WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
INDIANAPOLIS – Baseball season is officially here and the Butler Bulldogs will open up the 2024 campaign with a three-game series at Florida State in Tallahassee.  Game times are set for 5 PM, 2 PM and 1 PM with the Seminoles hosting the action at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium. All three games will stream on the ACC Network.
 
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb. 16 – 5 PM
Saturday, Feb. 17 – 2 PM
Sunday, Feb. 18 – 1 PM
*All Games Played at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium
 
Projected Starters
Game 1 - RHP Justin Hornschemeier vs. RHP Cam Leiter
Game 2 – RHP Tyler Banks vs. LHP Jamie Arnold
Game 3 - TBA vs. RHP Conner Whittaker
 
Scouting Florida State
The Seminoles were picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division of the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll. A year ago, FSU posted a 23-31 overall record, but were just 9-21 in ACC action. They were far better at home than playing on the road with 17 of their 23 victories coming in Tallahassee.
 
On the mound, FSU will return Andrew Armstrong and Conner Whittaker. Armstrong is a left-handed senior that appeared in 32 games last season. He held a 4.19 ERA and struck out 57 over 58 innings. Whittaker is a right-handed junior that made eight starts in 2023. He held a 4.33 ERA and led the team in innings pitched (79.0). Cam Leiter and Jamie Arnold are also slated to get starts for FSU along with Whittaker. Leiter was a unanimous selection to the AAC All-Freshman Team at UCF in 2023 and Arnold is a lefty in the mix entering his sophomore season.
 
At the plate, the Seminoles return a trio of players to keep an eye on. James Tibbs III and Jaime Ferrer are a pair of juniors that started in every game last season. Tibbs III led the club with a .338 average and Ferrer was the FSU hit leader with 73. Cam Smith is the third member of the group. A sophomore infielder, Smith hit 12 home runs last year to post 36 RBI.
 
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
1. UConn (6) – 48
2. Xavier (2) – 44
3. Seton Hall – 35
4. Creighton – 29
4. Georgetown – 29
6. St. John's – 17
7. Butler – 14
8. Villanova – 8
 
BIG EAST Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year - Jake Studley, OF, UConn
Preseason Pitcher of the Year - Stephen Quigley, SP, UConn
 
Urban Named to Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Butler outfielder Joey Urban was selected to the 2024 Baseball Preseason All-BIG EAST Team after a vote from the conference head coaches. He was the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2023 after leading the Bulldogs in hits, doubles, RBI's, total bases, slugging percentage and runs scored. A starter in all 55 games, Urban led BU with 19 multi-hit games and had multiple RBIs in nine games. Urban was the only BIG EAST player to earn a spot on Collegiate Baseball's Freshman All-America Team. He was the first Bulldog to earn the recognition since Tyler Houston in 2015.
 
Butler Team Captains
LHP Cole Graverson and SS Carter Dorighi were named team captains for the 2024 season. Each player was voted into that role after a vote by their teammates. Dorighi started in all 55 games a year ago and Graverson made 20 appearances on the mound.
 
Coaching Staff Updates
Blake Beemer added Isaiah Paige to the Bulldog coaching staff in prep for the 2024 season. Additionally, Assistant Coach Bladen Bales was promoted as the full-time Recruiting Coordinator.

As a student-athlete Paige started at Michigan in a National Championship game as a redshirt-freshman and spent the last two seasons as a pitching development coach for the Baltimore Orioles (FCL).

Bales returns to Butler in an expanded role while entering year two with the program. Beemer also retained pitching coach Ross Learnard.
 
New Year, New Team
Blake Beemer added 22 student-athletes to the 2024 roster over the off-season. Nearly half of the newcomers will pitch for the Bulldogs this year as the Butler staff added 10 arms to the team. Four infielders, two outfielders and two catchers are also in the mix to see playing time. BU also added four utility players that will look to carve out a role in 2024.
 
2023 Highlights
Highlights from Coach Beemer's first season at Butler includes winning the weekend series at Seton Hall and at Georgetown, playing two games against #1 LSU in Baton Rouge, and upsetting #9 UConn on their Senior Day to claim their first win ever over a top-ten opponent and their first win over a ranked team since 2018.
 
Back in the Day
Butler's first game against a ranked team came in 2003 at No. 23 Notre Dame. The following season they faced No. 19 Florida State in Tallahassee on March 10. They lost to the Seminoles 11-2.
 
A Year Ago
Butler opened the 2023 season by playing a four-game series vs. Fairleigh Dickinson in Lexington, S.C. Each team won a pair of games with BU coming out on top in Games 2 and 3. Each Bulldog loss came by just one run. When BU returned to campus on Monday, Joey Urban was selected as the BIG EAST Player of the Week. He hit .438 against the Knights and tallied at least one run, hit and RBI in all four games.
 
Smart Dawgs
The Butler baseball team earned an Academic Excellence Award from the BIG EAST Conference at the conclusion of the 2023 season. The Bulldogs were recognized by compiling the highest collective grade-point average (3.385) of any BIG EAST baseball team.
 
Two-Sport Athlete
Ryan Lezon played football for Butler in the fall and now will transition to baseball in the spring. The Ball State transfer played in nine games for the Bulldogs, making six starts at tight end. He caught 18 passes for 190 yards and scored four touchdowns.

"Ryan brings a good attitude to this team and works hard every day," Beemer stated. "He's very athletic and is catching guys quickly in all facets of the game despite being behind on reps due to him playing football. He's strong and repeats the motions that you need to see so it will be interesting to see what he can do for us."
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs will play a three-game series at Alabama A&M next weekend. Action in Huntsville gets started Friday at 1 PM.