The Bulldogs open both BIG EAST play and the home portion of the 2019 schedule this weekend when DePaul visits Indianapolis. The three-game series is scheduled for a doubleheader Saturday followed by a single game Sunday.

Saturday's games are scheduled to be streamed live on the Butler Bulldogs Facebook page, while Sunday's game will air on the BIG EAST Digital Network.

Butler enters the weekend with a 9-17 record. DePaul is 19-8. This is the first of seven weekend series against BIG EAST foes for the Bulldogs. The top four teams in the final BIG EAST conference standings will qualify for the 2019 BIG EAST Tournament, which is slated for May 10-11 in Rosemont, Ill. In the BIG EAST preseason poll, the coaches selected DePaul to finish fourth, followed by Butler in the No. 5 spot.

Senior lead-off hitter Jenna Foreman paces the Bulldogs with 30 hits, 20 stolen bases, and 17 runs so far this season. She leads the BIG EAST in stolen bases and is second in the conference in hits. Foreman set Butler single-season records in both hits (63) and stolen bases (35) last season as a junior. Foreman has eight multi-hit games this season, including a four-hit performance against Evansville Feb. 9 in the second game of the season.

Senior Sammy Andersen is off to a hot start at the plate, hitting .293 and leading the team with 12 RBI. She and sophomore Claire Gilliland are tied for the team-lead with two home runs. Madi Christiansen, freshman Karli Ricketts, and Kaitlin Doud each have 11 RBI on the season. Doud and Gilliland each have a four-RBI game thanks to grand slams versus Green Bay March 8 and Princeton March 16, respectively.

Freshman Lauren Fey tied a Butler single-game record with five hits in Butler's win over La Salle March 17. Her batting average has climbed to .290 and her five stolen bases are second on the team. Butler had a season-high 15 hits in that game versus La Salle.

In the circle, sophomore Alyssa Graves has a team-best 2.95 ERA. She has 76 strikeouts in 66.1 innings of work. She has started 11 of the 15 games she has appeared in, completing four as she has posted a 3-6 record on the season. Those 76 strikeouts are the second-best mark in the conference. Her ERA ranks fifth in the BIG EAST as all eight teams open conference play this weekend.

Doud has also appeared in 15 games as a pitcher, having posted a 3.29 ERA. Ricketts' time in the circle was highlighted by a no-hitter (five innings) against Green Bay March 8.

Following the three games this weekend with DePaul, the Bulldogs will play midweek games at Evansville Tuesday and at home Wednesday versus UIC before Villanova visits next weekend for another three-game BIG EAST series.