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Facebook Live (Friday Only)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler and Valparaiso will play a three-game series at Bulldog Park this weekend. The first game of the series will get underway Friday at 4 PM. Those fans that are unable to attend can steam the action on Facebook Live.
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Bulldog Bits
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Duncan Hewitt went 3-for-3 vs. Saint Francis with two doubles and a triple
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Tyler Houston went 2-for-3 with two doubles on Thursday afternoon
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Jack Myers won the first game of his collegiate career on Thursday vs. Saint Francis
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Tyler Houston recorded seven RBI in a single-game at Western Michigan
- Houston hit three doubles and one home run in the final game against the Broncos
- Butler ranks second in the BIG EAST in batting average (.281) and team ERA (2.69)
- The Bulldogs post the best fielding percentage in the conference at .981
- BU also leads the league in on-base % (.386), runs (139), hits (180), and RBI (120)
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Tyler Houston leads the BIG EAST Conference with 30 hits on the year
- The BU pitching staff has 170 strikeouts and just 64 walks
Mitchell Named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week        Â
Butler redshirt junior
Connor Mitchell threw a complete game, two-hit shutout against Western Michigan on Friday afternoon to lead Butler to a 3-0 victory. The lefty struck out 10 batters and issued just one walk over nine innings of work. He threw 106 pitches total. Mitchell had his no-hitter broken up in the bottom of the sixth inning. His only other hit was recorded in the seventh. Mitchell advanced to 2-0 on the year with a 2.08 ERA. He leads Butler with 34 strikeouts.
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Tyler Houston hit .476 (10-for-21) in a 3-1 week for Butler with a pair of wins over Western Michigan and a midweek victory at home over Ball State. Five of his 10 hits went for extras. He had four doubles and a home run to post a .810 slugging percentage. Â He had seven RBI, all in one game, one shy of tying the Butler school record which was set in 1999 (David Carr) and matched in 2003 (Paul Beck).
Double Up                       Â
Tyler Houston became the 10th player in program history to record three doubles in a single game. The BU slugger struck out in his first at bat, but led off the third inning with a double. Houston doubled again in the fourth and would clear the bases with his third double of the game in the fifth. The Broncos got Houston to ground out in the seventh, but the senior returned to the dish in the ninth to hit his first home run of the season.
Scouting Valpo                    Â
The Crusaders are 6-12 on the year with all 18 of those contests being played away from their home ballpark. Chase Dawson leads the team with 30 hits in 86 at-bats (.349). He has two doubles, three triples and three home runs on the year for a team-high 19 RBI. The Crusaders have some power at the plate with 16 team home runs. Eight different student-athletes have at least one home run on the season. On the mound, Valpo holds a 7.85 team ERA. Trey Ferketic has the best ERA of any weekend starter at 5.84. Ferketic is scheduled to throw Saturday against
Garrett Christman. Friday's starter will be Jon Tieman, a right-hander with a 2-2 record on the mound. Sunday's start will go to Wes Gordon, a 6-1 senior with an 0-3 record. The bullpen features three players with one save. Chet Joslyn has a 3.12 ERA with one save in eight appearances. Easton Rhodehouse and Michael Mommersteeg will also see action in the later stages of the game.
Last Time Around                    Â
Butler and Valpo have not met on the diamond since 2014. Butler claimed a 5-3 win at Bulldog Park in the last meeting on March 30.Â
Weather Update                    Â
The weekend forecast for Indianapolis includes a strong chance of snow on Saturday, March 24. Friday looks nice with temps approaching 50 degrees. The high on Saturday is 35 with a 100% chance of snow. Temps rise to 40 degrees on Sunday.
Up Next                       Â
Butler will play Anderson on Tuesday, March 27. The mid-week game will feature a 4 PM start time. The weekend series will get underway Thursday night at Indiana. The Hoosiers will host a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, three-game series with Easter landing on Sunday, April 1.
