DAYTON - The University of Dayton softball team will open the Atlantic 10 Conference portion of its 2017 schedule Saturday at George Washington. The Flyers and Colonials are set two play March 25 with first pitch set for 12 p.m. at GW Softball Stadium.

About Dayton
Dayton (12-13) dropped back-to-back games to cross-town foe Wright State in a mid-week home-and-away series Tuesday and Wednesday. The Flyers are currently suffering a three-game skid and look to get back into the win column Saturday with the start of Atlantic 10 play in Washington, D.C. UD is led offensively by senior Gabrielle Snyder with a .430 average (2nd A-10) that includes a league-best 34 hits. In the circle, Dayton's no. 1 starter is junior Manda Cash who has worked a total of 73.0 innings (2nd A-10) and has tallied a league-best 87 strikeouts.

Scouting George Washington
George Washington (13-11) has won three in a row and seven of its last eight games heading into Saturday's doubleheader. The Colonials have three players hitting above .370 including Jenna Cone (.372) who leads the team with 29 hits, 11 home runs (1st A-10) and 11 walks. Sarah Costlow (6-3) is GW's best hurler with a 2.44 ERA and eight complete games in 11 appearances.

Series Stuff
Dayton and George Washington have squared off 26 times in the series between the two programs with UD holding a narrow 15-11 advantage. The two last met during the 2015 season as the Flyers completed a series sweep in Dayton April 18-19.

RPI Rankings
In the NCAA's most recent Rating Percentage Index (RPI) that includes games through March 19, Dayton came in at 157 according to NCAA.com. George Washington is rated 187.

There's Your Double
Senior Gabby Snyder is an ace in the circle but she also carries a big bat. After batting her third double of the season against Northern Kentucky on Feb. 17, Snyder set a new Dayton career doubles record, a mark previously held by former Flyer Kathleen Maloof - sister of current Flyer Madi Maloof. Snyder now has 49 career doubles.

Speaking of the Record Book
Junior Manda Cash has already made her mark on the Dayton record book and continues to climb the rankings. Her career ERA of 1.65 ranks third all-time in program history. Additionally, Cash has tallied 437 career strikeouts which ranks second, behind only former Flyer Kayla English (2012-15) who holds the record with 564.

A-10 Weekly Awards
Sophomore Kyle Davidson was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week while junior Manda Cash earned Pitcher of the Week honors as announced by the league office on Monday, March 20. Davidson helped lead the Flyers to a 3-1 weekend at the Miami Invitational by going 7-for-14 at the plate over four starts. Cash worked a total of 12 innings over the weekend for Dayton, including six hitless innings against Detroit Mercy while tallying eight strikeouts to only two walks in a 6-1 win.