GAME NOTES
** Thursday's game has been moved to 3PM due to rain **
INDIANAPOLIS – The final weekend of the regular season is here as the Butler baseball team will travel to New York to face St. John's. Game one on Thursday will stream on ESPN 3. Friday's tilt will air live on CBS Sports Network and the finale on Sunday will be available on BEDN.
Bulldog Bits
- Butler needs one win against St. John's to clinch a BIG EAST Tournament berth
- Butler was swept by St. John's last year (6-2, 5-3, 12-3)
- The first and the last game of that weekend series went into extra innings (10, 11)
- Butler's last win over St. John's (13-5) came on May 8, 2016
- Butler is 1-11 against St. John's since entering the BIG EAST in 2014
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Michael Hartnagel holds a .373 batting average against conference foes
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Ryan Pepiot is 5-0 overall and 2-0 against BIG EAST teams on the mound
- Sophomore
Zach Jarosz has reached base safely in 13-straight games
- Butler has never made the BIG EAST Tournament field
- BU's last tournament appearance came in 2012 as members of the Horizon League
- Butler's last tournament win came in 2009 over Youngstown State
- Butler's last tournament title came in 2000 as members of the MCC
BIG EAST Standings
St. John's 13-2 (.867) 34-13
Seton Hall 11-4 (.733) 25-18-1
Butler 8-6 (.571) 32-16
Georgetown 8-7 (.533) 24-26
Creighton 8-9 (.471) 32-15
Xavier 5-10 (.333) 18-34
Villanova 0-15 (.000) 8-36
Scouting St. John's
The Johnnies fell to Minnesota on Tuesday to move their overall record to 34-13. Seven every day starters for St. John's post a batting average over .300. John Valente leads the team with a .365 average that includes five doubles, three triples and five homers. The home run king on St. John's roster is Anthony Brocato with nine. Brocato shared Preseason Player of the Year honors along with
Tyler Houston. Five players, not including Brocato or Valente have hit 10 doubles or more this year and the pitching staff holds a 2.74 team ERA. Sean Mooney is a strikeout king with a 9-2 overall record. He has 91 strikeouts in 76 innings. Kevin Magee is a senior left-hander with the best ERA on the team. All three probable weekend arms hold an ERA under 3.00.
A Year Ago
Butler scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to push game one against St. John's into extra innings. Mooney tossed eight full innings, but the win fell to Joe Kelly. Butler held a 3-1 lead in game two after seven full innings, but STJ scored four in the top of the eighth to pull out a 5-3 win. Game three was bizarre as a 3-3 tie after 10 innings turned into a 12-3 Red Storm win in 11 innings.
BIG EAST Tournament Talk
Win and you're in. That's the bottom line for the Butler baseball team. If they can take one win from the Red Storm they will be tournament bound for the first time since joining the BIG EAST. St. John's still needs one more conference win for the No. 1 overall seed. Lots of scenarios are still out there, but if the Hoyas win one game they are in as well. If Georgetown sweeps Seton Hall they can move all the way up to the No. 2 seed. Creighton will be cheering on St. John's and Seton Hall this weekend. The Bluejays will then turn to the tiebreaker manual to see if they can play in the postseason.
32 Wins
32 wins in a single-season is the fourth-highest total in school history. BU recorded a school record 34 wins in back-to-back seasons (2002-03). The 1998 team was also responsible for 33 wins.
Strike Three, You're Out
Butler broke the single-season strikeout record last year with 405. The 2018 team now has 401 strikeouts with at least three games remaining on the schedule.
Pepiot Lands on BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Ryan Pepiot struck out a career-high 12 batters in a 3-0 win over Georgetown. Pepiot went 8.0 innings, allowed just three hits on 120 pitches and walked just two.
Up Next
Butler will try to punch their ticket to the upcoming BIG EAST Championship. Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio will hold the action from May 23-27.
