Baseball Takes on Dayton in Pivotal Home Series

University of Massachusetts Baseball Game Notes
Games 35-37	Massachusetts (11-22, 5-7 A-10) vs. Dayton (12-28, 2-10 A-10)
Dates \| Times	Friday, April 28 - Sunday, April 30 \| 3 p.m. / 1 p.m. / 12 p.m.
Location \| Weather	Amherst, Mass. (Earl Lorden Field) Friday: 79 Degrees, AM Thunderstorms, Chance of Rain: 50% Saturday: 82 Degrees, Mostly Cloudy, Chance of Rain: 20% Sunday: 67 Degrees, Partly Cloudy, Chance of Rain: 0%
Series History	Massachusetts leads 18-17
Game Coverage	Live Stats: SideArm
Social Media	Twitter: @UMassBaseball \| @DaytonBaseball
Probable Starters	Massachusetts: RHP Justin Lasko (2-4), RHP Ryan Moloney (0-0), RHP Mike Geannelis (4-4) Dayton: RHP Kevin Piersol (0-3), RHP Austin Cline (3-5), RHP RJ Wagner (2-3)

Batting Practice
- Massachusetts baseball takes on Atlantic 10 foe Dayton in a three-game series this weekend. The games are set for 3 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday.

Recap in a Minute
- Wednesday's contest against Quinnipiac was cancelled due to rain.
- The Minutemen took on Atlantic 10 foe La Salle this past weekend, winning two of three games against the Explorers. Game one went to UMass by a score of 6-2. Saturday's game was postponed due to weather, so a double header was played on Sunday. The Explorers came out on top in game two 3-4, while the Minutemen won the series finale 3-0.
- In game one, sophomore Justin Lasko went seven innings in his start en route to the win (2-4). He allowed just one run on five hits with one walk and a career high eight strikeouts. The Minutemen combined for nine hits in the contest, including 2-for-4 performances at the plate by Ryan Lever and Dylan Morris.
- In game three, senior Mike Geannelis threw a complete game shutout for the win (4-4), scattering five hits and walking just one while tying a career high with nine strikeouts.

Scouting Dayton
- Dayton (12-28, 2-10 A-10) was most recently in action this past Tuesday on the road against Butler. The Flyers fell to the Bulldogs by a score of 4-0. Last weekend, Dayton took on the Saint Louis Billikens in an Atlantic 10 series. The Flyers won one game in the series, taking game two by a score of 6-5.
- Sophomore Connor Echols has been a leader of the Dayton offense, batting .269 after starting in 39 of the teams 40 contests. With 42 hits and 22 RBI, he leads the team in both categories. Senior third baseman Cale Dineen has been very effective in is 28 games and 18 starts, batting .339 with nine runs and ten RBI.
- Tyler Henry (2-1) has paced the Flyers pitching staff, posting a 4.53 ERA through his 15 appearances and six starts, covering 51.2 innings. Henry also leads the team with three saves.
- Tony Vittorio is now in his 18^th season at the helm of the Dayton baseball team. Since arriving in 2000, Vittorio won the program's first conference title, coached eight MLB Draft picks – including two major-league-level pitchers – and made eight conference postseason appearances. Vittorio was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2009 after guiding Dayton to the Atlantic 10 regular season title with a program-high 38 wins.

Geannelis Goes The Distance
- In game three of this past weekend's series at La Salle, senior Mike Geannelis threw a complete game shutout for the win (4-4), scattering five hits and walking just one while tying a career high with nine strikeouts. This was Geannelis' second straight complete game.
- On April 14, his previous start, he threw a complete game to pick up the win against Saint Louis as he allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Getting It Done In The Classroom
- Eight members of the UMass baseball team were recognized last month for their academic success with placement on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll. In total, UMass as an institution had 165 student-athletes earn a spot on the list.
- Casey Aubin, Brett Evangelista, Kevin Hassett, Matt Hosman, Justin Lasko, Bryce Maher, Cooper Mrowka and Dylan Robinson, garnered the laurels for UMass baseball.

Set in `Stone'
- The winningest head coach in team history, UMass skipper Mike Stone embarks on his 30th season directing the Minutemen baseball program. In the summer of 2016, Stone announced that he would retire from coaching following the 2017 season. During his career in Amherst, Stone has helped UMass to 688 victories with eight Atlantic 10 regular season championships, along with two A-10 postseason titles and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Nearly 40 of his former players have gone on to play professional baseball.

Nine is Fine
- Throughout the 2017 season, the Minutemen will play in nine different states: North Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts, Virginia, Kentucky, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York. So far, UMass has played in seven of these states.

On Deck
-After this weekend's series against Dayton, UMass faces off at home against Hartford on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The squad then heads to Kingston, Rhode Island to take on Atlantic 10 foe Rhode Island in a three-game series. The games are set for 3 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday.

Follow UMass Baseball on Social Media
- Fans can follow the Minutemen on Twitter @UMassBaseball for up to the minute updates, photos, and other news around the team. In addition, fans who use Facebook can visit Facebook.com/UMassBaseball for the latest with the squad.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Casey Aubin

Brett Evangelista

Mike Geannelis

Kevin Hassett

Matt Hosman

Justin Lasko

Ryan Lever

Bryce Maher

Ryan Moloney

Dylan Morris

Cooper Mrowka

Dylan Robinson

Scoreboard

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