INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler Baseball team will return to action this week when they host two non-conference opponents at Bulldog Park. Northern Kentucky will come in on Tuesday, followed by IU-Kokomo on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are looking to rebound after a pair of losses to Xavier last weekend.
 
Midweek Schedule
April 23: Butler vs Northern Kentucky - 4 PM - Bulldog Park
April 24: Butler vs IU-Kokomo - 4 PM - Bulldog Park
 
Probable Starters
RHP Connor Schultz vs RHP Kyle Arganbright
LHP Kevin Napoleon vs IU-Kokomo
 
BIG EAST Standings
Xavier             7-1       16-23  
Creighton        5-1       22-8    
St. John's         5-4       22-14  
Villanova        3-6       10-26 
Seton Hall       2-4       16-20  
Georgetown    2-4       13-26  
Butler              2-6       18-18  
 
Scouting Northern Kentucky
NKU is coming off a 2-1 weekend against conference foe Youngstown State to bring the Norse record to 10-28. Head Coach Todd Asalon is in year 19 at the helm of the program and leads a talented group of players who are currently 8-10 in Horizon League play.
 
At the plate, redshirt senior Will Haueter is leading the Norse with a .307 batting average. Haueter is riding a six-game hit streak into Tuesday's matchup. Haueter was just named as one of the 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS award earlier this month. Haueter has chipped in with 43 hits, four home runs and 21 RBI.
 
Butler is likely to see Kyle Arganbright on the mound for NKU. The right-hander is 0-4 on the year with a 7.27 ERA. Arganbright has 10 strikeouts this season in 17.1 innings of action. He will be making his sixth start of the season.

Northern Kentucky is 5-6 all-time in games against Butler dating back to 1978. The Bulldogs picked up a 9-2 victory against the Norse when they played earlier this season.
 
Scouting IU-Kokomo
The Bulldogs will host NAIA opponent IU-Kokomo on Wednesday for a midweek tilt at Bulldog Park. The Cougars sit at 30-15 in 2019 with a 16-8 mark in the River States Conference. In their only other game versus a NCAA opponent this season, the Cougars dropped a 12-5 decision to Ball State.
 
The Cougars are one of the most accomplished teams in the NAIA and field a roster full of pitching and hitting talent. IU-Kokomo has six batters hitting above .300 and are outscoring opponents 319-158. Jared Heard leads the team in average at .359 and doubles with 15. Austin Weiler is the power bat for the Cougars, leading the club with seven home runs and 44 RBI. 
 
Owen Callaghan paces the Cougars on the bump, leading the club in ERA (1.93) and strikeouts (66). Eston Stull is leading the club in wins with a 5-1 record in the 2019 campaign.
The Bulldogs and Cougars have only met once before when the Bulldogs took a 9-7 win in 10 innings last season.
 
Last Week
Butler fell to 18-18 and 2-6 in BIG EAST play after dropping three games to Purdue and Xavier. Butler fell to Purdue 5-3 in a tough decision on Tuesday. James Gargano led the Bulldogs with three hits, while Robbie McCarger registered the only two RBI for the Bulldogs.
 
Butler battled with Xavier in their two-game series last weekend, but dropped both games 6-5 and 13-8. Ryan Pepiot impressed in the first game, throwing six full innings and striking out 13 batters. Kyle Smith and Connor Dall each chipped in with a double.
 
In the second game, both teams combined for 24 hits and 21 runs. Xavier was able to pull away in the late innings thanks to their 10 extra base hits. Butler was led by Harrison Freed and James Gargano who each homered in the contest.
 
Props to Pepiot
Ryan Pepiot recorded 13 strikeouts in his no decision versus Xavier on Thursday. That brings Pepiot to 98 strikeouts in 2019, and 278 in his career. He is now just two shy of the all-time Butler record of 280, set by major-leaguer Pat Neshek form 2000-02. Pepiot's 98 K's are good for fifth in the NCAA and tops in the BIG EAST.

BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Pepiot pitched 6.0 innings in an eventual 6-5 loss to Xavier on Thursday. Pepiot's no-decision appearance included 120 pitches with just four hits. He struck out a season-high 13 batters and walked four as he left the mound with no runs scored against him.

Gargano is Streaking
After a 2-5 outing versus Xavier on Friday, Sophomore James Gargano has now registered a hit in 13 straight games. This streak dates back to the first matchup with Northern Kentucky on March 26. Gargano is hitting .277 on the season with a home run and 13 RBI.