NEW YORK – Butler third baseman Garrett Christman won the first BIG EAST Player of the Week honor of the 2018 season by batting .500 over opening weekend. Christman went 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored in the season opener. He had at least one RBI in all four games.
 
Christman spent time at third base, first base, designated hitter and on the mound during the first three days of the regular season. He responded with a .500 on-base percentage and a .583 slugging percentage at the plate. On the mound, Christman struck out seven against UNCW to record the win.
 
For the week, Christman came up with six hits to generate seven runs. He had one extra base hit and came around to score three runs for BU. In the field, Christman was perfect making seven put-outs, three assists and no errors.
 
The Bulldogs will return to action this weekend with a four-game series in Lexington, S.C. against George Mason. Friday and Sunday will feature single games, but Saturday will go down as a doubleheader. The Bulldogs are off to one of the best starts to a season in program history. Butler hasn't started a season 4-0 in nearly 40 years! (Game-by-game results/statistics are not available before the 1980 season).
 
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Garrett Christman, Butler, Sr., INF/RHP (Noblesville, Ind.)
Senior Garrett Christman led the Butler offense to a 4-0 week with two wins over Lehigh, 12-1 and 15-6, a 6-2 win over UNC Wilmington and a 6-5 win over Eastern Kentucky. Christman went 6-for-12 as he added seven RBI, three runs, a double, a stolen base and a walk. Christman had a .535 on-base percentage. In the season-opener against Lehigh, Christman went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs and three RBI.  Christman played third base, first base and pitcher, earning the 6-2 win over UNCW with seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched.  He allowed just three hits.
 
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Matt Leon, Seton Hall, Sr., RHP (Bethlehem, Pa.)
Senior reliever Matt Leon came out of the bullpen for Seton Hall to earn his first save of the year. Facing one of the most explosive offenses in the NCAA, Leon made two appearances in three games and held No. 23 N.C. State scoreless over a total of 3.1 innings. He had seven strikeouts and allowed for no extra base hits. In game two of Friday's doubleheader, Leon pitched 2.1 innings of relief and recorded six of his seven outs by strikeout.  He walked just one batter in a no decision.  On Sunday, Leon was tasked with closing out an 8-6 victory over the Wolfpack.  He tossed a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one batter, and collecting his first save of the season.
 
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Clark Brinkman, Creighton, Jr., OF (Addison, Ill.)
Despite a 1-2 start for the Bluejays, Brinkman impressed with a .538 batting average (7-for-13) with six RBI, a league-best seven runs, four walks, .647 on-base percentage and 1.077 slugging percentage. Brinkman also added two doubles, a triple and a homer in the series loss to Northeastern (W, 15-7; L, 12-7; L, 8-3).
 
Luke Stampfl, St. John's, Grad Student, SS (Dix Hills, N.Y.)
Stampfl hit 6-for-14 (.429) in a 3-0 weekend for St. John's on the road at Campbell. Stampfl added two runs, two RBI, two doubles and a home run for .786 slugging.
 
Kevin Magee, St. John's, Sr., LHP (Pompton Lakes, N.J.)
Magee helped No. 25 St. John's to a 1-0 win at Campbell on Saturday with a league-best 11 strikeouts in 6.0 innings. The lefty allowed for no runs to be scored with just two hits in 95 pitches.
 
Sebastiano Santorelli, Seton Hall, Jr., DH (Tuckahoe, N.Y.)
Santorelli started all three games as DH against No. 23 N.C. State as he went 5-for-11 (.455) with two runs, two RBI and a home run. He posted a .818 slugging in the 1-2 weekend. On Sunday, Santorelli erupted with a 3-for-4 performance, falling just a triple shy of the cycle.  Leading off the top of the fourth inning, he belted his first career home run.
 
Ryan Doty, Villanova, Sr., RHP (Rye, N.Y.)
Doty pitched 6.0 innings with a career high 10 strikeouts to earn the 14-1 win over Norfolk State helping Villanova finish a 3-0 series sweep. Doty allowed just two hits with one walk over the six-inning stretch for a 1.50 ERA.