DAYTON – The University of Dayton baseball team has scheduled a doubleheader on Sunday against West Virginia starting at 12 p.m. at Monongalia County Ballpark in Morgantown, W.Va. This comes after UD's series with VCU was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols within VCU's program.
 
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton has won seven games in a row entering the doubleheader with West Virginia. The Flyers are coming off a four-game sweep of Richmond last weekend, putting the team's overall record at 18-23 and UD's conference record at 8-4. In the series against the Spiders, Dayton as a team hit 12 home runs, putting the program at 56 on the year, which is the sixth-highest season home run total in program history. The team is five behind the teams from 2000 and 2002, which both hit 61.
 
Offensively this season, UD has been led by junior Benjamin Blackwell. The Dayton shortstop is sixth in the Atlantic 10 with a .359 batting average and is tied for first in the conference with 55 hits. Blackwell also ranks in the top 10 in the conference in slugging percentage (10^th), on-base percentage (6^th), runs scored (2^nd), doubles (tied for 7^th), and hit by pitches (tied for 5^th). Senior Riley Tirotta has also been a main force in the UD lineup, leading the team with 12 home runs and 45 RBI. Tirotta has also been dangerous on the basepaths, leading Dayton with 11 stolen bases. Senior Mariano Ricciardi joins Blackwell and Tirotta as the three to start every game in 2021. The second baseman owns a 21-game hitting streak dating back to March 26, sporting a .346 batting average this season.
 
Senior Hunter Wolfe has been the main force in the rotation for the Flyers. The lefty ranks third in the conference in strikeouts with 78 and eighth with a 3.48 earned run average in 62 innings over 10 starts for Dayton. Wolfe is one of five pitchers in the history of the program to eclipse 200 strikeouts in his UD career joining Luke Trubee, Cameron Hobson, Mike Hauschild, and Burny Mitchem, who holds the program record with 320 career strikeouts. Graduate student Ben Olson has also been pitching well for the Flyers. In Olson's last three appearances, the lefty owns a 3-0 record with just three earned runs over 19.1 innings with 18 strikeouts. As a pitching staff, Dayton has struck out 378 batters this season, fourth most in program history and just three strikeouts behind the third highest total in 2012.
 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
West Virginia enters the weekend with an overall record of 18-23 as well. The Mountaineers are coming off a 4-1 victory over Marshall on Tuesday. WVU will also host Miami (Ohio) for games on Friday and Saturday before taking on the Flyers on Sunday afternoon.
 
Offensively Austin Davis leads the charge for West Virginia, sporting a .306 batting average in 40 games this season. Davis has also been tough to get out on the basepaths, leading the team and ranking tied for fourth in the Big 12 with 13 stolen bases in 16 attempts in 2021. Paul McIntosh has been a source of power for WVU, leading the team with seven home runs and tying for second with 20 RBI. He and Matt McCormick are tied and four behind Mikey Kluka, who leads the team with 24 RBI.
 
On the mound, Jackson Wolf leads the charge with a 3.31 ERA in 11 starts for West Virginia. The senior leads the Big 12 in looking strikeouts with 30 and third with 86 total strikeouts. He is one of just three in the conference to hold opposing hitters to a batting average below .200, coming just under that at .199. Out of the bullpen, Noah Short has made 19 appearances spanning 22.1 innings. Short has posted a 2.82 ERA to go alongside 28 strikeouts. Jacob Watters leads relief pitchers on the team with 37 strikeouts in just 18.2 innings as well.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
This will be the first ever meeting between these two schools.