The Bulldogs return to the scene of one of the program's greatest moments as the team travels to Rosemont, Ill., for the 2017 BIG EAST Tournament. Butler won the 2016 edition in Rosemont, taking the BIG EAST title and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance.

The same four teams from 2016 – Butler, St. John's, Villanova, and DePaul – comprise the 2017 tournament field as the BIG EAST's top four teams make the BIG EAST Tournament for single-elimination competition. The teams will play semifinals Friday with the winners meeting in a championship game Saturday.

Butler and St. John's will meet Friday at 1 p.m. (Eastern, Noon Central), followed by Villanova and DePaul. All of the weekend competition will air on FS2.

The Butler-St. John's semifinal is a rematch of the 2016 championship game as the Bulldogs took the BIG EAST crown with a 10-8 win in eight innings. Brandyce Sallee's two-run double in the top of the eighth proved to be the difference. In the two BIG EAST Tournament games, Sarah Dixon slugged 2.000 and had four hits in five at-bats (in addition to drawing four walks) to earn Most Outstanding Player honors at the BIG EAST Tournament. Kaitlin Doud also earned a spot on the 2016 All-Tournament Team in addition to then-seniors Kristin Gutierrez and Riley Carter.

Butler enters the 2017 tournament with an 11-9 conference record and a 23-28 overall mark.

Butler is the No. 4 seed in the tournament. In 2017, the Bulldogs played all three of the other BIG EAST Tournament opponents in Indianapolis. St. John's swept Butler in a three-game series April 15-16; Butler swept Villanova in a three-game series April 1-2; and Butler and DePaul split two games March 25 before the third game was cancelled due to rain.

The Bulldogs have won six of eight entering postseason play, most recently collecting a three-game sweep of Georgetown to conclude the regular season. One of those two losses came at Notre Dame on May 3 as the host Fighting Irish got a walk-off double to take a 4-3 win. It was Butler's only loss this season (20-1) when leading after six innings.

The Bulldogs like hitting in Rosemont. Entering the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament, Butler had scored a total of 26 runs in their previous 11 games. The Bulldogs put up 10 runs in the semifinals and another 10 runs in the championship game. Butler allowed a grand slam in each of the two games before coming back to win. Butler faced a 6-2 deficit through four innings against DePaul in the semifinals, and a 6-0 disadvantage through two innings against St. John's in the championship game. On April 13, 2017, the Mets allowed grand slams in back-to-back wins. According to Elias, they were just the third team in MLB history to do this.

Jenna Foreman, one of two Bulldogs to receive All-BIG EAST Second-Team honors, leads the team with a .380 average. Her mark is second in the conference. Her 30 stolen bases are also second in the BIG EAST and are a new Butler single-season record. Foreman is batting .394 in BIG EAST play this season. She has posted 18 multi-hit games this season and enters the BIG EAST Tournament on a current seven-game hitting streak.

Led by Foreman, Butler is third in the conference in stolen bases (59) and second in stolen base attempts (79). Butler has also utilized 38 sacrifice bunts, which is second only to Creighton's 44. The Bulldogs have played "small ball" on occasion because Butler has a conference-low 24 home runs on the season. However, 10 Bulldogs have contributed to that total, led by five long balls each by Dixon and Doud.

The Bulldogs are 0-18 when scoring two or fewer runs, but are 23-10 when scoring three runs or more.

Sallee, Dixon and Madi Christiansen join Foreman in hitting better than .300 on the season. Sallee, one of the team's seniors, was limited by injuries earlier in the season, but has seen action in 39 contests and is batting .355. Her .450 on-base percentage leads the club. She brings a .320 career average into the weekend, having posted more than 100 runs and 100 RBIs for her career. She has 50 doubles over the past four seasons, with nine this year being just off the team-lead of 10 by Dixon and Doud. Sallee started the season by reaching base in 24 straight games; she currently has a streak of nine straight games reaching base via a hit or walk.

Dixon is batting .335 on the year. She has transitioned to shortstop from the outfield for the second half of the season as injuries have forced several players out of their natural position. She leads the team with 34 runs, 27 RBIs, 10 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. She is the only Bulldog to start all 51 games. Her 52 hits and 10 stolen bases are second on the team.

Christiansen leads the team with 25 walks, contributing to a .435 on-base percentage. Her 24 RBIs trail only Dixon (27) and Doud (25).

Doud has been most impressive in BIG EAST play, posting a .333 average, three home runs and 14 RBIs. She earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in the utility position, seeing significant time at pitcher, first base, second base, and designated player. She is 6-3 in the circle against BIG EAST foes, posting a 3.80 ERA. In her most recent outing, she threw a complete-game shutout against Georgetown over the weekend.

Doud's season average has climbed from .188 to .257 since April 23 (corresponding to Butler's 6-2 mark during that time). She has five extra-base hits in her last four games.

Alyssa Garcia and Alyssa Lach have hit significantly better in BIG EAST play as well. Garcia posts a .286 mark, while Lach is at .283. Lach has 15 RBIs in the 20 BIG EAST games, which is second on the team to Christiansen (16). On the season, Lach has only struck out six times in 129 at-bats. Statistically, she is the toughest player in the BIG EAST to strike out. Lach has been hit by 10 pitches this season, second only to Cheyenne Thompson's 13. Thompson has moved from shortstop to catcher for a majority of the season.

Doud, Mikeila Boroff and Gabbi Schnaiter have all seen extensive action in BIG EAST play. Boroff's ERA has dropped to 3.09 against conference foes. Schnaiter has made six starts and registered 33.2 innings in BIG EAST play.