LEADING OFF
Loyola Chicago opens Atlantic 10 play this weekend at Dayton, kicking off with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 8 at 11 a.m. before the series closer on Monday, March 10 at 10 a.m. Before heading back to Chicago, the Ramblers make a pitstop at the Indiana Hoosiers for one game on Tuesday, March 11 at 3 p.m.
GAME SCHEDULE (All times listed in CT)
- Sunday, March 8 at Dayton (DH) – 11 a.m. | 1:30 p.m.
- Monday, March 10 at Dayton – 10 a.m.
- Tuesday, March 11 at Indiana – 3 p.m.
QUICK HITS
- In its final nonconference tournament of the season, Loyola went 2-3 at the Wolfpack Classic, securing back-to-back walk-off wins over Toledo and Lehigh (Feb. 27).
- Rookie Anna Kiel leads the Ramblers at the plate with a .368 batting average, placing her 11th in the league. From the bullpen, Kiel ranks 10th in the A-10 with a 3.35 ERA on a 3-2 record through 39.2 innings pitched.
- Sophomore Alli Pawlowicz paces Loyola behind 19 hits, good for fourth in the A-10. She's on a three-game hit streak heading into the weekend.
- Loyola's offense is led by 11 RBI from redshirt sophomore Liz Sedakis, ranking her ninth in the conference.
- The Ramblers were picked to finish sixth in the A-10 Preseason Poll, receiving 38 points.
- Loyola returned 13 letterwinners and welcomed eight newcomers, including six true freshmen and two transfer students.
- Abbott entered her seventh season at the helm of the program, sporting a 125-162 career record.
SCOUTING REPORT
Dayton is 8-5 so far this season, led by junior Deirde Flaherty at the plate with a .378 batting average and 15 RBI. From inside the bullpen, senior pitcher Izzy Kemp and two-time A-10 Pitcher of the Week, (4-1) leads the Flyers with a 1.00 ERA through 35.0 innings pitched with 62 strikeouts and two saves. The Flyers were picked to finish second in the conference; Dayton posted a 30-18 overall mark in 2025. Both teams faced Kentucky earlier in the year, each falling in the two-game series.
Indiana is off to a hot 16-5 start, picking up wins against a ranked Ohio State and a whopping 23-0 run-rule vs. Portland State (Feb. 12). Last weekend, the Hoosiers downed UNC Greensboro in back-to-back wins, a shutout and a run-rule. Junior Aly VanBrandt was named the Big Ten Player of the Week (March 2) and paces Indiana's offense on a .500 batting average with 35 hits, 30 runs, 27 RBI and .986 slugging percentage. The Hoosiers' bullpen has a combined ERA of 2.08 and 91 strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY
Loyola holds the series advantage 16-9 with the Dayton, but the Flyers have won the last seven games straight. The Ramblers are 2-6 overall against the Hoosiers, meeting most recently in 2019.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Stream the first and third games of the Dayton series on ESPN+. Follow Loyola on Instagram and X/Twitter @RamblersSB for in-game updates.
