Dayton hosts Atlantic 10 championship

Dayton, Ohio -- For the third time in five years, the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will be held at Fifth Third Field in Dayton. The event will feature 10-11 games to determine a champion and will take place at the home of the Dayton Dragons from May 20-23, 2009. The championship was also held at Fifth Third Field in 2005 and '07.

The double-elimination tournament will include the top six teams in the conference based on winning percentage in conference play. The tournament champion will receive the conference's automatic berth to the 64-team NCAA tournament.

The Charlotte 49ers have won the Atlantic 10 championship in each of the last two seasons. Eleven (11) Atlantic 10 Conference players were selected by major league organizations in the 2008 June draft.

Other schools who participate in the Atlantic 10 in baseball include Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, LaSalle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, Temple and Xavier.

"We are proud to be working with the Atlantic 10 to host their championship for the third time at Fifth Third Field," said Dayton Dragons president Robert Murphy. "We are excited about the opportunity to showcase some outstanding collegiate athletes right here in the Miami Valley before the best sports fans in the country."

The Dayton Flyers will be looking to return to the A-10 Championships in their hometown. UD has appeared in the A-10 Championships four times in eight seasons under Head Coach Tony Vittorio including 2001, '02, '05, and '06.

For complete coverage of the 2009 A-10 Baseball Championship, including ticket information, log on to www.atlantic10.org and www.daytondragons.com.