The University of Dayton baseball team returns a veteran infield with tremendous power this season.
In fact, all of UD’s infield returns except for first baseman Marshall MacDonald, who completed his collegiate eligibility last spring. Jon Castine will fill his void after getting an opportunity last spring when MacDonald was sidelined with a broken jaw.
“All four of our guys in the infield are proven players,” said head coach Tony Vittorio. “In my opinion, with our experience, we should be one of the strongest infields both offensively and defensively¬ in the Atlantic 10.”
Castine hit .345 last season in 25 starts for Dayton. He carried a heavy bat with 10 doubles and eight home runs for a .646 slugging percentage.
“John was a pleasant surprise last year. He worked tremendously hard to get to this position,” said Vittorio.
Zach Jacob returns to second base for the Flyers. Jacob ranked in the top 10 in the Atlantic 10 in hits (79-2nd), runs (56-2nd) and total bases (129-8th) last season. He tied for second on the team, tallying 11 home runs. He also had 50 RBI which was the second-highest for UD. Jacob was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team.
“Overall, I think that Zach is a very good college baseball player,” said Vittorio.
Four-year starter Cole Tyrell remains at shortstop for his final season. Tyrell led the team with 12 home runs, 60 RBI and 16 doubles in 2009. He had 179 assists last season for the Flyers. A UD Presidential Scholar, Tyrell was nominated for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award earlier this month.
Junior third baseman Jimmy Roesinger had a breakout season in 2009. Named First Team All-Atlantic 10, Roesinger hit .523 in conference games and .401 overall. He tallied 14 doubles and 38 RBI, while stealing 11 bases.
Joe Dorocak is expected to backup Castine at first base. Dorocak redshirted his freshman season with UD, but played well in summer ball finishing second in RBI for the Allegany County Nitros.
“I like what I see from Joe,” said Vittorio. “He also has a chance to DH for us this season.”
Also expected to see time in the infield is redshirt sophomore Zach Lammers. Lammers sat out last season but is expected to add to UD’s infield and offensive depth.
The Flyers open up play on Friday against the Army Black Knights at Noon in Winston-Salem, N.C. Dayton will continue the weekend with a two-game series against Wake Forest on Saturday and Sunday.
