DAYTON - The University of Dayton softball team will kick off the 2017 season Friday morning at the Mercer Invitational. The Flyers are set to take on the Portland State Vikings at 10 a.m. at Mercer's Sikes Field in Macon, Ga.

Following the first game Friday, Dayton will then square off against intra-state rival Kent State at 12:15 p.m. Saturday's action includes games against Murray State (9:30 a.m.) and host Mercer (4:15 p.m.) with play wrapping up on Sunday against Portland State at 11 a.m.

About Dayton
With a 27-21-1 record in 2016, the Flyers became the first team in program history to go above .500 in back-to-back seasons. Dayton 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. The Flyers' final 2016 RPI was 110 and UD was picked to finish second in 2017 in voting among A-10 head coaches.

Scouting Portland State
Dayton's first opponent of 2017 will be the Portland State Vikings, a squad that went 14-35 overall and 7-14 in Big Sky play a year ago. First-year head coach Meadow McWhorter had put together an entirely new roster for 2017 and the Vikings will be traveling nearly 3,000 miles to participate in the Mercer Invitational this weekend.

Scouting Kent State
Kent State, two-time defending Mid-American Conference regular season champion, was picked to win the MAC in 2017 in the leagues' preseason poll. The Golden Flashes are coming off their most successful two-year stint in program history and head coach Eric Oakley returns five field position starters and all but 1.2 innings in the circle from last year's team.

Series Stuff
• Friday will be the first meeting between Dayton and Portland State.
• There have been 11 previous meetings between intra-state rivals Dayton and Kent State with the Golden Flashes holding a commanding 10-1 lead in the series.

There's Your Double
Senior pitcher Gabby Snyder is an ace in the circle but she also carries a big bat. She is just two doubles away from tying the Dayton career doubles record (43), a mark currently held by former Flyer Kathleen Maloof - sister of current Flyer Madi Maloof.