GAME NOTES
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will play George Mason in a four-game series this weekend. The two clubs will play at Lexington Country Stadium. Game one is slated for Friday, Feb. 23 at 2 PM.
Weekend Schedule (EST)
2/23: Butler vs. George Mason – 2:00 PM
2/24: Butler vs. George Mason – 10:00 AM
2/24: Butler vs. George Mason – 2:00 PM
2/25: Butler vs. George Mason – 1:00 PM
Projected Starters
Friday: LHP
Connor Mitchell vs. RHP Zach Mort
Saturday: RHP
Garrett Christman vs. RHP Jared DiCesare
Saturday: RHP
Ryan Pepiot vs. RHP Bryce Nightengale
Sunday: RHP
Sam Hubbe vs. LHP Brian Marconi
Bulldog Bits
- Butler (4-0) is off to one of the best starts in program history
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Garrett Christman hit .500 (6-12) last week and earned a win on the mound
- Christman was named BIG EAST Player of the Week (2/19)
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Harrison Freed recorded a team-high nine RBI's over opening weekend
- Butler recorded four triples over their first four games of the season
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Gehrig Parker hit the first home run of the season for Butler
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Connor Mitchell struck out eight in his debut and didn't allow a walk
- Butler's bullpen only allowed three runs on 11 hits over the first four games
- Eight of the 10 bullpen arms used last weekend posted a 0.00 ERA
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Connor Schultz and
Jack Pilcher each picked up a save last weekend
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John MacCauley earned his first career win out of the pen for BU vs. EKU
Scouting George Mason
George Mason is off to an 0-3 start to the season after taking losses to The Citadel (3-0), Richmond (16-2), and #14 Louisville (15-8). The Patriots hit .204 as a team, but Logan Driscoll posted monster numbers. Driscoll is a talented player that can see time behind the plate or in the outfield. He hit .583 over opening weekend with seven hits in 12 at-bats. The ace on the mound is Zach Mort. The right-hander tossed seven full innings in his season debut, striking out four. The Patriots allowed 34 runs in three games to post a 9.36 team ERA. The opposition hit .343 with a .462 on-base percentage and a .441 slugging percentage.
Christman Named BIG EAST Player of the Week
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.
What A Weekend
Butler went 4-0 over opening weekend accomplishing something that no other Butler baseball team has done in nearly 40 years (Game-by-game results/statistics are not available before the 1980 season).
New Look
Seven true freshmen saw playing time over opening weekend with four of the seven coming out of the BU bullpen.
John MacCauley picked up a win against Eastern Kentucky and
Connor Schultz was credited with a save against Lehigh.
Extra Bases
Butler opened the 2018 season by scoring 39 runs off 43 hits. 39 runs were the sixth-highest total recorded in the NCAA over opening weekend. 43 hits also leads the conference and ranks 12th at the national level. 13 of the 43 hits went for extra bases. BU leads the country in triples with four, they recorded eight doubles and one home run.
Streaking
Three Bulldogs head into the George Mason series with a three-game hitting streak intact.
Zach Jarosz is fresh off his game-winning single that helped BU comeback to defeat Eastern Kentucky 6-5.
James Gargano is a talented freshman that started in all four games over the weekend and posted a .308 batting average.
Gehrig Parker is the third member of the trio. The senior right fielder hit .294 opening weekend with two doubles and a homer.
New Series
Butler and George Mason have never met on the diamond. The two programs just missed playing one another in conference action. The Patriots became members of the A-10 Conference in 2014. Butler spent one season in the A-10 (2013) before making the jump to the BIG EAST in 2014.
Up Next
Butler will travel to Osceola, Fla. next weekend to play three games against two different opponents. Two of the three games will be played vs. Saint Peter's. Saturday's 11 AM contest will be against Pittsburgh.
