NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The University of Dayton baseball team was picked to finish third and received four first place votes in the 2021 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll, which was released by the conference on Thursday.
 
VCU claimed the top spot in the poll, which is conducted by the 13 head coaches in the conference. The Rams were one of four teams to receive a first place vote, receiving four of them to go along with 151 total points.
 
Fordham slid in right behind with 149 total points while also receiving four first place votes and the Flyers followed in third. It marks the second consecutive season Dayton has been picked to finish third, but UD received one more first place vote than 2020 with four and 146 total points.
 
A bit of a gap separated the Flyers from Davidson, who was picked fourth with 117 points and Saint Louis represented the final team to receive a first place vote in fifth. Richmond (109 points) and Rhode Island (103) represented sixth and seventh.
 
George Washington, Saint Joseph's, George Mason, La Salle, St. Bonaventure, and Massachusetts finished out the rankings.
 
The Flyers will open the 2021 season tomorrow at South Carolina, playing three games over the weekend against the SEC team. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Founder's Park in Columbia, S.C.