DAYTON - The University of Dayton softball team is traveling to the Windy City today ahead of its three-game Atlantic 10 series at Loyola Chicago this weekend. The Flyers and Ramblers will play two on Saturday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. ET followed by a single game Sunday, also set for 1 p.m. ET. Admission is free and all games will be available to follow via live stats and video streaming on ESPN+.

ABOUT DAYTON
Dayton (17-13, 7-4 A-10) picked up two conference wins at St. Bonaventure Wednesday and the Flyers currently sit in fifth place in A-10 standings. UD's offense is led by senior Emma Schutter (.410) with 41 hits - including 12 for extra bases - 31 runs, 16 stolen bases and 15 walks and sophomore Kirnan Bailey (.327) with 33 hits, 19 runs and 11 stolen bases. Junior Izzy Kemp (8-4) carries the team's low ERA of 2.54 with 101 strikeouts over 85.1 innings of work in the circle.

SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO
Loyola Chicago (12-26, 7-7 A-10) also had a midweek doubleheader Wednesday, dropping two league games at Saint Louis. The Ramblers' are paced by Sierra Sass (.380) with 35 hits and 18 stolen bases and Haley Wallace (.306) with 33 hits, 21 runs, 15 RBI and 13 walks. Peyton Pepkowski (6-17) has thrown a team-high 124.0 innings with 105 strikeouts and 10 complete games.

SERIES STUFF
Loyola leads, 16-9
In a series that dates back to 1985, Loyola Chicago leads the head-to-head competition by a 16-9 margin. In 2023, the Ramblers won all four meetings in LUC's first season in the A-10 but the Flyers won all four matchups last season, including a 2-0 win the semifinals of the A-10 Championship.

LAST TIME OUT
Dayton was in western New York Wednesday for a two-game A-10 set at St. Bonaventure, downing the Bonnies 8-0 (6) and 6-1. Pitcher Izzy Kemp worked the complete game (8) shutout (3) recording 10 strikeouts, her third double-digit K game of the season in game one. In the nightcap, seven different Flyers recorded a hit including sophomore Kirnan Bailey who tallied four hits on the day.

RPI RANKINGS
In the NCAA's most recent Rating Percentage Index (RPI) through games on April 9, Dayton ranked 167th according to NCAA.com. Loyola Chicago came in at 228.

FLYER FACTS
• Cara Clark is in her 18th season as head coach of the Flyers in 2025. Her record at Dayton is 430-438-2 (.495) and Clark's career win-loss mark sits at 561-564-2 (.499) over a total of 24 seasons. In Atlantic 10 Conference play, she has tallied a 201-144 career record. Clark has tallied the program's most wins and holds the all-time best winning percentage 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). In 2024, the Flyers made their 11-consecutive appearance in the A-10 Tournament. Over 15 appearances, 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 will return home Wednesday to host No. 22/24 Ohio State in its first game at UD Softball Stadium since facing Butler on March 26. The Flyers and Buckeyes will get underway at 4:05 p.m. and admission is free.

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