LIVE STATS
 
INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler baseball team will be in action this weekend to signal the start of the 2022 campaign! Opening weekend will send the Bulldogs to Murray State. Each game of the three-game series can be streamed on ESPN+. Game times are set for 4 PM, 3 PM and 2 PM.
 
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb. 18 – 4 PM
Saturday, Feb. 19 – 3 PM
Sunday, Feb. 20 – 2 PM
*All games played at Johnny Reagan Field
 
Projected Starters
Friday – LHP Cory Bosecker vs. RHP Cade Vernon
Saturday – RHP Aaron Barokas vs. RHP Matt Boynton
Sunday – RHP Jon Vore vs. LHP Adrien Reese
 
Scouting Murray State
Murray State recorded 33 wins last year and therefore received votes in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Top-50 Poll this spring. The Racers were one of two Ohio Valley Conference teams mentioned in the poll along with Southeast Missouri. SEMO took the top spot in the OVC Preseason Poll (8 first-place votes) with Murray State coming in second (4 first-place votes). The Racers won a program record 18 OVC games last season and they return four positional starters.
 
Redshirt-senior Bryson Bloomer and graduate student Jake Slunder are two of the top bats returning to the Racers lineup. Bloomer hit .297 with 10 home runs last season with Slunder batting .292 with eight home runs of his own.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Jacob Pennington will be a key returning arm for the Murray State staff after posting a 5-2 record with a 3.38 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 2021. Dustin Mercer is another name to keep an eye on this weekend. The outfielder was recognized as the Preseason OVC Freshman of the Year. He decided to join Murray State in 2022 after redshirting last season at Virginia Tech.
 
Friday – LHP Cory Bosecker vs. RHP Cade Vernon
Bosecker took the mound eight times last year, making one start. He held a 6.32 ERA and was responsible for 17 strikeouts in 15.2 innings of work. Vernon will throw for the Racers after starting in four games during the 2021 season. The right-hander went 0-2 on the mound with a 5.86 ERA. He struck out 23 batters in 35.1 innings of action.
 
Saturday – RHP Aaron Barokas vs. RHP Matt Boynton
Barokas will make his Bulldog debut this weekend. The right-hander transferred to Butler after playing at Bellevue. A new face will also be on the hill for Murray State. Boynton played junior college ball at Tallahassee (Fla.) last year.
 
Sunday – RHP Jon Vore vs. LHP Adrien Reese
Vore will jump into the weekend rotation at Murray State. One year ago, Vore went 0-2 on the mound over eight appearances. He posted a 10.12 ERA with 15 strikeouts. Reese joins the Races as a graduate transfer after pitching for Florida Atlantic. He played junior college ball at Black Hawk to begin his career.
 
845 Wins
Head Coach Dave Schrage has 845 wins as a head coach during his career. He got his start at Waldorf (Iowa) in 1988 and made stops at Northern Iowa and Northern Illinois before landing at Evansville in 2003. Schrage was named head coach at Notre Dame in 2007 and would spend five years at South Dakota State before taking over at Butler in 2017.
 
One Year Ago
Butler defeated DePauw 16-4 to open up the 2021 campaign. Head Coach Dave Schrage collected his 100th win at Butler that day behind 16 Bulldog hits. Butler scored 13 of their 16 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. John MacCauley picked up the win on the mound and Aaron Steinhart would play well in his debut with two hits, three runs scored and one RBI.
 
Gargano Returns as a Graduate
LF James Gargano is back in the lineup this spring as a graduate student. In 2021, Gargano started in 36 games and hit .277. He led Butler in at-bats (141), hits (39), and runs (30). He ended the season with six doubles, seven home runs and 20 RBI.
 
Injury Update
Nick Eaton will miss the start of the regular season with an injury. Eaton went 2-2 on the mound last year with a 3.48 ERA. He ranked third on the team in innings pitched (41.1) and in strikeouts (47).
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs will travel to Jackson, Mississippi next weekend to play three games. Jackson State will be the opponent on Friday and Sunday. Saturday's noon tilt will be against Nichols.