Weekend Schedule (EST)
5/14: Butler at Xavier – 3:00 PM
5/15: Butler at Xavier – 3:00 PM
5/16: Butler at Xavier – 1:00 PM
**Schedule Change** Friday (5/15) will be a doubleheader with action set to begin at 12 p.m.
Projected Starters
Thursday: LHP Jeff Schank vs. RHP Adam Hall
Friday: LHP Peter Nyznyk vs. LHP Zac Lowther
Saturday: LHP Nick Morton vs. LHP Trent Astle
INDIANAPOLIS – The final weekend of the regular season is here as the Butler Bulldogs continue to fight for a tournament berth in the upcoming 2015 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Presented by New York Life. In order to do so, the Bulldogs will need to record some wins against Xavier at Hayden Field. Games one and two of the three-game series will be played Thursday and Friday at 3 p.m. The finale will get started at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
About Butler (21-29, 6-9 BIG EAST)
The Bulldogs are definitely in the hunt for one of the final two seeds in the upcoming BIG EAST Baseball Tournament. Their 6-9 mark against conference competition leaves them just one game behind Georgetown, Seton Hall and Villanova who are all tied for third at 7-8. The good news for Bulldog fans is that Butler holds the upper hand against Seton Hall and Villanova in the tie-breaker having won two of three against each opponent.
Butler is 6-9 in conference, but 21-29 overall after a 4-3 win against Eastern Illinois on Tuesday. Garrett Christman, Tyler Houston, Michael Fries and Drew Small all recorded an RBI to lift BU over EIU despite the Panthers out-hitting the Bulldogs 12-6.
Christman and Houston have both been outstanding for Butler during their freshman campaigns. Christman took over shortstop responsibilities with the departure of Marco Caponi while Houston roams centerfield having taken over for Marcos Calderon. The two freshmen enter the final weekend of the regular season tied for the team lead with a .331 batting average and are just two hits shy of the outright team lead in the hits category. Houston has nine doubles, two triples, three home runs and 24 RBIs, but his most impressive stat is arguably his runs scored total that has reached 50. Christman is yet another impact player that came up with the game-winning RBI against EIU on Tuesday, moving his season total to 21.
The Bulldogs are loaded with weapons offensively as the team boasts a .286 batting average. Ryan Wojciechowski gives Butler yet another player over the .300 mark with his .326 batting average. The senior is in a groove down the stretch with the longest active hitting streak on the team which has helped him record a team-high 39 RBIs.
Wojo had a lead-off double in the recent win over EIU which led to Fries sending him home with a sac fly. The Fries RBI moved his season total to 26, the second-highest total on the team. Fries has posted solid numbers during his senior season with a .285 BA that includes eight doubles and two home runs. The final member of the BU 50-Hit Club is Small who heads into the weekend with 16 doubles, a triple and 24 RBIs.
Leading the defensive charge will be the three-headed monster of Jeff Schank, Peter Nyznyk and Nick Morton. Schank will get the ball first as the Thursday starter. The sophomore has the lowest ERA on the team at 3.09 and is tied for the team lead in wins with four. Schank has the opposition batting just .249 and is also the team leader in strikeouts with 68.
Sharing the team lead in wins with Schank is another left-hander in Nyznyk. The Friday starter holds a 4.73 ERA which has helped him reach a 4-3 overall record. Nyznyk has tossed 64.2 innings this season having started the year as a key arm in the BU bullpen. The third member of this left-handed trio is newcomer Nick Morton who will take the bump on Saturday afternoon. Morton is second on the team in innings pitched (68.1) and strikeouts (44). He will be making his 14th start of the year with a 3-6 record that includes a 6.59 ERA.
Those Bulldogs on call to help any one of these starters get to the finish line include Luke Johnson, Kyle Allen and Danny Pobereyko. Johnson picked up a late win on Tuesday to improve to 3-0 on the year. He has only issued five walks this season through 29.1 innings of action. Allen can help the team in a variety of ways, although it would be preferential for him to work as the set-up man which would send Pobereyko to the rubber for save opportunities.
