No.10 Florida baseball is set to host Dayton for a three-game series from Feb. 21-23. All three matchups will air on SEC Network+, beginning with Friday night’s 6:30 p.m. opener. Game two is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a Sunday finale at 12 p.m.
After sweeping Air Force at home and defeating Jacksonville on the road, Florida (4-0) shifts its focus to the program’s first meeting against Dayton (2-2) of the Atlantic 10 Conference. With a victory on Friday night, the Gators would improve to 5-0 to start the season for the first time since 2020 (16-0). History will be on Florida’s side as the Gators hold a 36-0 all-time record vs. Atlantic 10 teams (31-0 vs. teams currently in A10). That includes 12-0 (9-0) under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Liam Peterson (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs RHP Chris Peguero (0-1, 1.80 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Jake Clemente (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs RHP Peyton Malecha (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
Sunday: LHP Pierce Coppola (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs TBD
Scouting the Flyers
The Dayton Flyers are 2-2 to start the 2025 season, losing a doubleheader to Monmouth and sweeping Western Michigan at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. Dayton finished 33-22 last year, slashing .298/.413/.474 with a team ERA of 6.06 in 481 1/3 innings pitched.
Dayton was projected to finish 6th out of 12 teams in the Atlantic 10 and did not receive a first-place vote.
After former Flyers head coach Jayson King resigned to take an assistant position at Vanderbillt, head coach Scott Loiseau took over after serving as Associate Head Coach at Penn State. Previously, Loiseau served as head coach at NCAA Division II Southern New Hampshire for 14 seasons.
As a result of the coaching change, Dayton’s roster saw a lot of turnover.
Players to watch
RHP Chris Peguero
Dayton’s Friday night starter Chris Peguero recorded the most innings pitched and strikeouts of any returning Flyers pitcher in 2024. The 6’1 redshirt senior tossed 52 innings last season while posting a 7.96 ERA. Peguero struck out 51 batters and walked just 13. While Peguero is a strike thrower, he’s allowed opposing teams to get .310 off him in his career and allowed 11 home runs in 2024.
In his opening start in 2025 against Monmouth, Peguero received the loss after going five innings and allowing four runs (one earned), five hits and one walk while striking out three.
INF Mason Dobie
First baseman Mason Dobie is Dayton’s lone selection on the 2025 preseason All-Atlantic 10 team. Dobie started all 55 games last season and hit .290 with 7 HR and 41 RBI. To start the 2025 season, Dobie is 3-12 (.250) at the plate with one double, two walks, and a stolen base.
DH / C Brody Donay
One of the hottest hitters in college baseball right now is Florida’s designated hitter / catcher Brody Donay. The 6’5 slugger is the only player in program history to homer in each of the first four games of the season. The junior has homered and logged multiple hits in every game thus far, boasting a .643/.706/1.714 slash line. Donay is tied for the nation lead in homers and leads the country with 24 total bases. Fresh off his first-career SEC Player of the Week honor, he also leads the SEC in batting, on-base percentage, slugging and hits. Look for Donay to continue his historic steak on Friday night against a pitcher that tends to allow the big fly.
Can Florida’s dominant pitching continue?
Florida pitchers have combined for a 1.32 ERA and a .137 batting average against through four games. They’ve also posted a 61-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 34 innings (16 H, 7 BB). Florida’s weekend rotation of Peterson, Clemente and Coppola have teamed up for 31 strikeouts against two walks in 17 innings, allowing just six hits, two walks and two earned runs for a 1.06 ERA. Florida’s 12 pitching appearances have been made by 10 different hurlers, with all 12 outings featuring a strikeout and all but one having multiple.
Dayton’s offense has combined for 30 hits through four games including two home runs. INF / OF Michael DiMartini leads the way for the Flyers’ offense, hitting 5-14 (.357) with one home run, one double, and two RBI.