The Bulldogs head to Carbondale, Ill. for the Saluki Invitational, hosted by Southern Illinois. The five-game weekend that begins Friday starts a 13-game stretch over the next nine days that corresponds to Butler's Spring Break.
 
Butler will kick off the weekend with a doubleheader Friday, taking on a pair of former Horizon League opponents in UIC and Green Bay. Saturday's line-up includes two games: against Miami (Ohio) and Iowa. Butler's weekend will conclude with a match-up versus host Southern Illinois on Sunday afternoon.
 
Live Stats for all games are available with links on ButlerSports.com. Sunday's game against SIU will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 6-8 record, after splitting four games at the Hilltopper Classic two weekends ago. The Bulldogs were set to take on Indiana earlier this week, but the game was cancelled due to weather. That means Friday's game will be the first for the Bulldogs since Feb. 25.
 
Senior Sammy Andersen found herself on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after a huge weekend at the Hilltopper Classic. In the opening game versus Indiana State, Andersen went 3-for-3 with a two-run home run to push Butler past the Sycamores. Andersen is now batting .333 on the season with 11 hits and six RBI.
 
Senior Jenna Foreman leads the Dawgs with a .426 batting average to go along with 11 runs scored. Foreman leads the BIG EAST stolen bases (11), while her average and total hits (20) are good for third in the conference.
 
Christina Candotti is the only Bulldog to start all 14 games this season. She has played a flawless third base for the Bulldogs, having yet to commit an error. Madi Christiansen and Kaitlin Doud are the only other Butler players to see action in all 14 contests. Christiansen is hitting at a .290 clip, which is good for fifth on the team.
 
Alyssa Graves has led the charge on the mound, starting seven games and pitching a total of 34 innings through the first weeks of the season. The sophomore is third in the BIG EAST in strikeouts with 37.
 
Freshman Karli Ricketts is sixth in the BIG EAST with a 3.07 ERA after four starts and six appearances on the mound. At the plate, Ricketts is tied for the team lead in doubles (3) and RBI (7).
 
The Bulldogs will stay on the road after the Saluki Invitational, traveling to Tampa, Fla., for an additional eight games next week over Spring Break. The final five games are part of the 2019 USF Series. Butler's home opener and the first game of BIG EAST play is only two weeks away when DePaul visits Indianapolis for a three-game series beginning Saturday, March 23.