Nov. 15, 2007

DAYTON, Ohio - University of Dayton head baseball coach Tony Vittorio announced the commitment of four high school players on Thursday. Chuck Ghysels, Michael Hauschild, Cameron Hobson and Chad Opalich will join the Flyer program for the 2009 season.

"Obviously whenever you recruit, you recruit to the needs of your program," Vittorio commented. "Some of our needs for this class was pitching overall but also to find a guy who could possibly hit in our lineup right away. All four of these guys fit our needs."

Ghysels (Springboro HS) and Hauschild (Beavercreek HS) are both right-handed pitching talents from the Dayton area while Hobson is a lefty from Crawfordsville, IN.

Ghysels is tabbed as one of the best pitchers in the State of Ohio by Buckeye Scout and helped the NABF National Team to the title of the 2007 USA Baseball Tournament of Stars. He tallied a 2-0 record in a pair of relief appearances during the tourney while compiling five strikeouts in 5.2 scoreless innings pitched. Last season, Ghysels struck out 67 while walking only 24 in 42.1 innings pitched for the Panthers while being named the 2007 Greater Western Ohio Conference (GWOC) Baseball Athlete of the Year.

Hauschild has been called one of the hardest throwing right-handers in the State of Ohio by Buckeye Scout after excelling for both Beavercreek High School and in the summer for the Patterson Park Classics. He is a two-time All-GWOC selection earning Honorable Mention honors in 2006 and Second Team honors in 2007. He has a career ERA of 1.38. Hauschild also plays basketball for the Beavers where he earned GWOC and Beavercreek Scholar-Athlete awards.

Hobson has been the ace of his high school staff since his sophomore season while also starring with the Indiana Bulls over the summer. He was an Honorable Mention All-State selection by the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association in 2007 after compiling an 8-1 record with a 0.44 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. He is also a standout swimmer for Crawfordsville High School.

"In my mind, we did not only fit our needs on the mound, but we were able to fit those needs with two of the best pitching talents locally in Chuck Ghysels and Michael Hauschild," Vittorio said. `We were also able to solidify those needs by getting an outstanding left-handed pitcher in Cameron Hobson from Crawfordsville, Indiana."

Opalich, an infielder/outfielder, is tabbed as one of the top hitters in the State of Ohio by Buckeye Scout after excelling for both Hudson (Ohio) High School and the Brownlee Lockouts. He was named a First Team All-Conference selection after leading the Explorers to a 20-8 record as a junior in 2007. The left fielder batted .489 with one homer, eight doubles, nine triples, 42 runs and 24 RBI.

"Finding a player who can come in and hit in your lineup right away is difficult," Vittorio said. "After evaluating Chad Opalich, I feel that he has a great opportunity to fit that role. I am extremely excited to have all four of these guys in our program as they fit the mold of a Dayton Flyer Baseball Player."

Dayton finished 21-33 overall and 9-18 in Atlantic 10 Conference play in 2007. The Flyers finished with their seventh 20-win season under the direction of eighth-year Head Coach Tony Vittorio. UD had 29 of its 54 games decided by two runs or less and went 11-18 in those games.