DAYTON - The University of Dayton softball team will travel to Columbus Monday to take on No. 1/2 Texas at Ohio State. First pitch between the Flyers and Longhorns is set for 12:30 p.m. at Buckeye Field.

ABOUT DAYTON
Dayton (8-6) is coming off a 3-2 outing at Eastern Kentucky's Colonel Classic Feb. 28-March 2 after posting wins against Akron and UIC. UD had its home opener against Miami (Ohio) on March 5 postponed due to field conditions. The Flyers' offense is led by senior Emma Schutter (.373) with 19 hits, including six for extra bases, 13 runs scored and five stolen bases. In the circle, junior Izzy Kemp (4-1) carries the team's low ERA of 2.37 with three complete games and 49 strikeouts over 38.1 innings of work.

SCOUTING TEXAS
No. 1/2 Texas (21-1) picked up a 4-0 midweek win over Baylor at home Wednesday, extending the Longhorns' winning streak to 10 games, and it will play three games ahead of Monday's matchup against Dayton. Kayden Henry (.492) leads four Longhorns hitting above .400 with 31 hits, 27 runs scored and 15 stolen bases while Katie Stewart (.391) has knocked in 37 RBI (2nd NCAA) on 25 hits. The Texas pitching corps is led by Citlaly Gutierrez (5-0) with a 0.52 ERA (6th NCAA) and two saves over 27.0 innings pitched while Teagan Kavan (7-1) has tallied a team-best 72 strikeouts (19th NCAA) in 55.0 innings.

SERIES STUFF
First Meeting

LAST TIME OUT
On the final day of Eastern Kentucky's Colonel Classic, Dayton split its games against UIC (W, 4-1) and host EKU (L, 5-2). Freshman Juliana Gonzalez's two-RBI single in the fourth inning of UD's game against UIC scored what proved to be the game-winning run, her second career multi-RBI game. In the nightcap, senior Emma Schutter was one of two Flyers will a multi-hit game, her team-high-tying sixth of the season.

RPI RANKINGS
In the NCAA's most recent Rating Percentage Index (RPI) through games on March 6, Dayton ranked 155th according to NCAA.com. Texas came in at 11.

FLYER FACTS
• Cara Clark is in her 18th season as head coach of the Flyers in 2025. Her record at Dayton is 421-431-2 (.494) and Clark's career win-loss mark sits at 552-557-2 (.498) over a total of 24 seasons. She has tallied the program's most wins and holds the all-time best winning percentage (.494) at Dayton.
• Dayton has won the Atlantic 10 Regular Season title two times (2024, 2015) and the Flyers have captured the A-10 Championship title once (2024). Over 15 appearances in the A-10 Tournament, UD has tallied a 19-28 record in the conference postseason championship.
• The Flyers finished the 2024 season with a 33-21 overall record and a 19-7 conference mark, finishing in first place in regular-season play.
• Top returners: Kirnan Bailey (So., IF), Maddie Kapsimalis (Sr., IF), Emma Schutter (Sr., OF), Chloe Wong (Sr., IF) and pitchers Haven Dwyer (Sr.) and Izzy Kemp (Jr.).

UP NEXT
Dayton is scheduled to play four home games this week starting with a single game against Stonehill on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at UD Softball Stadium and admission is free. This weekend will kick off the Atlantic 10 Conference season as Dayton will play host to Saint Louis for a three-game set March 15-16.

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