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INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will host Villanova this weekend in a three-game series at Bulldog Park. The first BIG EAST home game of the 2021 campaign will get started on Friday afternoon at 3 PM. Each game on Saturday and Sunday will get started at 12 PM.

Schedule Change
Friday - 3 PM
Saturday - 12 PM
Sunday - 12 PM
 
Probable Starters
Friday: RHP Jack Myers vs. RHP Gordon Graceffo
Saturday: LHP Nick Eaton vs. RHP Jimmy Kingsbury
Sunday: RHP Connor Schultz vs. LHP Tyler Arella

Scouting Villanova
The Wildcats are 12-8 overall, but 0-6 in BIG EAST action after games against Creighton and Seton Hall. Scoring runs has been an issue for Nova over the opening two weekends of conference play. They only scored two runs in the three games at Creighton and followed that with three runs over the next three games at home vs. Seton Hall.
 
Ryan Toohers is the best bat in the lineup for head coach Kevin Mulvey. Over the first 20 games of the season, Toohers is batting .324 with four doubles, two triples and two home runs for a team-best 15 RBI. Pat O'Neill and Chris Rotondo join Toohers as the only players to start in all 20 games. O'Neill is batting .286 and Rotondo is third on the team with a .235 average.
 
Jimmy Kingsbury, Tyler Arella and Gordon Graceffo are expected to start on the mound for Villanova this weekend. Kingsbury will make this ninth start of the season at Bulldog Park. He is 4-3 on the year with a 4.84 ERA. He is also the strikeout leader of this unit with 58 K's spread over 44.2 innings of work. Graceffo has the best ERA of any weekend arm at 1.66. He is 3-2 on the bump over six starts and has 41 strikeouts. Arella is 1-1 over his first five starts. He hangs onto a 4.06 ERA and has 33 strikeouts in 31 innings.
 
Butler vs. Villanova
The Bulldogs hosted three games against the Wildcats in 2019, winning the series 2-1. Nova collected the first win of the weekend 8-6, but the 'Dawgs pulled even the next day with a 1-0 win. Game three of the series was a wild one with Butler scoring 17 runs while keeping Nova off the scoreboard for the shutout.
 
Butler is 7-2 against Villanova under the direction of Dave Schrage. Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, Butler is 12-6 against the Wildcats. The only sweep came in 2018. The only time Nova won the weekend was in 2016.

2019
L, 6-8
W, 1-0
W, 17-0

2018
W, 13-5
W, 4-3
W, 5-4

2017
W, 4-1
W, 1-0
L, 1-5

2016
L, 1-9
W, 11-6
L, 2-3

2015
W, 6-3
W, 4-1
L, 2-11

2014
W, 11-8
W, 4-2
L, 2-3
 
Streaks
Freddie Matos has reached base safely in eight-straight games. The longest current hitting streak for BU belongs to Dan Harwood. He has recorded a hit in three-straight games.
 
Odd Stat Alert
Butler didn't have a single player reach base on balls Friday against Xavier. It was the first time this season someone on the team did not reach base on a walk.
 
Grand Slam
Dan Harwood hit a grand slam for Butler in the third inning of the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Orn, Gargano and Matos were all on board when the ball cleared the fence in left field. BU would move forward to win that game 7-3.
 
All 22
Freddie Matos and Andy Bennett are the only two Bulldogs to appear in all 22 games for Butler. Matos has started in 21 of those games. Additional Bulldogs to play in 21 games include James Gargano, Brody McGrath, and Zach Orn.
 
Myers to Make Seventh Start Friday
Jack Myers will get the start on Friday afternoon against the Wildcats. The right-hander struck out four batters in his last outing at Xavier. Over six starts in 2021, Myers has tossed seven full innings three times. Heading into Friday he is 2-3 on the mound with a 4.66 ERA.
 
Eaton and Schultz to Start this Weekend
Nick Eaton will make his second start of the season on Saturday. Last weekend at Xavier, Eaton struck out seven over three innings. Connor Schultz will return to the mound Saturday after picking up a win at Xavier. He tossed seven innings and limited the Musketeers to two runs off five hits.
 
Team Leaders
Hits: 25 – Freddie Matos / James Gargano
Runs: 18 – James Gargano
RBI: 17 – Aaron Steinhart
IP: 36.2 – Jack Myers
K: 43 – Connor Schultz
App: 9 – Alex Voss

Up Next
Butler will play a four-game series at UConn next weekend. Friday's first pitch is set for 6 PM.