NEW YORK – Butler outfielder Tyler Houston has been selected as the BIG EAST Preseason Co-Player of the Year along with Anthony Brocato of St. John's. The announcement came from the BIG EAST Conference office on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Houston was joined by teammate Garrett Christman as a Preseason All-BIG EAST choice. As a team, the Bulldogs were selected to finish fifth in the conference standings.
 
Houston and Brocato shared Preseason Player of the Year honors while sophomore Sean Mooney was a unanimous choice for Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Mooney and the Red Storm collected five of the seven first-place votes in the Preseason Coaches' Poll to earn 35 points. Xavier ranked second in the poll with 30 points. The other two first-place votes landed with the Musketeers.
 
Creighton (24) is predicted to finish third in the BIG EAST standings, earning a point total that narrowly edged Seton Hall (23). The Bulldogs landed in fifth with 18 points. Rounding out the seven-team league was Georgetown (11) and Villanova (6).
 
Houston helped the Bulldogs reach 31 wins a year ago by starting in all 51 games. He was one of four student-athletes to be recognized as a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
 
In 2017, Houston hit .287 with 13 doubles, one triple and a team-high 12 home runs. He led the team with 38 RBI, 42 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. His .540 slugging percentage was also tops on the team. In the field, Houston made 132 putouts and five assists without committing a single error to post a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
 
During the conference season, Houston led the league in hits (27), home runs (six), and total bases (53). He also ranked third in batting average (.397) and second in slugging percentage (.779).
 
The 2017 First Team All-BIG EAST selection placed his name in the school record book after an outstanding junior season. Highlighting the year was a 5-for-5 game at Ohio that included three home runs, six RBI and three runs scored.
 
Houston became just the 14th player in school history to record five hits in a single-game at Butler. He tied the school record for most home runs hit in a single-game with three, but was able to set the school record for most total bases in a single-game with 14.
 
Fellow senior Garrett Christman will join Houston on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Christman was one of six pitchers to earn the honor due to a tie in the voting process.
 
The 6-2 right-hander from nearby Noblesville, Ind. was a utility player for the Bulldogs in 2017 before an injury placed him in the weekend rotation as a pitcher. Christman saw time on the mound, at third base, at first base and as the team's designated hitter.
 
Once on the mound, Christman posted a 3-2 overall record that included a 2.60 ERA. He tossed two complete games and even came up with a save in 55.1 innings of work.
 
The opposition only hit .194 with Christman on the mound. He finished the year ranked second in the BIG EAST and 26th in the NCAA in hits allowed per nine innings (6.18). Christman also ranked second in the BIG EAST and 12th in the NCAA with a 0.90 WHIP.
 
Christman stifled talented BIG EAST lineups late in the year to post a 1.53 ERA against conference foes. He put up monster numbers during his last three starts of the season in games against Villanova, Georgetown and Creighton.
 
The hot streak started against Villanova with Christman throwing 8.1 innings of shutout baseball. He limited the Wildcats to just three hits while striking out nine. A second shutout would follow in Christman's next outing as he helped Butler post a 5-0 victory in Washington, D.C. The Hoyas only recorded three hits in game one of a doubleheader.
 
Christman would end the 2017 on a high-note by helping the Bulldogs defeat the Bluejays 7-1. His final start of the year was a 119-pitch, complete game that included nine strikeouts and just one run off three hits.
 
The Bulldogs will open the 2018 season on Feb. 16 with a game against Lehigh. The first four games of the year will be played in Wilmington, N.C. against three different opponents. BU will face Lehigh twice, UNCW once, and Eastern Kentucky once.
 
2018 Preseason Baseball All-BIG EAST Team and Awards
 
Preseason Co-Players of the Year – Anthony Brocato, St. John's, Sr., OF; Tyler Houston, Butler, Sr. OF
Preseason Pitcher of the Year – Sean Mooney, St. John's, So., SP (RHP) ^
 
Preseason All-BIG EAST *
Michael Emodi, Creighton, Jr., C
John Valente, St. John's, RS-Sr., 1B
Josh Shaw, St. John's, Jr., 2B
Chris Givin, Xavier, So., SS
Ryan Weisenberg, Georgetown, Jr., 3B
Connor Grammes, Xavier, So., DH
Tyler Houston, Butler, Sr., OF ^
Anthony Brocato, St. John's, Sr., OF ^
Ryan Ramiz, Seton Hall, Sr., OF
Garrett Christman, Butler, Sr., SP (RHP)
Sean Mooney, St. John's, So., SP (RHP) ^
Cullen Dana, Seton Hall, Jr., SP (LHP) ^
Shane McCarthy, Seton Hall, Sr., SP (RHP)
Joe LaSorsa, St. John's, So., RP (LHP)
Matt Kent, Xavier, Jr., RP (RHP)
 
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
1.  St. John's – 35 points (5)
2. Xavier – 30 pts. (2)
3. Creighton – 24 pts.
4. Seton Hall – 23 pts.
5. Butler – 18 pts.
6. Georgetown – 11 pts.
7. Villanova – 6 pts. 

^ - denotes unanimous selection­­­­
* - due to a tie in voting, there are two relief pitchers on the preseason All-BIG EAST team