DAYTON – University of Dayton baseball head coach Jayson King has finalized his roster for the 2027 season.

This year's roster will feature eight freshmen and nine transfers. Four players will bring international experience, hailing from Canada, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic and New Zealand.

Tait Anderson hails from Auckland, New Zealand. The junior spent the last two years at McCook Community College as a left-handed pitcher, earning NJCAA Region Nine Pitcher of the Year and a spot on the NJCAA All-American Second Team. He went 10-1 with 67.1 innings pitched last season, striking out 84 batters. Anderson has also played at the international level as a member of New Zealand's U15 and U18 National Teams.

From Taunton, Mass., Johnny Escobalez Jr. spent his freshman year at Mississippi Valley State. Playing in the outfield as well as pitching, he took the mound in five games, striking out five batters in 4.2 innings of work. At the plate, Escobalez Jr. recorded four RBI and scored 13 runs. In high school, he struck out 134 batters, earning four complete shutouts and a no-hitter.

Logan Forgie is a freshman from Ottawa, Ontario. The left-handed pitcher played high school baseball in Canada and the United States, attending West Carleton Secondary and Lawrence Academy. In 2025, he made the All-New England team and the All-Independent School League. Forgie struck out 66 batters with a 1.3 ERA in his senior season. He also played on the Canadian Junior National Team in 2024-25.

Dillon Hartman joins the FlyBoys as a junior after spending his freshman year at Gonzaga and his sophomore year at Whitworth. He did not appear in any games for Gonzaga, but made 12 appearances last season at Whitworth, including making 10 starts. The right-handed pitcher from Redmond, Wash. fanned 45 batters in 53.2 innings pitched, going 8-1 last season.

Bobby Hirsch comes to Dayton from Gilbert, Ariz., playing four years of varsity baseball at Chandler Preparatory. The right-hander was a two-way player in high school, earning region First Team pitcher in 2024 and 2026 and region First Team position player in 2025. Hirsch finished his high school career with a 3.33 ERA and 198 strikeouts on the mound and 120 hits, 25 hits, 80 RBI and 108 runs scored as a batter, earning a spot in the Chandler Prep Athletic Hall of Fame.

From nearby Liberty Township, Ohio, Braydon Johnson is an incoming freshman. He represented Lakota West on the All-Conference and All-City First Teams in 2024, 2025 and 2026. He also made the All-Ohio First Team in 2025 and 2026. Johnson set school records in career triples with 13 and in extra-base hits with 41. The catcher also slashed .372/.459/.653 in his high school career.

After spending his freshman season at Prairie State, Alex Kvasnicka is joining the Flyers. The right-handed pitcher was named the school's Pioneer Male Athlete of the Year and was placed on the ISCC All-Conference First Team as a rookie. He made 10 mound appearances last season, including three starts, three complete games and a shutout. A native of Chicago Heights, Ill., Kvasnicka struck out 55 batters.

Braylon Mitchell played his first two seasons at Wharton County Junior College. Originally from Houston, Texas, he played in a combined 81 games as an infielder. In his freshman season, Mitchell recorded 10 doubles and two home runs, stealing 35 bases. As a sophomore, he tallied seven doubles with two home runs, earning 10 RBIs and 18 runs scored.

Nolan Orzechowski is a native of Millbury, Mass. As a member of the Millbury Memorial baseball team, the infielder was named to the All-Conference First Team in 2025 and 2026. He also played in the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Junior and Senior All-Star Games in both 2025 and 2026. Orzechowski won his team's Coaches Award in 2025. In his senior season, he slashed .424/.727/.567.

Kevin Ramos attended Indian Hills Community College for his first two years of college, playing third base and pitching. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native was named to the NJCAA DI Baseball All-Region 11 First Team in 2025 and as an honorable mention in 2026. He appeared in 51 games as a freshman and set a school record with four home runs in a game. As a sophomore, Ramos tallied 25 RBIs and 31 runs scored with nine doubles and five home runs.

A native of Riverdale, Ga., Niles Redrick attended Landmark Christian, where he played on varsity for four years. He was named to the All-Region First Team in 2026 after earning All-Region Second Team in 2025. Redrick also set a school record for home runs in a game with four.

An infielder, Jake Rizzo is from Parkland, Fla. At Marjory Stoneman Douglas, he played on varsity for three seasons. In his senior year, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Florida state championship game. He was also placed on the All-County First Team in 2025 and 2026. Across his junior and senior seasons, Rizzo recorded a .351 batting average with 65 runs scored, 70 hits, 53 RBIs, 11 doubles and nine home runs.

Nicholas Roca played on varsity for four years at Miami Sunset. In his high school career, he set school records with 23 doubles and 76 stolen bases, tallying 68 runs scored, 71 RBIs and seven home runs. The Miami, Fla. native was named to the All-Dade First Team in 2026, while earning All-District honors and playing in the Miami Dade County All-Star Game all four years of high school. Roca, an infielder, was selected as a Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star in his senior year and won MVP in the game.

Hudson Stewart is an outfielder from Bargersville, Ind. In his senior season, the outfielder earned distinctions on the All-County and All-State First Teams. He was also named an Indiana All-Star for Center Grove in 2026. Stewart helped his team make Prep Baseball Indiana's Standout Senior Classes list.

An incoming junior, Travis Stroh played his first two seasons at FDU. In his sophomore year, he started in all 54 games and was named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer twice. Between both seasons at FDU, the Shelburne, Vt. native stole 50 bases, going 23-for-29 in 2026. Last year, Stroh set a single-game record for the Knights with nine RBI. He finished the year with 10 doubles and 15 home runs. During his freshman campaign, the outfielder was a two-time NEC Rookie of the Week.   

Sawyer Tolk is a shortstop out of Sioux Falls, S.D. He is joining UD from the JUCO system, attending Kansas City Kansas Community College. The rising junior appeared in 42 games in his sophomore year, slashing .366/.486/.570 with 52 hits, 44 runs scored and 30 RBIs. With those 52 hits, 15 were doubles and four were home runs. As a freshman, Tolk stole 12 bases, tallying 32 runs and 26 RBIs with seven doubles and two home runs.

A right-handed pitcher, Ondrej Vank brings international experience. The Psáry, Czech Republic native was a member of the Czech Republic's World Baseball Classic team and played in the 2023 U23 European Championship. At Northeastern Junior College, Vank pitched in relief with an 18-6 combined record in his freshman and sophomore seasons. Last spring, he fanned 69 batters in 56.2 innings of work. As a freshman, he totaled 92 strikeouts, registering three games with 10 or more punchouts.

Twenty-two players are returning to the FlyBoys, including Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team member Colin Lynch and A10 weekly award winners Grayson Carpenter, John Delgado, Martin Howell and Bobby Stang, to round out the roster.