After a 10-day break from competition, the Bulldogs will return to action with a three-game series this weekend at Providence. The teams are scheduled for a Saturday doubleheader followed by a single game Sunday.

Providence will provide a video stream through their web site.

The Bulldogs have won six of their last seven games to level their 2021 record at 15-15. Included in that is a 5-7 BIG EAST mark. Butler has not played a conference game since April 3 when the team completed a weekend sweep of St. John's. The last two weekends were Butler's scheduled BIG EAST bye followed by a scheduled series against Georgetown, who opted out of the 2021 campaign.

The Bulldogs have three conference weekends remaining: at Providence, followed by a home series against DePaul (May 1-2) and a road trip to Creighton (May 8-9). Butler is currently in fifth place in the league standings with the top four teams (based on winning percentage) advancing to the BIG EAST Tournament next month.

Providence enters the weekend series at 2-11 overall and 1-8 in conference play.

Butler's strength has been in the circle this season as the team's 2.75 ERA and 203 strikeouts lead the BIG EAST. Those 203 strikeouts have come in 198.2 innings of work, the only team in the conference to average more than 1.0 strikeouts per inning. Opponents are batting only .243 against Bulldog pitchers this season, which is the second-best mark in the BIG EAST.

The Bulldogs have the deepest pitching staff in the BIG EAST, highlighted by three pitchers ranking among the top six in the conference in ERA. Mackenzie Griman is second at 2.03, followed by Alyssa Graves in third (2.36) and Karli Ricketts in sixth (2.60). All three also rank among the top six in the league in opponent's batting average with Griman once again in second at .217.
Ricketts is second in the BIG EAST with 101 strikeouts on the season (in 83.1 innings) and her eight wins are tied for third. Graves is fifth in the league with 70 strikeouts.

Griman has made five appearances against BIG EAST opponents (totaling 15.0 innings of work). Her ERA is a staggering 0.93 in those contests.

Junior lead-off hitter Lauren Fey leads the BIG EAST in both on-base percentage (.528) and triples (four). Her .420 batting average is fourth in the conference, while her 37 hits are third. Fey's on-base percentage has been helped tremendously by 20 walks, which is just one shy of the BIG EAST lead. Fey has scored 17 runs, which is also ninth in the BIG EAST, and her nine stolen bases are seventh.

Ricketts is tied for third in the league with 24 RBIs, while her 49 total bases are sixth among conference players. Ricketts has six home runs and six doubles on the season, both ranking among the conference's top 10.

Butler is coming off back-to-back non-conference wins in their last two outings: a 5-4 win over Ball State April 13 followed by a 1-0 decision over Dayton the next day. Maddie Moore had a two-out, two-run walk-off double to beat Ball State. Butler has been incredibly strong in the clutch, out-scoring opponents by a 17-2 margin in the seventh inning this season.