MWL Dayton Dragons

Dayton Dragons Homestand Preview (April 8 - 10)

Published on April 7, 2022 under Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Fans fill Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons
Fans fill Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons
(Dayton Dragons)

April 8 - April 10, 2022

Day Air Ballpark

Dayton, Ohio

Game and Radio Broadcast Schedule

Friday, April 8 - Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres) at Dayton Dragons (Reds), 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, April 9 - Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres) at Dayton Dragons (Reds), 1:05 p.m.

Sunday, April 10 - Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres) at Dayton Dragons (Reds), 1:05 p.m.

All games are broadcast on Fox Sports 980 WONE and HD Radio on 104.7 WTUI HD 2. All games are also streamed via the Dragons website at www.daytondragons.com. Broadcasts are also available on the Dragons App for Apple and Android devices.

Scheduled Dragons starting pitchers for these games:

Friday: Connor Phillips (RHP)

Saturday: James Marinan (RHP)

Sunday: Andrew Abbott (LHP)

Dragons On TV

The games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be televised on Dayton's CW (WBDT-TV). It is available on the following outlets: Cable Channels 13 and 1013, Direct TV and DISH Network Channel 26, and over the air channel 26.1.

WDTN Sports Director Jack Pohl will join Friday, Saturday, and Sunday's broadcast as color commentator

For Your Entertainment

Friday, April 8

The Dragons Opening Night game on April 8th will feature great entertainment for fans of all ages. Highlights include WPAFB Honor Guard presenting our nation's colors, Princess Jade, Dove Release, Chalk Artist, Mini-Dugout Dancers, Retirement Village People

The Dragons will also have a C-17 flyover and jersey joe band on the plaza

The national anthem will be performed by the Emmanuel Christian Select Choir, winner of the Dayton Daily News national anthem contest. They were chosen from a group of more than 200 who submitted audition tapes in hopes of being selected to perform the national anthem at Dragons games this season.

Saturday, April 9

The national anthem will be performed by Serena Ford

There will also be a dance studio on the plaza

Sunday, April 10

The national anthem will be performed by Ashley Ortel

Appearances from The Retirement Village People and Noah Tune

Dragons On The Field

The Dragons have eight players on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Reds Prospects list, and six of the Top 17. This group is headlined by 20-year-old switch-hitting infielder Elly De La Cruz. De La Cruz is the third rated prospect in the Reds organization (No. 76 in MLB) after signing as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. Other top prospects on the Dragons roster include outfielder Rece Hinds, catcher Mat Nelson, left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott, right-handed pitcher Connor Phillips, infielder Jose Torres, outfielder Allan Cerda and right-handed pitcher Joe Boyle

The Dragons roster has 11 players that were drafted in the first five rounds of their respective MLB Draft. There are also 14 players returning to the Dragons, including outfielder Quin Cotton who led the team in home runs last season (10)

Rece Hinds was named the "Best Power Hitter" in the Reds organization entering the 2022 season. Hinds hit 12 home runs in 54 games over the course of 2021 with the Daytona Tortugas and the ACL Reds

Mat Nelson returns to Dayton after a brief eight game stint with the Dragons last season. Nelson led all of college baseball in home runs in 2021 (23)

Joe Boyle can consistently touch 100 mph with his fastball and was clocked at as high as 102 mph while pitching at Notre Dame. He averaged just under 19 Strikeouts per Nine Innings in 2021, punching out 41 hitters in 19.2 innings

The Dragons are led by first-year manager Bryan LaHair, who is in his fifth season with the Reds organization after serving as the Arizona Complex League Manager in 2021, the Billings Mustangs manager in 2019, and the Mustangs hitting coach in 2018

Former major leaguer Daryle Ward returns to Dayton for his fourth season after serving as the Dragons hitting coach in 2017, 2018 and 2021. He is in his seventh year with the Reds organization after a stint as the hitting coach with the Reds affiliate in the Arizona League in 2016 and the Chattanooga Lookouts (Double-A) in 2019

Brian Garman joins the staff for his second year as the pitching coach. Garman is a native of Wapakoneta, Ohio and spent two seasons in the Angels organization as a pitching coach with High-A Inland Empire (2018) and Rookie-Level Orem (2019)

Another former major leaguer, Juan Samuel, is a new face to the Reds organization and is in his first year as the bench coach for Dayton. Samuel played 19 professional seasons (16 in the Major Leagues) and enters his 21st season as a professional baseball coach, having coached with the Tigers, Mets, Orioles and Phillies organizations. Last year he was a coach in the Monclova Mexican League.

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

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Fans fill Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons
Fans fill Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons
   



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