Scouting Xavier (14-36, 2-13 BIG EAST)
The Musketeers are in the basement of the BIG EAST standings, but are still talented enough to compete at a high level. Nate Soria leads the team with a .336 batting average, but a majority of the starting lineup hovers around the .250 mark. Soria is hands-down having the best year for XU offensively with nine doubles, two triples, two home runs and 24 RBIs. Yet another Musketeer to keep an eye on is Andre Jernigan who posts eight doubles, two triples, three home runs and a team-high 27 RBIs.
Playing at Hayden Field has not issued positive results for Xavier as the Musketeers are only 2-8 as the home team this season. Butler doesn't seem to be swayed while playing in road jerseys with nine wins coming on the road compared to just 11 at home. Butler won two-of-three at Seton Hall earlier this season and even stole a game while playing at Georgetown. On the flip side, Xavier lost all three when hosting Seton Hall but managed to record a lop-sided win over the Hoyas at Hayden Field.
Soria and Jernigan lead the offensive charge, but defensively look for Adam Hall, Zac Lowther and Trent Astle. Hall will take the game ball on Thursday, matching up against Schank. The right-hander is 1-4 on the season with a 4.37 ERA. Thursday will be his 12th start of the season, giving him 47.1 innings of work.
Following Hall in the weekend rotation will be left-hander Zac Lowther. Friday's starter posts a 2-1 record with a 3.77 ERA. He jumps into a starting role having spent a majority of the year in the bullpen. The third arm that will definitely see time on the rubber this weekend is left-hander Trent Astle. Astle has the best ERA of any starter (3.75) and doubles as the strikeout leader (53). The opposition is batting .266 against Xavier with Astle on the bump, a figure that can go up as Astle is prone to give up extra base hits (18 2Bs, 4 HRs).
2014 Series vs. Xavier
April 17, 2014: Butler 8, Xavier 0
April 18, 2014: Butler 2, Xavier 1
April 19, 2014: Xavier 16, Butler 2
BIG EAST Standings
1) St. John's, 14-3 BIG EAST… 34-14 Overall
2) Creighton, 10-4 BIG EAST… 27-17 Overall
3) Georgetown, 7-8 BIG EAST… 24-24 Overall
4) Seton Hall, 7-8 BIG EAST … 22-22 Overall
5) Villanova, 7-8 BIG EAST… 22-25 Overall
6) Butler, 6-9 BIG EAST… 21-29 Overall
7) Xavier, 2-13 BIG EAST… 14-36 Overall
Final Weekend Matchups
Villanova at Creighton
Butler at Xavier
Georgetown at Seton Hall
St. John's – Bye
Butler vs. the BIG EAST
BU vs. St. John's: 0-3
BU vs. Seton Hall: 2-1
BU vs. Creighton: 1-2
BU vs. Villanova: 2-1
BU vs. Georgetown: 1-2
Selection & Seeding
The final weekend of the regular season will play a huge factor in the upcoming conference tournament seeding with three teams currently tied in the BIG EAST standings for third place. Georgetown, Seton Hall and Villanova are knotted up with 7-8 records with the Bulldogs just one game back at 6-9. With so many teams log jammed in the middle of the standings, it's time to take a look at the BIG EAST tie-breaker policy. The top four seeds are determined by overall league winning percentage, but in the event of a tie the following details must be taken into consideration. Follow these steps in order:
Two‑Way Tie:
Regular season head‑to‑head results.
Multiple‑Team Tie:
Teams are viewed as a "mini‑conference" when comparing head‑to‑head results. The team or teams with the best combined record versus the other teams in the mini‑conference gains the advantage.
Each team's combined winning percentage versus the teams ranked higher in the standings.
Each team's winning percentage versus a common opponent that is occupying the highest position in the standings and continuing down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.
NOTE: When arriving at another pair of tied teams while comparing records, use each team's record against the tied teams as a group rather than the performance against the individual tied teams.
Runs given up against each other.
+If the ties cannot be broken, a coin flip will be conducted by the Commissioner.
Tournament Time
The 2015 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Tournament Presented by New York Life will be held in Omaha, Neb. at TD Ameritrade Park from May 21-24. The championship will be a four-team double-elimination tournament. Preliminary rounds will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) with Sunday's championship game to air live on Fox Sports 2.
BIG EAST Baseball Weekly Honor Roll
Ryan Wojciechowski, Butler, 1B, Sr.
