Watch | Live Stats
INDIANAPOLIS – The final four home games of the 2021 season are on deck for the Butler baseball team. The Bulldogs will host a pair of doubleheaders this weekend against St. John's. Friday's action will get underway at 12 PM while Saturday's first pitch has been moved to 1 PM.
Probable Starters
Friday: RHP
Connor Schultz vs. LHP Nick Mondak
Friday: RHP
Jack Myers vs. RHP Matt Semon
Saturday: LHP
Nick Eaton vs. RHP Brian Hendry
Saturday: RHP
John MacCauley vs. RHP Tyler Roche
BIG EAST Standings
Creighton 11-2, 19-9
Seton Hall 14-5, 21-17
UConn 7-3, 23-15
Xavier 10-8, 19-21
Villanova 6-9, 18-11
St. John's 6-13, 15-18
Butler 4-9, 10-19
Georgetown 4-13, 4-17
BIG EAST Schedule (May 14 – May 16)
Creighton at Seton Hall
UConn at Villanova
Georgetown at Xavier
St. John's at Butler
Bulldog Bits
-
Andy Bennett has four hits over Butler's last three games
-
Nick Eaton has 29 strikeouts over his last five appearances; He had 9 K's over his first six appearances
-
James Gargano has scored a run in five-straight games
-
Duncan Hewitt's first multi-hit game this year came vs. Creighton
-
John MacCauley threw a season-high 111 pitches in his last start vs. Villanova
-
Robbie McCargar has seven hits this season; five home runs, one triple and one single
-
Brody McGrath hit a double and recorded his first triple of the season in his last game
-
Dan Harwood is the only Bulldog this season to post 5+ RBI in a single game. He had five vs. Creighton (5/8) and a season-high six at Xavier (4/17). He hit a grand slam in each game.
Scouting St. John's
The Red Storm are 15-18 overall with a 6-13 record within the BIG EAST Conference. The Johnnies recently went 1-3 vs. UConn. They lost 4-3 in game one, but evened the series with a 4-3 win in game two. The Huskies shutout the Red Storm in game three, but would be pushed to extra innings in the final game (10) before claiming a 5-3 win.
Nick Mondak is the ace on the pitching staff. The left-hander is 3-3 on the mound with a 1.70 ERA. He has 57 strikeouts in 53 innings of action and has only walked 17 batters. Right handers Matt Semon, Brian Hendry and Tyler Roche are also expected to throw at Bulldog Park.
At the plate, Carson Bartels leads the Red Storm in multiple categories. A starter in 29 games, Bartles is batting .277 with nine doubles, one triple and two home runs to generate a team-best 20 RBI. Justin Folz is another player to keep an eye on. He holds a .250 average and leads the club with three home runs and 16 runs scored.
All-Time Series
St. John's holds the upper hand in the series 15-3. The Johnnies swept BU in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Butler took one of three last year, in 2018 and in 2016.
Special Seniors
The Butler baseball program and head coach
Dave Schrage recognized the 2021 Senior Class last weekend during the Creighton series. Butler's graduation fell on Saturday, so the Bulldogs lined up the seniors on the team at the completion of the doubleheader.
Andy Bennett,
Derek Drees,
James Gargano,
Joe Graziano,
Duncan Hewitt,
Grant Hurn,
John MacCauley,
Jacob Margroff,
Matt McElwain,
Brody McGrath,
Jack Myers,
Nick Ortega,
Jack Pilcher,
Ryan Schmit, and
Connor Schultz were all recognized. This group helped Butler record 78 wins over the last four years. Members of the 2021 Senior Class were also part of Butler's first-ever BIG EAST Tournament appearance (2018).
A Full Four
The Bulldogs have not played a full, four-game series since mid-April when they traveled to Cincinnati to play a series at Xavier.
BIG EAST Rankings
- Jake Lazzaro leads the league in base on balls (28)
- Ethan Routzahn is tied for the conference lead with six saves
-
Connor Schultz ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.64).
Power at the Plate
Butler has hit 10 home runs over their last 10 games, including four over their previous three contests.
James Gargano went yard in game two of a Sunday doubleheader vs. Northern Kentucky and is also responsible for the last BU bomb that came against Creighton. Between those long balls,
Dan Harwood and
Robbie McCargar each went deep. Harwood recorded a grand slam in the sixth inning vs. CU and McCargar led off the seventh with a solo shot. Gargano, Harwood and McCargar are all tied for the team lead in home runs with five each.
Streaks
James Gargano has reached base safely in five-straight games for Butler. His five-game hitting streak is also the best on the team. Gargano will try to extend his streak to six games which would tie the longest hitting streak of the season for any Bulldog.
Multi-Hit Games
Brody McGrath has nine multi-hit games to lead the Bulldogs. A starter in 28 of Butler's 29 games, McGrath holds onto a .283 batting average, the third-highest on the team. He has five doubles, one triple and one home run this season to rank sixth on the team with 11 RBI. Over 13 BIG EAST games, McGrath is hitting .375 with a team-best 15 hits.
Up Next
The 2021 regular season will come to a close at Georgetown next weekend for the Bulldogs. BU will travel to Washington, D.C. for a four-game series that runs from Thursday, May 20 to Saturday, May 22. Game one starts at 6 PM, Saturday's doubleheader gets underway at 2 PM and the regular season finale on Saturday features a 1 PM start.
