Season Preview: Dayton

Dayton Flyers
Record (A10 Play): 18-36-1 (6-14)
Coach (Record): Cara LaPlaca, 4th (51-103-1)
Returning Starters: Kathleen Maloof OF, Brandy Brown IF, Lauren Nacke IF, Alicia Nichols OF, Carlyn Harlow IF, Emily Stegeman IF, Courtney Kutsulis C/IF, Sarah Wedel P, Amanda Daly P
Other Returnees: Shelby Pohlman OF, Megan Barrett OF
Key Losses: Molly Meyer OF, Raime Cronkhite C/OF, Megan Lee C/OF, Eva Rappe P
Newcomers: Rachel Archer OF, Alysha Isaacson P, Kelsi Seidlitz P/OF, Dana Trotta IF, Jordan Jennings IF, Jenna Lopes IF, Kasi Vazquez C

Outlook: The Flyers have been in quite the drought in A10 play, as they have not made the A10 tournament since they had Conference Pitcher of the Year Sara Hatcher. The Flyers finished 2 games out last year, but they never seemed to be in the running for that final spot. It may not be any easier this year, as the Flyers need to replace Molly Meyer, who was a staple in the Flyers' order over her career. The good thing for the Flyers is they  return Kathleen Maloof their top hitter at the plate and Sarah Wedel and Amanda Daly in the circle. Coach LaPlaca brought in maybe the largest and most talented class in her time at Dayton and they will need to bee as good as advertised.

Lauren Nacke

For Dayton, they need a solid performance out of their staff including their top two performers ERA wise: Sarah Wedel and Amanda Daly. Wedel and Daly are not going to be huge strikeout pitchers, but they can be effective with a solid defense behind them. The Flyers also bring in two freshmen pitchers in LHP Alysha Isaacson and RHP Kelsi Seidlitz giving them a diverse staff. Coach LaPlaca is known for using her staff  and Dayton pitchers rarely throw complete games. She will need the freshmen pitchers to contribute right away, as the Flyers could be facing an uphill battle for that final A10 Tournament spot.

Dayton was in the middle of the road offensively in 2010, but the Flyers will need to do even better in 2011. Dayton tries to make the most of the runners they get on base as the Flyers attempted 89 steals (converting 69 of them) in 2010. Another contributing factor to that was the lack of power that Dayton showed hitting just 28 HR. Lauren Nacke and her powerful bat are back once again, but I would like to see the rest of the lineup show more power. Nacke, Maloof, and Brandy Brown will lead the offense, but Dayton must find a new table setter to replace Molly Meyer.  

Brandy Brown

Coach LaPlaca transformed Dayton into a solid defensive team her first two years, but last year they regressed finishing towards the bottom of the conference in fielding percentage. I fully expect Dayton to be a solid fielding team again in 2011. The Flyers must keep the ball in the field of play (45 HR allowed) and cut down runners trying to steal (opponents were 84-104 in SB).

Schedule:
Dayton will not be challenging for an at-large with its schedule, but hopefully it will prepare the squad for A10 play. The Flyers will be heading down to North Carolina twice before heading to a tournament at NCAA participant Texas Tech. I think the Flyers need to go 0.500 in nonconference play before the first A10 games.  Dayton needs to start strong in conference play. Dayton will be on the road for crucial matchups against St. Bonaventure, Temple, George Washington, and La Salle, but they do get URI at home. The final spot in the A10 tournament is most likely going to come down to these teams, which will put an added importance on every game. Dayton is going to have some nice home cooking in 2011 with 22 games scheduled for the newly renovated UD Softball Stadium. In the end, the Flyers will be in the hunt for that final spot, but I am not sure 2011 will be the year to end the drought.

UD Softball Stadium