INDIANAPOLIS – Midweek games at Bulldog Park are set for Tuesday and Wednesday this week when the Norse and the Flyers visit Indianapolis. Each contest is slated to start at 4 PM.
 
Scouting Northern Kentucky
The Norse are 13-20 overall with a 7-7 record against Horizon League competition. They are coming off a series loss at home to Purdue Fort Wayne. The Mastodons posted wins on Thursday and Saturday to reach 10 wins on the year.
 
NKU leads the Summit League in hits (317) and doubles (71). Junior Manny Vorhees leads the club in each category with 41 hits spread out over 33 starts. 20 of his 41 hits have gone for extra bases.
 
On the mound the Norse are projected to start junior Drew Switzer. Switzer is an Indiana native from Fishers. The midweek arm has not thrown more than two innings in any outing this year. He last touched the rubber on April 16 against Purdue Fort Wayne. In that contest he tossed 1.1 innings of no-hit baseball. For the season, Switzer is 1-0 with an 11.37 ERA. He has seven strikeouts and 10 walks in 12.2 innings of work.
 
Dizzy Peyton took over the Northern Kentucky program in June of 2021 after spending 17 years on the Norse bench as an assistant coach. Peyton pitched for Northern Kentucky in 2003. Post-season Tommy John surgery would unfortunately end his playing career after just one season.
 
Rematch vs. The Norse
Butler and Northern Kentucky played earlier this season on March 1. The Norse came out on top at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex, winning by the final score of 13-8. Nick Noble earned the win while Greg Gilbert wore the loss. Northern Kentucky scored 13 runs off 15 hits. They were led by Treyvin Moss and his 3-for-5 day at the plate. The redshirt junior led off and led the team with four RBI. Butler got a boost from Aaron Steinhart and his 4-for-5 performance in Highland Heights. Steinhart had two home runs to help record five RBI.
 
Scouting Dayton
The Flyers are 14-17 overall with a 3-6 mark in the A-10. They most recently played a three-game series at Fordham, going 1-2 against the Rams.
 
Dayton ranks second in the A-10 and 91st in the nation in stolen bases (45). The team leader is Keagan Calero with eight. Calero also leads the team with a .275 batting average. Another player to keep an eye on Wednesday is first baseman Marcos Pujols. The senior from the Dominican Republic has 31 hits including a team-best seven home runs.
   
Dayton and Butler are both in action on Tuesday and neither team has announced a starter for the Wednesday game. Head Coach Jayson King is in his fifth season at Dayton. He has 20 years of experience as a head coach and also worked as the Associate Head Coach / Recruiting Coordinator at Army.
 
Milano Lands on BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
In a near perfect week at the plate, Milano batted .857 (6-of-7) in a trio of games with four runs, four RBI and a pair of walks. The junior infielder played a crucial role in Friday's 8-7 win over Georgetown batting a perfect 3-for-3, while also reaching base a fourth time off a walk, while scoring twice and collecting a pair of RBI. He provided Butler with two doubles and one home run.
 
McDaniel vs. The Norse
Cole McDaniel is scheduled to start against Northern Kentucky on Tuesday. He is 2-2 on the mound this year with a 5.86 ERA. The left-hander has made nine total appearances in 2022, including six starts. He has 18 strikeouts and seven walks spread out over 27.2 innings of action.
 
Streaks
Billy Wurch and Aaron Steinhart have reached base safely in eight-straight contests. Earlier in 2022, Wurch reached base in 17-straight games, the longest of any Bulldog this season. Taking a look at hitting streaks; James Gargano, Kollyn All, Nick Ortega, Dominic Milano, and Wurch have hits in three-straight games.
 
Season-Highs
Butler took 42 at-bats against Georgetown on Thursday to set a new season-high total. They also tied their season-high with 15 hits against the Hoyas that day.
 
Earlier this season against Northern Kentucky, Butler walked a season-high eight times and left 14 runners on base to tie another season-high total.
 
Aaron Against NKU
Aaron Steinhart is the only Bulldog this season to collect four hits in a single-game. He did it in the first meeting at Northern Kentucky. Steinhart's career day also included two home runs, five RBI, and 10 total bases.
 
Here Comes the Offense
Butler has recorded 10+ hits in five of their last six games.
 
36-for-36
Ryan O'Halloran and Travis Holt are the only players on the roster to start in all 36 games this season.
 
Hit Leader
Three Bulldogs are near the team lead in hits for Butler this season. Aaron Steinhart and Travis Holt are currently tied for the team lead with 40 hits each. Ryan O'Halloran is close behind with 38.
 
Up Next
Butler will play at St. John's this weekend. Action in Queens will get underway on Friday, April 22. That contest will start at 3 PM with Saturday and Sunday featuring 1 PM first pitch.