DAYTON - University of Dayton softball is heading back to the peach state this weekend to participate in the 14th Annual Georgia Classic Feb. 17-19. Dayton will square off against ULM, Northern Kentucky and host Georgia over five games to be played at Jack Turner Stadium.

About Dayton
Dayton (3-2) opened 2017 at the Mercer Invitational with two wins over Portland State as well as an extra-inning win over Kent State. The Flyers finished last season ranked seventh nationally with a 1.96 team ERA and return three of four pitchers from that staff, including 2016 A-10 Pitcher of the Year Manda Cash and A-10 All-Conference First Team selection Gabby Snyder. Dayton was picked to finish second in the league in 2017 in voting among A-10 head coaches.

Scouting ULM
ULM (5-1) got the season started at home with its own Mardi Gras Classic Feb. 10-12, picking up four wins to only one loss. The Warhawks kicked off this week with a single game at McNeese State Wednesday, shutting out the Cowgirls (3-0), before heading to Athens for this weekend's Georgia Classic. ULM has two everyday players hitting at .533, including Jayden Mount who has tallied eight hits, including one double and one home run, to go with eight RBI.

Scouting Northern Kentucky
This weekend's contests at the Georgia Classic will be the first of the season for the Norse of Northern Kentucky. NKU was picked to finish ninth in the Horizon League, matching its finish from the 2016 campaign. The Norse return last season's hits, RBI and runs scored leader in senior Dani Devlin as well as sophomore Zahrya McFarland who lead NKU in average, doubles, triples and stolen bases in 2016.

Series Stuff
• Friday will be the first meeting between Dayton and ULM.
• Northern Kentucky holds a slim 12-11 advantage over Dayton in the series between the two. The most recent meeting came in 2015 with the Flyers defeating the Norse, 3-1, at the Kennesaw State Kickoff Classic on Feb. 7.

There's Your Double
Senior pitcher Gabby Snyder is an ace in the circle but she also carries a big bat. Last Sunday, Snyder tied the Dayton career doubles record (43), a mark set in 2013 by former Flyer Kathleen Maloof - sister of current Flyer Madi Maloof.

A-10 Player of the Week
After a stellar performance at the Mercer Invitational, senior Gabby Snyder was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on Monday, Frb. 13. Snyder started all fives game this weekend as the Flyers went 3-2 at the Mercer Invitational. She went 11-for-17 at the plate with one home run, two doubles, three runs scored and four RBI. With her first-inning double against Portland State on Sunday, Snyder tied the Dayton program record for career doubles (43). For the weekend, she hit at .647, posted a .947 slugging percentage while also recording two stolen bases. Additionally, Snyder made two starts in the circle for UD, recording eight strikeouts to four walks.