DAYTON – The University of Dayton baseball team will open the Atlantic 10 Championship on Thursday at 3:30 against Rhode Island at The Diamond on VCU's campus.
 
It marks the second-straight season the Flyers have made the Atlantic 10 Championship and UD will play as the two seed in the tournament after finishing with the league's second-highest winning percentage behind VCU.
 
The Flyers enter the contest after sweeping George Washington over the weekend to secure a spot in the tournament. The team has now won 11 straight conference contests and sit with an A-10 record of 12-4 and an overall record of 22-25.
 
ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Dayton joins VCU, Rhode Island, and Saint Joseph's in the four-team, double elimination tournament. VCU plays Saint Joseph's Thursday at 12 p.m. The winner of that contest will play the winner of Dayton's game with Rhode Island on Friday at 12 p.m. The two opening-round losers will play again on Thursday at 7 p.m. in an elimination game.
 
Friday will open with the two opening-round winners. The winner of that contest will play in the championship game on Saturday, while the loser will take on the winner of the Thursday night game on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in another elimination game.
 
The championship will take place on Saturday at 12 p.m. If the last remaining undefeated team loses that contest, a second one will be played on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Baseball Championship.
 
Every game in the Atlantic 10 Championship will be streamed on ESPN+ and will have free live stats available. Tickets are available for the general public as well.
 
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
The Flyers had seven different student-athletes receive eight honors from the conference in the end-of-season awards. Juniors Marcos Pujols and Benjamin Blackwell each received All-Conference First Team honors, with Pujols doing so as designated hitter and Blackwell as shortstop. Pujols also received All-Conference Second Team honors at first base alongside senior Riley Tirotta at third base. Freshman Parker Bard was named to the All-Rookie Team and graduate students Tyler Jones and Ben Olson as well as senior Mitchell Garrity were named to the All-Academic Team.
 
Pujols has been on a tear this season, leading the team offensively with a .366 batting average. In 16 conference games this season, the junior is hitting .500 and has eight home runs, both of which leads the team. The Dayton designated hitter is also sporting a team-high 15 game hitting streak entering the postseason. Tirotta has also been a mainstay in the UD lineup this season. The senior leads the Flyers and ranks second in the conference with 14 home runs this season. His 54 RBIs ranks ninth in program history for RBIs in a single season. Senior Mariano Ricciardi also comes into the game on a streak, as the second baseman has reached base in 33 consecutive games and ranks second in the Atlantic 10 with 65 hits.
 
To this point in the season, the Dayton pitching staff ranks third in program history with 407 strikeouts in 2021. Senior Hunter Wolfe has been a big part of that, leading the team with 86 strikeouts this season. The lefty ranks tied for fifth in program history in single season strikeouts with the 86 and also fifth in career strikeouts with 211, just seven behind Luke Trubee for fourth on the all-time list. Olson has also had success in conference play, leading the team with a 2.25 ERA against Atlantic 10 opponents. Bard also is sporting a 3-0 record against conference teams.
 
SCOUTING THE RAMS
Rhode Island enters the week with a 27-24-1 overall record and a 14-6 record in the A-10.  The Rams swept Massachusetts in four games over the past weekend, taking Thursday's contest 17-6 in eight innings. URI returned to sweep a doubleheader on Friday and finished the series with a 16-1 victory.
 
Sonny Ulliana leads the team offensively among qualified hitters with a .329 average in 33 games this season. Ulliana also ranks tied for third in the conference with 17 doubles in 2021. Austin White is right behind him at .310, with White being named to the All-Conference Second Team. White also ranks second on the team with 15 stolen bases. Xavier Vargas has been the main power provider for the Rams, leading the team with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs in 49 games this season.
 
On the mound, Mike Webb has been the main force in the rotation, earning All-Conference Second Team honors as well. Webb leads the way with seven wins as well as four complete games this season. His 63 strikeouts also leads the team. Ryan Twitchell has also been consistent for Rhode Island, leading the team with a 3.18 ERA in 13 starts. Out of the bullpen, Zach Fernandez leads the team with two saves and 18 appearances while sporting a 2.52 ERA in 35.2 innings this year.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
This marks the 40^th time these two teams have met, with Dayton being 15-24 in those contests.