Hit .438 (7-for-16) with six of his seven hits going for extra bases as the senior recorded five doubles and a home run to generate seven RBI. Posted a .938 slugging percentage. Had five RBI in a Sunday's high-scoring 15-12 loss.
Single-Season Record
With a double down the leftfield line against Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, first baseman Ryan Wojciechowski tied the Butler school record for the most doubles recorded in a single-season with 19. Wojo is now in a three-way tie for the top spot in the category, sitting alongside Mike Maslowski who recorded 19 doubles in 1997 and Justin Beasley who accomplished the feat just one year later in 1998.
Ouch
Senior second baseman Austin Miller has etched his name into the Butler baseball record book in the hit-by-pitch category. Miller heads into the final weekend of the regular season leading the team and the BIG EAST Conference by reaching base 15 times after being struck by a ball that got away from the pitcher. Being hit 15 times this year raises his career total to 40, another school record.
Keep It Clean
The Bulldogs have a chance to set a new school record if they finish off the final stages of the season by playing error-free baseball. The team currently holds a .968 fielding percentage which would break the current school record of .965 which was set by the 1990 team.
Top Dawg
Butler jumped into the month of May with five players all tied for the team lead in hits. After two weeks of action, Ryan Wojciechowski heads into the final weekend of the regular season with a team-high 57 hits. He is followed closely by teammates Tyler Houston (55), Garrett Christman (55), Drew Small (54), and Michael Fries (53).
Hitting Streak
The best hitting streak of the season belongs to Garrett Christman who recorded at least one hit in 17-straight games. Christman is one of three players to reach a double figure hit streak as sluggers Quincy Quintero (14) and Ryan Wojciechowski (10) have also had hot streaks throughout the season. The longest current streak heading into the final weekend of the regular season belongs to Wojciechowski. The senior has been on a hot streak as of late with a nine-game hitting streak.
Get On Base
Austin Miller has reached base in 16-straight games, a total that ties Quincy Quintero's best effort of the season and is just one shy of the team-lead shared by both Tyler Houston and Garrett Christman. Miller has been all over the starting lineup, starting the year at the nine-hole, but has recently moved to the top of the order in part to this impressive streak.
Winning Streak
Butler won nine-straight games from March 15-29, setting the longest winning streak in school history. The previous record of seven-straight wins was recorded five times (2003, 2002, 2000, 1998, and 1993). During that stretch Butler defeated Illinois State, Marian, Cleary, Wabash, Indiana Tech and Dayton in single games while sweeping Purdue in a three-game series at Bulldog Park.
Weather Update (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Thursday – Mostly Cloudy, High of 75, 0% Chance of Rain, Wind SE at 8 MPH
Friday – AM Showers, High of 83, 40% Chance of Rain, Wind SW at 13 MPH
Saturday – Thunderstorms, High of 81, 80% Chance of Rain, Wind SW at 9 MPH
Team Leaders
BA: Garrett Christman/Tyler Houston (.331), Hits: Ryan Wojciechowski (57), RBI: Ryan Wojciechowski (39)
ERA: Jeff Schank (3.09), Wins: Peter Nyznyk/Jeff Schank (4), Strikeouts: Jeff Schank (68)
NCAA Team National Rankings
Stat - National Rank (Conference Rank)
Batting Average – 80 (1)
Double Plays – 69 (1)
Doubles – 36 (1)
Hits – 84 (1)
On-Base % - 132 (3)
Runs – 146 (2)
Sacrifice Bunts – 31 (1)
Shutouts – 25 (1)
NCAA Individual National Rankings
Stat, Player - National Rank (Conference Rank)
Doubles, Ryan Wojciechowski – 25 (1)
Hit By Pitch, Austin Miller – 27 (1)
Runs, Tyler Houston – 46 (1)
Sac Bunts, Tyler Houston – 128 (3)
Strikeouts, Jeff Schank – 143 (1)
Up Next
Butler is in the mix for a 2015 BIG EAST Baseball Tournament berth with their 6-9 record against conference foes. St. John's and Creighton are locked up, representing two of the four teams that will make postseason play. There is currently a three-way tie for third (7-8) between Georgetown, Seton Hall and Villanova.
