GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS
 
INDIANAPOLIS – It's time for Butler Baseball! The Bulldogs will play four games over opening weekend to signal the start of the 2018 campaign. The first game of the new season will be played on Friday against Lehigh.

Weekend Schedule (EST)
2/16: Butler vs. Lehigh – 12:00 PM
2/17: Butler vs. Lehigh – 10:00 AM
2/17: Butler at North Carolina Wilmington – 2:00 PM
2/18: Butler vs. Eastern Kentucky – 10:00 AM
 
Projected Starters
Friday: LHP Connor Mitchell vs. RHP Levi Stoudt
Saturday: RHP Ryan Pepiot vs. LHP Peter Moore
Sunday: RHP Garrett Christman vs. LHP Zarion Sharpe
Sunday: RHP Sam Hubbe vs. RHP Kaven Brown
 
Bulldog Bits
- Head Coach Dave Schrage guided the Bulldogs to a 31-20 overall record in 2017
- Butler won 17 more games in 2017 than they did during the 2016 campaign
- The 2017 team became just the fifth team in school history to post 30 wins
- BU won 16 away games in 2017, the 2016 team went 4-22 on the road
- The pitching staff set a new school record with 405 strikeouts on the mound in '17
- The 2017 team also set the school record with a .973 fielding percentage
- Butler posted a no-hitter at Purdue on May 10, 2017
- Tyler Houston was tabbed Preseason Co-Player of the Year in the BIG EAST
- Houston tied the school record last year by hitting three home runs in a game
- He went 5-for-5 in the contest and set the school record with 14 total bases
- Michael Hartnagel returns for his senior year after leading BU with 63 hits in '17
- Ryan Pepiot led the team with 79 strikeouts during his freshman season in '17
- Pepiot struck out at least 3 batters in all 13 appearances; his season-high was 11
- Garrett Christman tossed a complete game three-hitter in the '17 finale vs. Creighton
 
2018 BIG East Preseason Poll
The St. John's Red Storm collected five of the seven first-place votes in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll to earn 35 points. Xavier ranked second in the poll with 30 points. The other two first-place votes landed with the Musketeers. Creighton (24) is predicted to finish third, earning a point total that narrowly edged Seton Hall (23). The Bulldogs landed in fifth with 18 points. Rounding out the seven-team league was Georgetown (11) and Villanova (6).
 
Houston Named BIG EAST Preseason Co-Player of the Year
In 2017, Houston hit .287 with 13 doubles, one triple and a team-high 12 home runs. He led the team with 38 RBI, 42 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. His .540 slugging percentage was also tops on the team. In the field, Houston made 132 putouts and five assists without committing a single error to post a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. During the conference season, Houston led the league in hits (27), home runs (six), and total bases (53). He also ranked third in batting average (.397) and second in slugging percentage (.779).
 
Christman Lands On Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Garrett Christman joined Houston on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. He was one of six pitchers to earn the honor. In 2017, Christman posted a 3-2 overall record that included a 2.60 ERA. He tossed two complete games and even came up with a save in 55.1 innings of work. The opposition only hit .194 with Christman on the mound. Christman stifled talented BIG EAST lineups late in the year to post a 1.53 ERA against conference foes.
 
Perfect Against In-State Rivals
Butler went undefeated (7-0) against in-state rivals in 2017 by posting wins over Fort Wayne (3x), DePauw, Ball State, Indiana and Purdue. The 'Dawgs had not defeated both Indiana and Purdue in the same season since 1995.
 
Houston Hits Homers
Tyler Houston hit 12 home runs during the 2017 season, just one year after Butler as a team notched just 11 home runs. The 2017 First Team All-BIG EAST selection placed his name in the school record book after going 5-for-5 at Ohio with three home runs, six RBI and three runs scored. Houston became just the 14th player in school history to record five hits in a single-game at Butler. He tied the school record for most home runs hit in a single-game with three, but was able to set the school record for most total bases in a single-game with 14.
 
Season Openers
Butler won their 2017 season opener over LaSalle 3-1. It was the first win on opening day for BU over the last six years.
 
Head Coach Dave Schrage
Dave Schrage will enter his second season at the helm of the Butler baseball program in 2018. Schrage has 29 years of head coaching experience with stops at Evansville, Notre Dame and South Dakota State before accepting his current position at BU. As a collegiate player, Schrage was an all-conference outfielder at Creighton, batting .400 as a junior and .433 his senior season. Schrage was honored on the MVC's Centennial Celebration baseball team and is the only person in league history to earn all-conference honors and be named MVC Coach of the Year in baseball.
 
Up Next
Butler will play a four-game series against George Mason next weekend. The two teams will play at Lexington Country Stadium in Lexington, S.C.