DAYTON - After a week of rest, the University of Dayton baseball team returns to North Carolina looking to end their losing skid as they take on High Point University this weekend, starting on Saturday, March 2 with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.

While the first two games of the series will not be streamed, Sunday's finale will be available on ESPN+.
 
SO LONG MR. BASEBALL!
- Dayton slugged a season-high four home runs in its 9-6 loss to No. 1 Wake Forest in the series finale Sunday, Feb. 25. The Flyers got homers from freshman David Mendez, sixth-year senior Nolan Watson, freshman Ryan MacDougall, and senior Michael Adair.
- It was the first collegiate home run for Mendez, who finished the day 2-for-3. It was also the first of the season for both Watson and Adair. As for MacDougall, the Taunton, Mass. native is now tied for the team lead with three homers on the season, having hit two in the series against the Demon Deacons.

ARIAS LEADING THE WAY
- Sophomore Ivan Arias has made an immediate impact at the top of the lineup for the FlyBoys, hitting at a team-best .333 clip while also getting on base with a best .467 on-base average. The Vanderbilt transfer has two extra-base hits on the season, a double and a triple, has scored three runs, stolen a base, and has more walks (6) than strikeouts (5).
 
DOUGS DOES IT AGAIN
- Freshman DH/catcher Ryan MacDougall has performed like a seasoned veteran in his first seven games as a collegiate player, hitting .320 with a team-high 9 RBI and an Atlantic 10-freshman leading 1.090 OPS.   He has the second-most at-bats for a freshman, trailing only Chris McHugh from VCU, and is tied for the second-most hits (8) and has the league's best OPS.
- The Taunton, Mass. native made a loud debut on Opening Day, driving in Dayton's first run of the season in his first at-bat with an RBI double. He'd later drive in the clutch game-tying run an at-bat later.
- After a one-hit, two-RBI performance in the second game of the series with the Lions, MacDougall cracked his first career home run in the series finale. He'd turn around to drive in the go-ahead run against No. 6 Vanderbilt two days later.
- In Dayton's series with Wake Forest, MacDougall had two hits, both of which were home runs, in nine at-bats.
 
TAKING DOWN VANDY
 - Dayton used a two-out, seven-run eighth inning rally to top No. 6 Vanderbilt in midweek action Tuesday, Feb. 20, topping the Commodores 8-5 in Nashville.
 - The win was the first ranked win of the Jayson King era of Dayton baseball, and the first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 23 Charlotte in 2007. It also marked the first win over a Top 10 opponent since 1996 when the Flyers defeated LSU.
 - Redshirt sophomore Alejandro Cazorla was a monster at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a homer, double and three RBI, while reliever Nick Wissman pitched the final 2.1 innings, striking out a season-high four batters and picking up his first win of the campaign.
 
THREE'S COMPANY
- Redshirt sophomore Alejandro Cazorla had a night to remember against No. 6 Vanderbilt last week, going 3-for-3 with a home run, double, single and a walk, driving in three and scoring two against the Commodores.
- The outfielder put together a string of three straight games with round-trippers as well, homering in the finale against Lindenwood, against No. 6 Vanderbilt, and in the series opener with No. 1 Wake Forest.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
- High Point has a 2-7 record on the young season, falling in 3-of-4 to UMass- Lowel to open the season. The highlight of the non-conference so far has been a 7-3 Friday night win over Ole Miss. The Panthers are most recently coming off a 7-4 loss at No. 8 Tennessee.
- The top hitter returning to the HPU lineup in 2024 is graduate student Cael Chatham, who has had a hot start to his final collegiate season. The infielder has a slash line of .423/.654/.634 and an OPS of 1.288. Junior Konni Durschlag is the only other Panther with a batting average over .300, turning in a .361 mark.
- Pitching has had a tough start to 2024, turning in a 9.12 ERA and allowing opponents to hit .302 on the season. Senior Gus Hughes is 1-1 on the season with a 6.75 ERA and leads the team with 12 strikeouts. Senior southpaw Brett Wozniak has a team-best 4.35 ERA and a 1-0 record on the campaign.