Weekend Matchups (EST)
4/21: Butler at Xavier – 3 PM
4/22: Butler at Xavier – 1 PM
4/23: Butler at Xavier – 12 PM
 
Projected Starters
Game One: LHP Jeff Schank vs. LHP Zac Lowther
Game Two: RHP Ryan Pepiot vs. RHP Garrett Schilling
Game Three: LHP Connor Mitchell vs. LHP Greg Jacknewitz
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will play their third series against a BIG EAST opponent this weekend when they travel to Cincinnati to face the Xavier Musketeers. BU took two of three at Seton Hall, but most recently were swept at home by #22 St. John's. They head into the weekend 23-13 overall and 2-4 in conference action.
 
About Butler (23-13)
The Bulldogs lost at home to Eastern Illinois on Tuesday afternoon, but came back to record a win at Indiana on Wednesday. Michael Hartnagel came up with a hit to keep his season batting average over .400. The redshirt junior shortstop leads the team in runs scored (32) and is tied for the team lead with 12 doubles.
 
A trio of Bulldogs have reached 20+ RBI this season. Hartnagel, Tyler Houston and Gehrig Parker continue to generate runs in the BU batting order. Parker is tied with Hartnagel for the team lead in doubles with 12. Houston on the other hand is the home run leader with seven.
 
Butler's weekend pitching rotation will feature senior Jeff Schank taking the mound on Friday. The left-hander leads the team with 69 strikeouts over 62 innings, good for second in the BIG EAST. Schank holds a 1.31 ERA and 4-1 record over nine starts.
 
Ryan Pepiot is projected to pitch game two against the Musketeers. The true freshman will be making his 10th start of the year on Saturday. Pepiot is 3-1 on the year with a 3.00 ERA. He has 55 strikeouts to his credit in just 45 innings pitched.
 
Connor Mitchell will most likely get the start on Sunday. With a 3-2 record over eight starts, the talented lefty has 40 strikeouts and holds a 3.27 ERA.
 
Scouting Xavier (21-17)
The Musketeers enter the weekend with a 3-3 record in BIG EAST play, landing them in fourth place of the conference standings. The team's most recent conference matchup featured a 2-1 result against Seton Hall, highlighted by a 9-0 rout over the Pirates on Sunday. Xavier leads the conference in team fielding percentage. They have turned 32 double plays and have only recorded 25 errors.
 
Xavier's defense is grounded by southpaw Zac Lowther, the reigning BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week. Lowther leads the conference with 71 strikeouts over 46 innings pitched. The junior is on a hot streak, posting a 0.64 ERA in two BIG EAST starts and striking out 25 batters in 14 innings. Against Seton Hall, Lowther allowed just two hits and a walk with nine strikeouts in 88 pitches while his opponents batted just .105 against him.
 
Garrett Schilling is in line to get the start on Saturday, with Greg Jacknewitz slated to touch the rubber on Sunday. Schilling is 2-3 over nine starts with a 3.24 ERA. Jacknewitz is similar with a 2-2 record that includes a 3.22 ERA. Jacknewitz has 35 strikeouts over 44 innings. Schilling stands at 34 strikeouts over 50 innings.
 
Offensively, the Musketeers pose a threat at the plate. Teammates Rylan Bannon and Joe Gellenbeck lead the conference with 10 and eight home runs respectively. Designated hitter Connor Grammes leads the team with a .328 batting average and Chris Givin is coming off a .400 week, going 6-for-15 with a homer, three runs, and four RBIs. Givin had a pair of two-hit games in the Seton Hall series and was 2-for-3 in stolen bases. On the base path, Will Larue leads the BIG EAST with 17 stolen bases on 20 attempts.
 
Last Year vs. Xavier
The Bulldogs suffered a sweep at the hands of Xavier last season. Butler entered the ninth inning of game one tied at 1-1.  Xavier broke the game open with five runs in the final frame to claim a 6-2 victory. Gehrig Parker led BU in a losing effort with an inside the park home run and a sacrifice fly.
 
The Musketeers had a repeat performance after rain forced a doubleheader on Sunday. Xavier handed Butler two 4-1 losses that afternoon. Game two of the series was highlighted by smart base running, allowing Drew Small to steal second then third. A throwing error from Xavier's catcher brought Small home. Schank pitched 7.1 innings and struck out three, but was hit with the loss for Butler.
 
The final game started slow for both teams until the Musketeers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. Nate Soria delivered a double to left to score two baserunners. He returned in the fifth inning with a RBI single, ending the game 2-for-4 from the plate. Butler's lone run came off a Chris Marras solo homer.
 
Cincinnati Forecast
The weather in Cincinnati this weekend will vary. Friday will be the best day by far with a projected high of 67 degrees to go along with light winds and just a 20 percent chance of rain. Saturday's game may be in jeopardy with a 100 percent chance of rain and just a high of 52 degrees. Showers will stay in the area Sunday morning with a 60 percent chance of precipitation. The high for Sunday is back up to 65 degrees.
 
Hitting Streaks
Michael Hartnagel heads into the weekend with a 19-game hitting streak. The BU shortstop singled through the left side of the infield during his first at-bat at Indiana to keep the streak alive. His personal-best hitting streak is 20-straight games, a feat he reached one year ago. The school record for the longest hitting streak is 24 games, held by Steve Mitchell who played at Butler during the 1977 season. This streak started on March 19 at home against Saint Louis.
 
Reached Base Steak
Michael Hartnagel has reached base in 24-straight contests. He recorded at least one hit in 23 of those 24 games and was able to keep the streak alive by drawing a walk on March 18 vs. Saint Louis. This streak started on March 8 when he went 5-for-5 at Furman.
 
Houston Makes History
Tyler Houston placed his name in the Butler record book after an outstanding performance at Ohio on Saturday, March 25. Houston went 5-for-5 from the plate with three home runs, six RBI and three runs scored. Three home runs in a single-game ties the school record as Houston will now place his name alongside Gordon Hansen and Joe Pauley. Hansen hit three home runs vs. Southeast Missouri State during the 1983 season and Pauley posted three home runs in a single contest at Valparaiso during the 2008 campaign.
 
Houston will stand alone in the BU Record Book for most total bases recorded in a single game. His three home run game that included two other hits gave him 14 total bases, a number that broke the old record of 13 set by Hansen and Pauley in the games mentioned above.
 
Team National Rankings
Stat, Ranking (Value)
Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings, 15th (7.50)
Earned Run Average, 19th (3.19)
Strikeouts Per Nine Innings, 92nd (8.1)
WHIP, 47th (1.31)
 
Individual National Rankings
Player; Stat, Ranking (Value)
Chris Myjak; Saves, 20th (8)**
Ryan Pepiot; Strikeouts Per Nine Innings, 54th (11.00)
Jeff Schank; Earned Run Average, 16th (1.31)
Jeff Schank; Strikeouts, 29th (69)
Jeff Schank; WHIP, 67th (1.02)
Tyler Houston; Stolen Bases, 33rd (15)
Michael Hartnagel; Batting Average, 21st (.402)
Michael Hartnagel: Hits, 60th (53)
Michael Hartnagel: On-Base Percentage, 52nd (.474)
Michael Hartnagel: Doubles, 94th (12)**
Gehrig Parker: Doubles, 94th (12)**
** - Leads BIG EAST Conference
 
Up Next
Butler will host Dayton on Tuesday, April 25 at 4 PM. The Flyers defeated the Bulldogs a year ago 3-0, but the Bulldogs recorded three wins over Dayton in 2015 (12-7, 8-6, 8-1).