Dayton softball seeks second straight A-10 tournament title

“It’s really special because we had so many new people in the program,” said coach Cara Clark, now in her 18th season, on Tuesday. “We’ve got eight freshmen, so that’s a lot of inexperience. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to our leaders and how they prepared our freshmen throughout the year. They really just took one phase of the year at a time and didn’t let any situation get too big.”

Dayton (29-16, 17-5) clinched the championship with a doubleheader sweep of George Mason at the UD Softball Stadium on Sunday.

As the No. 1 seed in the A-10 tournament, which will take place in Washington, D.C., Dayton will play No. 4 seed George Washington (32-19, 16-10) or No. 5 Saint Joseph’s (28-23, 15-11) at noon Thursday in the quarterfinals. Dayton won the A-10 tournament for the first time last season, earning the first NCAA tournament berth in program history.

Dayton lost three games at George Washington in March and swept a three-game series at Saint Joseph’s in April.

“We‘re preparing for both options,” Clark said. “I think our coaching staff scouts really well. We do a good job of dissecting game plans and communicating that to the team so they can execute at a high level. We try to simplify it as best we can. But I think that’s kind of where we we excel. We have a plan and our players trust in our plan and our system, and when they do that, good things happen.”

Five Flyers were named to the A-10 first team on Tuesday.

• Senior second baseman Maddie Kapsimalis, who hit .345 with five home runs and 40 RBIs in the regular season.

• Senior center fielder Emma Schutter, who led the team in batting average (.392), runs scored (50) and stolen bases (29).

• Senior third baseman Chloe Wong, who hit .333 with five home runs and 32 RBIs.

• Junior pitcher Izzy Kemp, who was 13-4 with a 2.33 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 127 2/3 innings.

• And sophomore shortstop Kirnan Bailey, who hit .333 with 29 RBIs.

Clark named sophomore catcher Deirdre Flaherty, who hit .315 with 29 RBIs, as one of the team’s unsung players who made a big jump from last season.

“She’s really locked down the catcher position,” Clark said. “That’s the person who’s managing the pitching staff and making them look good and helping them feel comfortable. She’s been a lot more consistent offensively. We’ve really just seen her flourish, and that’s made a big difference.”

The Centerville graduate Schutter set numerous UD career records this season and made the A-10 first team for the third time in four seasons.

“She’s just elite,” Clark said. “She’s an elite human. She’s a special person who is other focused, She would be the first one to deflect any awards or accolades and to give credit to those around her. That’s what makes her special. But she’s just physically skilled. She can dominate with her speed. She’s got a high IQ. And she’s just a phenomenal leader. We’re going to miss her a ton. Her fingerprints are all over our recent success, and I know she’s going to go on and do big things and represent us well.”

Kemp, a former A-10 Rookie of the Year like Schutter, 37-18 with a 1.93 ERA in three seasons. She ranks fourth in school history with 494 strikeouts.he

“She wasn’t 100% healthy last year and still had decent numbers and helped us there at the end after missing a chunk of the season,” Clark said. “This year, we’ve had her consistently throughout the regular season. She’s starting to hit her groove, and I think she’s near being 100% healthy, and it’s making a big difference.”