INDIANAPOLIS – Butler will play a four-game series against Fairleigh Dickinson this weekend to open up the 2023 campaign. The two teams will meet in Lexington, S.C. Single games are slated for Friday and Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at noon.
 
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb. 17 – 4:30 PM
Saturday, Feb. 18 – 12 PM (DH)
Sunday, Feb. 19 – 12 PM
*All Games Played at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington, S.C.

Projected Starters
Game 1 - LHP Cory Bosecker vs. RHP Ethan Rembish
Game 2 - RHP Aaron Barokas vs. RHP Rich Racobaldo
Game 3 - RHP Alex Voss vs. RHP Jason Diaz
Game 4 – TBD vs. RHP Jeremy Cheeseman
 
Scouting Fairleigh Dickinson
Fairleigh Dickinson went 24-30 last year with a 16-11 record in the Northeast Conference. FDU qualified for the NEC Tournament last spring for the first time since 2016 and its 16-11 mark in NEC play was its best since the 1999 campaign. First-year head coach Manny Roman can pencil a pair of NEC first team all-stars into his lineup in pursuit of the Knights' first conference championship. Junior third baseman Hunter D'Amato hit .293 and ranked in the NEC top-10 with 14 doubles and 40 RBIs. Graduate student catcher George Rosales comes off a terrific season at the plate that saw him post a .329/.468/.506 slash line and finish with six homers, 35 runs and 25 RBIs. He led the league in on-base percentage. The Knights were recently picked third in the 2023 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll behind Central Connecticut and LIU.
 
Beemer to Lead Butler Baseball
Blake Beemer became the head coach of the Butler baseball program in June of 2022. Before joining the Bulldogs, Beemer worked as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Ball State (2019-22). The Cardinals were 123-65 with Beemer on staff. Beemer was also a four-year letter winner and three-time team captain at Ball State (2010-13).
 
Bosecker is Back
LHP Cory Bosecker returns to Butler for his senior season in 2023. A year ago, Bosecker led the Bulldogs in starts (14), innings pitched (68.0) and strikeouts (69).
 
BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll
1) UConn
2) Creighton
3) Xavier
4) Georgetown
5) Seton Hall
6) St. John's
7) Villanova
8) Butler
 
BIG EAST Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year – SS Jack Housinger, Xavier
Preseason Pitcher of the Year – RHP Ian Cooke, UConn
 
A Year Ago
Butler opened the 2022 campaign with a three-game series at Murray State. The Racers were receiving votes in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Top-50 Poll and they were able to record three wins over Butler. Cory Bosecker made the BIG EAST Weekly Honor after his start against Murray State. Bosecker exited the mound with a 4-1 lead early in the sixth inning. He struck out six and limited the Racers to just two earned runs.
 
2023 Schedule
"We have some marquee matchups on the schedule this year," Beemer said. "We want to be ready when BIG EAST play opens against Xavier on April 6, and to do that, we scheduled programs like LSU, Notre Dame, Campbell and SEMO. We are challenging ourselves because we need to be ready for the conference opener. Once BIG EAST play arrives, we still have tough games on the schedule against teams like Michigan and Purdue so we are going to go out there and compete every single day."
 
Team Goal
"Our ultimate goal is to make the BIG EAST Tournament," Beemer stated. "We want to find a way to be in the top four of the standings and that allows us to compete for a championship. Once we get through our non-conference slate there won't be anything we haven't seen that will surprise us. It's going to be tough, but we are not shying away from it. We won't back down, our guys will be ready to go. We are excited to get rolling.
 
2023 Team Motto: Chop Wood, Carry Water
Every member of the Butler baseball program read the book Chop Wood, Carry Water before the start of the 2023 season. "We want our guys to appreciate every day and try to get better every single day." Beemer explained. "We understand that there will be ups and downs throughout a long season, but it doesn't defer us from staying in the moment and keep working."
 
Up Next
Butler will travel to Buies Creek, N.C. to play a three-game series against Campbell next weekend. The Camels won 41 games a year ago on their way to winning the BIG South Championship. They opened the Knoxville Regional with a win over Georgia Tech, but would eventually take losses to top-ranked Tennessee and Georgia Tech to be eliminate from the NCAA Tournament.