FORT WORTH, Texas – University of Dayton senior Riley Tirotta has been named to the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List presented by SR Bats as announced by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation today.
 
This season, Tirotta joins a list of 48 student-athletes from around Division I representing 17 different conferences. The Dayton third baseman is one of 20 seniors on the list and joins Fordham's Jason Coules as the sole representatives from the Atlantic 10.
 
The 2020 A-10 Preseason Player of the Year according to Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com, Tirotta has become a staple of the Flyers lineup and a consistent presence at the hot corner for Dayton. The senior has started every game for UD each of the past two seasons.
 
In 2019, Tirotta led the team in hits with 59 and stolen bases with 18 and tied for the team lead with 41 runs batted in. He finished with 15 RBI in 14 games in 2020, opening the season with a combined 5-for-8 performance on opening day with four RBI in the two contests. During the only home series of the shortened season, the senior drove in six total runs, capped off with a 3-for-6 performance with a double a home run and three RBI against Northern Kentucky on March 8.
 
The award takes hitting performance, academics, and personal integrity into account and was open to all Division I programs in the nation. The first honor was given out in 2017 and for the first two years recognized the best collegiate hitter in Texas. It was expanded to Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma as a regional award in 2019, and 2020 was slated to be the first season the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award was open to all Division I schools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no winner was chosen during the shortened season.
 
The Flyers are closing in on the 2021 season, with opening day for Dayton coming on Feb. 19 at South Carolina. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Founders Park in Columbia, S.C.