DAYTON – The University of Dayton baseball team will continue the Atlantic 10 schedule with a rematch of the 2021 Atlantic 10 Championship Game with a home series against VCU. The Flyers will open the set at Day Air Ballpark on Friday night at 7 p.m. The two will continue the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Woerner Field at AES Ohio Stadium before finishing the matchup on Sunday at noon.
 
All three games will feature live stats and a radio broadcast courtesy of Gem City Sports Network. Sunday's contest will also be streamed with an ESPN+ subscription.
 
Tickets are still available for Friday's contest at Day Air Ballpark. The game will raise awareness and money for the Lupus Foundation of America to help honor baseball manager Daniel Isufi. Fans can purchase tickets by calling (937) 228-2287 or by following the following link:
https://am.ticketmaster.com/dragons/promotional-page?filterType=MzA5
 
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
The Flyers will enter the weekend against VCU 18-19 after falling at Kentucky in the team's final road midweek game of the regular season. The Flyers managed just four hits in a 12-1 loss against the Wildcats Tuesday. Junior Ben Jones homered for the first time this season in the loss.
 
Last weekend in a crucial conference series for the Flyers, Dayton won 13-2, 12-3, and 13-9 in the three games against UMass, bringing their conference record to 6-6 which puts them in a tie for seventh with the Minutemen and George Mason. Saturday's win also saw Jayson King earn his 100th career victory at Dayton.
 
The week also saw junior Jose Martinez earn Atlantic 10 Player of the Week. Martinez went 8-for-16 with two home runs, 10 runs scored, and seven stolen bases in the five games. With his five walks, his on-base percentage for the week was .619. The junior is tied for second on the team with six home runs this season with graduate student Henry Strmecki.
 
Strmecki leads the Flyers with a .294 batting average to go with his six homers and 22 RBIs. Both trail senior Marcos Pujols, who leads Dayton with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. Pujols hit the 25th home run of his collegiate career on Sunday against UMass, four behind Aaron Reesh and Brent Berigan for fifth in program history.
 
The pitching staff has been led by junior Ryan Steinhauer, who will be making his tenth start of the season on Friday night at Day Air Ballpark. The lefty leads the team with 55 strikeouts in 47 innings this season. Junior Mark Manfredi has also been solid in the rotation, leading all starters with a 3.95 ERA. Graduate student Kenny Serwa sports a 6.6 K/BB ratio this season, the best on the Flyers.
 
The Dayton pitching staff has racked up 334 strikeouts this season, seven behind the team from 2015 for the tenth most in program history.
 
SCOUTING THE RAMS
VCU enters the week at 22-17 and 7-5 in A-10 play this season after taking two of three from Saint Joseph's over the weekend. The Rams also dropped their midweek game, losing at home to William & Mary 11-6.
 
The Rams were picked to win the A-10 in the preseason after winning the A-10 Championship in 2021, beating the Flyers in the finale 7-6.
 
Head coach Shawn Stiffler enters his 10th year as head coach of VCU and has made the NCAA Tournament twice in 2015 and 2021 and the Super Regionals once in 2015 during his tenure.
 
Tyler Locklear is the leader of VCU on offense. Being named to multiple awards watch lists, he leads the team with a .336 batting average, 10 home runs, 15 doubles, and 36 RBIs. He and Logan Amiss have started every game this season. Amiss ranks second hitting .305 with 21 RBIs.
 
On the mound, Tyler Davis leads the Rams with 51 strikeouts in 48 innings. His 3.75 ERA ranks fifth on the team in his 11 starts this season. Campbell Ellis has started 14 games with a 3.66 ERA, but a 1-4 record entering the weekend. Maddison Furman will make his fourth start of the season on Sunday and is 2-0 with a 4.00 ERA in 18 innings in 2022.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
The Flyers are 6-10 against the Rams, dropping the last game against VCU in the Atlantic 10 Championship Game. On May 29, 2021 the Flyers fell 7-6 to the Rams, despite a 3-for-4 game from Riley Tirotta.