**Schedule Change**
Game one on Saturday will be played at 12 PM
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler baseball team will host Purdue Fort Wayne in a three-game series this weekend at Northern Kentucky. Winter weather conditions in the Indianapolis area forced the games to be moved to Highlight Heights, Ky. All three games will be played on NKU's campus at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
Weekend Schedule
Saturday – 12PM
Sunday Doubleheader – 12 PM
Probable Starters
RHP
Ryan Pepiot vs. RHP Cameron Boyd
RHP
Sam Hubbe vs. RHP Chase Phelps
RHP
Connor Schultz vs. RHP Shane Odzark
BIG EAST Standings
Creighton 5-3
Xavier 5-5
Butler 5-5
Georgetown 2-8
Seton Hall 1-6
St. John's 1-6
Villanova 1-9
Freed Earns Weekly Honors
Butler outfielder
Harrison Freed was named BIG East Player of the Week and NCBWA National Co-Player of the Week after his performance in the 2019 RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Freed batted .562 (9-for-16) in a 3-1 week for the Bulldogs with at least one hit in each of the four games. He added six runs, nine RBI, two doubles, a triple and a home run to his stat line with 1.000 slugging and .650 on-base percentage. The junior outfielder knocked in seven runs in a 21-7 offensive showing against St. Peter's, one RBI shy of tying the Butler record. Three of the four games were multi-hit games for Freed as he went 4-for-5 against the Peacocks, 2-for-4 in a 5-1 win against Central Michigan and 2-for-4 in a 10-5 against Hofstra. He crossed the plate in all four games and added two stolen bases.
Freed Hits for the Cycle
Harrison Freed hit for the cycle in Butler's win over Saint Peter's. The junior outfielder tripled to left field in his first at-bat in the first inning to score two runs. Freed returned to the plate in the second to provide Butler with an RBI single. The fifth inning featured an inside the park home run for Freed with two runners on base. His final hit of the day was an RBI double in the sixth.
Multi-Hit Games
Harrison Freed leads Butler with six multi-hit games.
Kyle Smith ranks second on the team with four.
Hitting Streaks
The longest hitting streak of the season belongs to
Brody McGrath at six. The longest current streak is a three-way tie at four between
Harrison Freed,
Andy Bennett and
James Gargano.
Reached Base Streak
Brody McGrath and
Kyle Smith have each reached base safely in all 10 games this year.
About Butler
Butler is 5-5 over their first 10 games of the 2019 season. They have the best team ERA in the BIG EAST (3.36) and rank second in team batting average (.283).
Harrison Freed leads the league in hits (17), RBI (17), home runs (4), and total bases (33). Teammate
Kyle Smith is the conference leader in runs scored with 15. Defensively,
Ryan Pepiot is the strikeout king with 29.
Scouting PFW
Head Coach Bobby Pierce and the Mastodons will travel to Dayton on Thursday to play the Flyers at 3 PM. PFW is currently 4-6 overall with all four wins coming at Alabama A&M. Freshman Alex Brunson leads the team with a .353 batting average. Andrew Lawvere is another player to keep an eye on. The sophomore catcher leads the Summit League with four home runs.
Pitching Coach Grant Birely will go with three right-handers in the weekend rotation. Cameron Boyd, Chase Phelps, and Shane Odzark will see time on the bump for the Mastodons. Boyd is 0-2 on the year with a 4.50 ERA. He is tied for second on the team with 10 strikeouts.
Phelps is 1-1 in 2019 with a 9.26 ERA over his first three starts. He also has 10 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of work. PFW's final arm is Odzark, a redshirt senior with a 0-1 record and an 18.00 ERA. Odzark has only lasted seven innings over his first three starts of the season.
