scoreless innings in relief to pick up the victory.

UP NEXT
The Flyers return to action on the road on Wednesday, April 13 with a single game against Ohio State University, beginning at 6 p.m.