DAYTON - The University of Dayton travel to Richmond, Va. this weekend for an Atlantic 10 battle with VCU, beginning Friday, April 19 at 6 p.m. at The Diamond.

Both UD and VCU come into the weekend with 6-3 records in Atlantic 10 play and 24-13 records overall. The two teams are currently tied for second place in league play, just one game behind current leader Saint Louis.

THE HITS KEEP COMING
The FlyBoys' offense has been rolling of late and continued the trend with a pair of non-conference victories over Akron (20-6) and Ohio (7-5) this week. 

UD had 21 hits against the Zips on Tuesday, a new season-best, and added 10 more against the Bobcats on Wednesday. In total, Dayton has 10+ hits in 11 of its last 15 games, including five games of 15+. The Flyers' hit total in games they failed to reach double-digits were eight and nine (three times).

Dayton has a team slash line of .306/.493/.427 on the season, boasting an OPS of .920.

FAST AND FURIOUS
The FlyBoys are currently 18th in the NCAA when it comes to stolen bases as a team, swiping 80 bases on the season. Junior David Pedanou leads the way with 21 steals (in 24 chances) on the season, while David Mendez is a perfect 13-for-13. In total, 15 Flyers have registered at least one steal on the season, while six have stolen five-or-more.

With 18 games left on the schedule, the Flyers need just one more steal as a team to enter into the Top 10 in program laurels. Last season the FlyBoys stole 84 bases, good for eighth all-time, and currently have 80. Pedanou's 21 is tied for seventh-most in a single season, and he trails second place by just two steals.

YAMIN STAYS HOT
First baseman Eddie Yamin IV has been on a tear over the last 16 games, hitting .478 with six home runs, 28 runs scored, 17 RBI and reaching base at a .539 clip. In that stretch, the West Sand Lake, N.Y. native raised his batting average 125 points while only striking out 13 times.

Yamin is now tied for the Atlantic 10 lead with 10 home runs on the campaign and is also top 10 in the league in runs scored (42 - 2nd), RBI (39 - 4th), hits (48 - t-5th), and OPS (1.042 - 8th).

THE MAGNIFICENT DAVID MENDEZ
Freshman phenom David Mendez has continued to lead the Dayton offense, hitting a team-leading .355 with an on-base percentage of .477, while also turning in an OPS of 1.022. Mendez has reached base in 32 consecutive games and has been on in 33 of his 34 career games.

The Aldie, Va. native has seven doubles, two triples and four home runs on the season, scoring 37 runs and driving in 36 more. Mendez is the only true freshman to rank in the top 10 in the A-10 in average, on-base percentage and stolen bases.

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.

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.

SCOUTING THE RAMS
VCU has a 24-13 record on the 2024 campaign with a 6-3 mark in the Atlantic 10 coming into the weekend. The Rams have been a tough team when playing in Richmond this season, putting together a 16-4 record at The Dimaond on the season.

VCU is hitting .265 as a team on the season, reaching base at a .391 clip and slugging 35 homers on the campaign. Brandon Eike leads the way with a .340 average on the season while also hitting a team-leading eight homers and 18 doubles, driving in 40 runs and scoring 35 more. Aden Hill has an even .300 average on the campaign and gets on base at a .432 clip. 

As a team, VCU has an Atlantic 10-leading 4.64 ERA on the season, striking out 298 batters while walking 179. Opponents are hitting .267 against the Rams this season. Reliever Brian Curley has the best ERA in the A-10 with a 2.08 mark, while starter Christian Gordon is ninth with a 4.20 ERA and second in strikeouts at 53 for the season.