INDIANAPOLIS – The Bulldogs will head to Chicago this weekend to play three games in just two days. Saturday will feature a doubleheader with Butler facing Eastern Michigan at noon followed by a 4 PM nightcap against the host Chicago State. The getaway game will be between Butler and Eastern Michigan on Sunday with first pitch slated for 11 AM.

Weekend Matchups (EST)
4/1: Butler vs. Eastern Michigan – 12 PM
4/1: Butler at Chicago State – 4 PM
4/2: Butler vs. Eastern Michigan – 11 AM

Projected Starters
Game One: LHP Jeff Schank vs. RHP Brad Allen
Game Two: RHP Ryan Pepiot vs. TBA
Game Three: LHP Connor Mitchell vs. RHP Brent Mattson

Scouting Eastern Michigan
The Eagles are 6-17 this season with wins over Missouri, St. Bonaventure, Fresno State, Samford and a pair of victories against MAC foe Bowling Green. Eastern Michigan most recently dropped a 3-2 decision at home against Oakland and will take on Chicago State Friday night before playing Butler on Saturday afternoon.

The top batting average in the EMU order belongs to shortstop Devin Hager. He heads into the weekend with a .315 average, but only has one extra base hit in 18 starts. The team's hit leader is John Montgomery who posts a .280 BA and leads the team with three home runs. Jordan Peterson and Jeremy Stidham are two other Eagles to keep an eye on. Peterson has 20 hits including three doubles, a triple and two home runs. Stidham's stats include a team-high six doubles, 15 runs scored and five stolen bases.

On the mound, Eastern Michigan will throw their best two arms against Butler in this unique weekend series. Brad Allen will take the bump on Saturday with his 1-3 record that includes a 3.63 ERA. He has tossed 34.2 innings of work over his six starts. Allen has allowed 35 hits which have resulted in 14 earned runs. He has 25 strikeouts and has only walked 13 batters.

Right-hander Brent Mattson will take the rubber against Butler on Sunday. Mattson holds a 7.90 ERA, but leads the staff with two wins on the mound. In 27.1 innings of work, Mattson has 16 strikeouts, but has had control issues which led to 23 walks.

Scouting Chicago State
The Cougars are coming off two tough losses against quality opponents. On Tuesday Chicago State dropped a 7-4 decision at Notre Dame. The following day, Chicago State would fall 2-0 at Northwestern. Those setbacks have moved the Cougar overall record to 6-16 overall.
 
Three players on the roster hold a batting average over .300. Matt Paciello is the team leader in the category posting 31 hits in 90 at-bats (.344). He also leads the team with three triples and 20 RBI.

Chicago State hasn't decided on an arm for the weekend matchup against Butler. The best starter for the Cougars this season has been Jake Perkins, a 6-1 left-hander, with a 2-2 record and a 3.89 ERA. Brad Moore is another option as a starter for Chicago State. In late game situations, look for Chicago State to use Zach Thomas.

Chicago Forecast
The Chicago forecast looks promising this weekend with partly cloudy skies predicted for Saturday with a high of 49 degrees. There is only a 10 percent chance of rain and nine mph winds. Sunday's chance for rain increases in the afternoon, but the 11 AM start should be fine for baseball. Temps will rise to the mid-50's.

Fast Start
First-year Head Coach Dave Schrage has the Bulldogs off to a great start to the 2017 campaign. The team's hot start has produced 17 total wins before April, a new program record and highest mark set since 2012, when Butler collected 14 wins through March 31. After picking up a 7-3 win at Ball State, the Bulldogs have now won 11 of their last 12 contests. The last team to achieve a similar streak was in 1998 with BU winning 10 of 11 near the midway point of the season. The longest winning streak in program history stands at nine games. A stretch that occurred during the 2015 season and featured Butler sweeping a three-game series against Purdue.

Hitting Streaks
Michael Hartnagel heads into the Ball State game on a seven-game hitting streak. The longest hitting streak of the year was stopped last week. Garrett Christman provided Butler with a hit in eight-straight games, a streak that started at Furman on March 8.

Reached Base Steak
Michael Hartnagel has now reached base safely in 12-straight contests. The BU shortstop is batting .407 on the year with a .547 slugging percentage. His .485 on-base percentage also leads the team.

5-for-5
Michael Hartnagel went 5-for-5 at Furman with three RBI and a run scored. It marked the second time in Hartnagel's career where he recorded five hits in a single game. Last year he recorded five hits at St. John's on May 8. The school record for most hits in a single game is six, held by Kyle Waggoner who played for BU during the 2010 season.

5-for-5 X2
Tyler Houston went 5-for-5 with three home runs, three runs scored and a season-high six RBI's at Ohio in a 7-6 Bulldog victory. Houston set the school record with 14 total bases and tied the school record for most home runs recorded in a single game. He was recognized as the BIG EAST Player of the Week on Tuesday, March 28.

Team National Rankings
Stat, Ranking (Value)
Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings, 15th (7.24)
Earned Run Average, 26th (3.15)
Strikeouts Per Nine Innings, 33rd (9.3)**
WHIP, 45th (1.26)
Fielding Percentage, 66th (0.974)

Individual National Rankings
Player; Stat, Ranking (Value)
Chris Myjak; Saves, 10th (7)**
Ryan Pepiot; Strikeouts Per Nine Innings, 10th (13.35)**
Jeff Schank; Earned Run Average, 12th (0.88)
Jeff Schank; Strikeouts, 17th (51)**
Tyler Houston; Stolen Bases, 33rd (11)**
Michael Hartnagel; Doubles, 40th (10)**
Michael Hartnagel; Batting Average, 34th (.410)
Tyler Houston; Home Runs, 63rd (6)**
** - Leads BIG EAST Conference

Up Next
Butler will return to Bulldog Park on Tuesday, April 4. They will host the Marian Knights at 4 PM.