INDIANAPOLIS – Butler's final non-conference game of the 2017 season will be played on Wednesday when the Bulldogs travel to Purdue to face the Boilermakers at 6 PM.
BIG EAST Standings
1) Creighton 10-3, 21-18
2) Xavier 7-3, 25-21
3) St. John's 8-4, 34-8
4) Seton Hall 7-8, 24-20
5) Butler 4-8, 27-17
6) Villanova 4-8, 13-27
7) Georgetown 3-9, 25-22
About Butler (27-17)
The Bulldogs took two of three from Villanova last weekend to improve their overall record to 27-17.
Ryan Pepiot and
Garrett Christman were each exceptional in their starts, going deep into the contest to allow BU to come out on top. Pepiot made the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for his performance. The true freshman struck out 11 batters over eight full innings of action to help BU win game one of the weekend series.
Michael Hartnagel and
Tyler Houston are the only two Bulldogs to start in all 44 games this season. Hartnagel leads the team with a .348 batting average and 35 runs scored. Houston is the home run leader with nine and also tops the team with 31 RBI.
Jordan Lucio and
Gehrig Parker have each been swinging a hot bat lately. Lucio is batting .317 and is on a nine-game hitting streak. Parker bats in the middle of the order with his .299 average. He has 13 doubles, three triples and three home runs on the year.
Scouting Purdue (26-20)
The Boilermakers will play Valparaiso Tuesday before hosting Butler. Purdue is led by Skyler Hunter and his .331 batting average. Hunter holds the highest average on the team, but the hit leader is Nick Dalesandro. The talented sophomore has 57 hits and 39 RBI on the year.
Three players share the team lead in doubles with 12. One of those three is Jacson McGowan who leads PU with seven home runs on the year. Evan Warden has scored more runs than any other Boiler with 45 and Harry Shipley runs as well as anyone in the Midwest with his team-high 20 steals.
Last Time Out vs. Purdue
Butler swept a three-game series against Purdue in 2015. The Bulldogs won 4-0 and 13-1 in West Lafayette and ended the series with a 5-3 win at Bulldog Park. Purdue won all three meetings during the 2014 season. Two of the three games were separated by a single run.
What a Difference a Year Makes
Butler and Purdue are two of the most improved teams in the country. The Bulldogs ended the 2016 season with a 14-40 overall record, Purdue ended their 2016 campaign at 10-44. Each program hired new head coaches for the 2017 season and the decision paid off. Butler will finish the year with a winning record for the first time in 13 seasons, and Purdue is trying to reach the 30-win plateau for the first time since 2012.
Race to 30
The Bulldogs have 27 victories heading into Wednesday's game at Purdue. With seven games left in the regular season, BU will aim for at least three more wins to reach the 30-win plateau. Only four teams in Butler baseball history have reached 30 wins. The first was the 1998 team that went 33-21 on their way to winning both the MCC regular season and the conference tournament. The 2000 Bulldogs went 31-28 and were tournament champs. Other teams to hit 30 wins include the 2002 and 2003 squads.
He Gone
Butler pitchers have struck out 372 batters this season. The question now is not if, but when will the 2017 team break the school record for most strikeouts recorded in a single-season. The 2001 team, led by current Philadelphia Phillies reliever Pat Neshek, posted 377 strikeouts. Neshek himself was responsible for 118 K's, a single-season record that still stands at BU.
Fundamentals in the Field
Butler currently holds a .972 fielding percentage, the second-best mark in the conference behind Xavier's .980. If the team can stay mistake free over the final seven games of the season they can break the old BU school record of .970 set by the 2015 team.
West Lafayette Forecast
There is at least a 50% chance of rain in West Lafayette until Friday, making Wednesday's game questionable. Thunderstorms started to roll through West Lafayette on Tuesday and there is a 50 percent chance that they stay put on Wednesday. Temps will rise to the low 70's.
Hitting Streaks
Jordan Lucio will travel to West Lafayette with a nine-game hitting streak intact. The BU first baseman holds the longest current streak on the team, however the longest of the season goes to shortstop
Michael Hartnagel. Hartnagel went on a 19-game hitting streak from March 19 to April 19.
Team National Rankings
Stat, Ranking (Value)
Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings, 12th (7.61)
Earned Run Average, 24th (3.49)
Strikeouts Per Nine Innings, 56th (8.5)
WHIP, 46th (1.31)
Individual National Rankings
Player; Stat, Ranking (Value)
Chris Myjak; Saves, 45th (8)**
Ryan Pepiot; Strikeouts Per Nine Innings, 47th (10.96)
Jeff Schank; Earned Run Average, 37th (2.01)
Jeff Schank; Strikeouts, 93rd (74)
Tyler Houston; Stolen Bases, 70th (16)
Connor Mitchell; Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings, 50th (6.41)
** - Leads BIG EAST Conference
Up Next
Butler will travel to Georgetown this weekend to face the Hoyas in a three-game road series. The final regular season road trip will get underway Friday night at 7 PM.
