GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | BEDN | Championship Central
INDIANAPOLIS – Game two of the 2018 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Tournament will feature the three-seed Butler Bulldogs playing the two-seed Seton Hall Pirates. The two teams will meet at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio for a 6:30 first pitch. Fans not in attendance can watch live on BEDN.
Bulldog Bits
- This is Butler's first trip to the BIG EAST Championship Tournament
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Ryan Pepiot,
Michael Hartnagel, and
Gehrig Parker were named First Team All-BIG EAST
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Garrett Christman and
Tyler Houston were named Second Team All-BIG EAST
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Ryan Pepiot will start Thursday against RHP Shane McCarthy
- Christman has more RBI this year (48) than his first three seasons combined (45)
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Tyler Houston will appear in his 200th game at Butler on Thursday
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Duncan Hewitt is batting .438 during the month of May with four doubles
- Butler is 10-2 this season when playing at a neutral site
- BU's magic number is three; the team is 0-11 when scoring 0-2 runs
- The Bulldogs are 21-8 this year when they score first; 12-10 when they do not
- The Bulldogs are 23-4 when leading after five innings; 23-1 after seven; 27-0 after eight
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Garrett Christman and
Gehrig Parker have reached base safely in 11-straight games
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Jack Pilcher is one save away from tying the BU school record (Chase Byerly – 10, 2012)
Scouting Seton Hall
The Pirates are the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament after collecting 13 BIG EAST victories. They swept Butler in a three-game series at Bulldog Park in late April (6-1, 3-0, 7-5). Rob Dadona played a large role in the sweep. The senior outfielder hit .571 at Butler, collecting eight hits in just 14 at-bats. He had two homers and six RBI over the weekend. For the season, Dadona hit .321 to lead the team. Ryan Ramiz and Al Molina also posted batting averages above .300. Molina is a high impact player that leads the team with 17 doubles. On the mound, Seton Hall will throw Shane McCarthy against the Bulldogs. McCarthy is a 6-2 senior right-hander that posted a 3-4 record over 12 starts. He led the team with 64.1 innings on the mound, but ranked third on the club with his 4.48 ERA.
Snapshot of the Season
Butler tied the longest winning streak in school history at the start of the season by winning their first nine games. Fast forward to the final two months of the regular season and Butler would come up with their highest conference win total with nine to clinch a playoff spot for the first time as members of the BIG EAST.
Dave Schrage has led Butler to two 30-plus win seasons in his first two seasons as head coach. Before Schrage, Butler had battled through 13 consecutive losing seasons.
33 Wins
33 wins in a single-season is tied for the second-highest total in school history. Butler recorded a school record 34 wins in back-to-back seasons (2002-03). The 1998 team was also responsible for 33 wins.
Strike Three, You're Out
Butler broke the single-season strikeout record in 2018 with 429 K's. The staff has excelled under pitching coach
Ben Norton who also helped the 2017 team break the old school record a year ago with 405.
Houston Needs One Hit
Tyler Houston is one hit shy of 70 for the season. No Bulldog has reached 70 hits in a year since 2003.
Pepiot Named BIG EAST Pitcher of The Week
Ryan Pepiot tossed eight innings of shutout baseball against then 12th-ranked St. John's to earn the victory for the Bulldogs and secure a BIG EAST Tournament berth for the first time since joining the league in 2014. Pepiot struck out 10 and scattered just three hits, the first not until the third inning, over 113 pitches. The win ended up clinching a No. 3 seed in the upcoming tournament.
Up Next
The winner of the game between No. 2 Seton Hall and No. 3 Butler will advance to face the winner of No. 1 St. John's vs. No. 4 Georgetown. That game will be played at 6:30 PM on Friday, May 25. The two losers on Thursday will meet the following day at 2:30 PM.
