DAYTON – The University of Dayton baseball team plays a pair of midweek games this week, traveling to Akron to take on the Zips on Tuesday, April 16, and then welcoming Ohio University to the friendly confines of Woerner Field at AES Ohio Stadium on Wednesday, April 17 for a 3 p.m. game.
 
Due to the forecasted weather in the Dayton area on Wednesday, there is a likelihood that the two sides will attempt to move the game to earlier in the day. Stay tuned to DaytonFlyers.com as well as the UD Baseball social media for updates.
 
WINNING THE WEEKEND
With its series win over George Mason last weekend, Dayton has won seven of nine series and tied another this season. The Flyers have defeated Lindenwood, High Point, South Dakota State, Eastern Illinois, Fordham, St. Bonaventure, and George Mason so far this year and splitting a four-game series at Butler. In those 26 games, the FlyBoys are slashing .312/.493/.432 as a team and averaging 8.9 runs per game.
 
Dayton's lone series loss on the season was to then-No. 1 Wake Forest.
 
THE AMAZING MENDEZ
Freshman David Mendez has been a key member of the Dayton address all season long and has the stats to prove it. Not only is the Aldie, Va. native leading the team in both batting average (.366) and on-base percentage (.490), but he's also got an active on-base streak of 30 games. The streak dates back to a pinch-hit appearance against No. 1 Wake Forest, with 13 multi-hit and four multi-walk games mixed in along the way.
 
NICK WISSMAN - NOBODY BETTER
Pitcher Nick Wissman's senior season is in rare air thus far as he leads the Atlantic 10 in both wins (7) and saves (5). He is the only player in the nation to lead his respective conference in both categories.
 
Wissman's seven wins is tied for fourth-most in the country coming into the week, and his five saves is tied for 37th nationally. Only one other player in the country has as many wins and saves as the Dayton, Ohio native - UTSA's Rujer Riojas.
 
FAST AND FURIOUS
The FlyBoys are currently 13th in the NCAA when it comes to stolen bases as a team, swiping 78 bases on the season. Junior David Pedanou leads the way with 20 steals (in 22 chances) on the season, while David Mendez is a perfect 13-for-13. In total, 14 Flyers have registered at least one steal on the season, while five have stolen five-or-more.
 
Pedanou's 20 steals puts him in a tie for ninth-most in a single season in Dayton history. He needs just three steals to jump into a tie for second all-time.
 
BACK TO DAYAIR
The FlyBoys return to DayAir Ballpark for a midweek matchup with Eastern Kentucky Tuesday, April 23. UD has set a new attendance record each of the last two seasons when moving its home field to downtown Dayton, beating Ohio State in 2022 in front of 3,859, and taking down cross-town rival Wright State last season in front of 6,743.
 
SCOUTING THE ZIPS
Akron is 6-28 on the 2024 campaign with a 1-14 record in the Mid-American Conference. Dayton zapped the Zips, 12-7, when the two met earlier this season.
 
Akron is hitting just .229 as a team on the season, reaching base at a .353 clip. Max Bowman continues to thrive in the Zips' lineup, hitting .331 with an OPS of 1.006, leading the team in both. Bowman also has the team lead in home runs (4), triples (4) and RBI (25).
 
As a team, Akron has a 7.76 ERA on the season, striking out 217 batters while walking 148. Opponents are hitting a robust .325 against the Zips this season. Tuesday's projected starter, Anthony Fett, has an 0-3 record and an ERA of 7.71.
 
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Ohio is 10-21 on the 2024 campaign with a 6-12 record in the Mid-American Conference. UD and OU were supposed to play one another earlier in the season, but incliment weather in Athens wiped the game out.
 
Ohio is hitting a respectable .284 as a team on the season, reaching base at a .373 clip and hitting 37 home runs. Gideon Antle is hitting an impressive .409 with a gaudy 1.134 OPS on the season. He leads the Bobcats in home runs (7), doubles (12), RBI (38), as well as runs scored (28).
 
As a team, Ohio has a 7.88 ERA on the season, striking out 229 batters while walking 176. Opponents are hitting .309 against the Bobcats this season, while OU has given up 56 home runs and 50 doubles.