DAYTON – The University of Dayton baseball team will open the 2021 campaign over the weekend at South Carolina. The Flyers will open the series on Friday at 4 p.m. before returning for a 1 p.m. matchup on Saturday with the Gamecocks. UD will finish the weekend with a 12 p.m. game on Sunday, with all three contests coming at Founders Park in Columbia, S.C.
 
All three games will include free live stats and there will be a stream available for fans to watch with a paid subscription to SEC Network+.
 
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
The Flyers posted a 6-8 record in the shortened 2020 campaign, but found success in the opening weekend last season, going 3-1 in the first four games.
 
Dayton was picked third in the 2021 Preseason Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll and received four first place votes finishing behind VCU and Fordham.
 
Senior Riley Tirotta has been the center of attention when it comes to different publications when it comes to the Atlantic 10 Conference. The third baseman was picked as the A-10 Preseason Player of the Year by Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com. Tirotta was also named to the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List, which consists of 48 different hitters throughout Division I.
 
The Flyers will also return a majority of starters from 2020 including last season's leader in batting average, senior Mariano Ricciardi, and home runs, graduate student Alex Brickman.
 
UD will also return all three members of the weekend rotation from last season, with senior Hunter Wolfe headlining the three. Wolfe was named to the Perfect Game A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team alongside Tirotta after tying for the conference lead in strikeouts with 33. The Flyers also return senior Cole Pletka and graduate student Ben Olson, who together comprised 12 of 14 starts on the mound for Dayton in 2020.
 
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina finished last season with a 12-4 record, ending the campaign on a five-game winning streak.
 
The Gamecocks feature junior Wes Clarke offensively. Clarke was named to the SEC Preseason Second Team, the NCBWA Preseason First Team, and to the Third Team All-America for Collegiate Baseball. The junior led the SEC with eight home runs, driving in 22 runs as well in 2020.
 
On the mound, South Carolina held opposing hitters to a .180 batting average against posting a 2.81 ERA for the entire team. Senior Brannon Jordan was a main component of that, compiling 32 strikeouts in 21 innings on the mound, allowing hitters to a .104 batting average against. He along with Thomas Farr and Julian Bosnic will be the probable starters for the Gamecocks this weekend.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
Friday's contest will mark the first ever matchup between the two schools.