The Butler baseball team will play in Texas this weekend to signal the start of the 2025 season. Tarleton State will host a four-game series against the Bulldogs on their home diamond. Friday and Sunday are nine-inning games, while Saturday's doubleheader will feature a seven-inning game followed by a nine-inning contest in the afternoon. Fans can watch the first three games on ESPN+. The finale will be picked up by the WAC Network.

Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb. 14 – 4 PM
Saturday, Feb. 15 – 2 PM
Saturday, Feb. 15 – 5 PM
Sunday, Feb. 17 – 1 PM
*All Games Played at the Tarleton Baseball Complex
 
Projected Starters
Game 1 – LHP Ben Whiteside vs. RHP Jake Burcham
Game 2 – RHP Andrew Hendrickx vs. RHP Brian Panneton
Game 3 – RHP Tate Foxson vs. TBA
Game 4 – RHP Marcus Goodpaster vs. RHP Ben Bosse
 
Scouting Tarleton State
The Texans went 32-29 last year with 14 of those wins coming at home. They were 17-13 in conference and won the WAC Tournament to become the first D1 reclassifying baseball program to win a conference tournament. They played as the five-seed and knocked off the four-seed California Baptist. Now shifting gears to 2025, Tarleton State has been picked to finish fourth in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll behind favorite Grand Canyon, Abilene Christian, and Cal Baptist.
 
Head Coach Fuller Smith will send Jake Burcham, Brian Panneton and Ben Bosse to the bump with the fourth option still up in the air. All three are right-handers and upperclassmen. A year ago, Burcham went 2-4 on the mound over 10 starts. He made 22 total appearances and held a 5.67 ERA. Panneton is a juco transfer from Wharton County. He was a First Team All-American there and the Conference Pitcher of the Year. Bosse attended Auburn for two years before pitching for Blinn College in 2024. Blinn won a juco championship in 2024. Bosse struck out 33 in 27 innings.
 
BIG EAST Preseason Poll
1. UConn (7) – 49
2. Xavier – 38
3. St. John's (1) – 37
4. Creighton – 30
5. Georgetown – 25
6. Seton Hall – 24
7. Villanova – 12
8. Butler – 9

BIG EAST Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year – Maddix Dalena, 1B, UConn
Preseason Pitcher of the Year – Ian Cooke, SP, UConn
 
Moroknek Named to Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Butler outfielder Jack Moroknek was named to the 2025 Preseason Baseball All-BIG EAST Team. He held a .327 batting average in 2024, collecting 69 hits in 54 starts. Moroknek ended the year with 14 doubles, one triple and a team-high 13 home runs. His 13 homers ranked fourth in the BIG EAST and helped him reach 124 total bases and 44 RBIs.
 
Moroknek Earns D1Baseball.com Honor
Jack Moroknek was listed at #89 in D1Baseball.com's Preseason Top 100 Outfielder's List.
 
Coaching Staff Updates
Blake Beemer added Seth Petry to the Bulldog coaching staff in prep for the 2025 season. Additionally, the Bulldogs added a Director of Operations position to the program with the hire of Sean O'Brien.
 
Petry was a graduate assistant at UT Martin before joining the Bulldog staff. The Skyhawks made the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Field during his lone season on campus and had two pitchers earn all-conference honors.
 
Prior to coaching, Petry was a pitcher at UT Martin. He ranks sixth in school history in games started (36) and seventh in total appearances (67). Petry pitched 206 innings, recorded 148 strikeouts and won 10 games on the mound.
 
Sean O'Brien is also new to the BU coaching staff in 2025. A former Rhode Island assistant coach, O'Brien will bring a wealth of knowledge to the program. While with the Rams, Rhode Island produced 20 all-conference selections, won two regular season championships, one conference tournament title and had five players selected in the MLB Draft.
 
New Year, New Team
Blake Beemer and the Bulldog coaching staff added 17 student-athletes to the 2025 roster. Nine of the 17 are pitchers in a group that includes one graduate, three juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. Four infielders, two catchers and a pair of outfielders are also in the mix to earn playing time for BU.
 
2024 Highlights
The Bulldogs won 20 games a year ago behind an explosive offense. They swept Alabama A&M in Week 2 of the regular season, won at Memphis and split a four-game series vs. Indiana by winning the first and last game of the series. Jack Moroknek tied a school record by hitting three home runs in the win at Eastern Michigan last year and the Bulldogs won a conference series against Villanova, taking two of three against the Wildcats.
 
A Year Ago
Butler traveled to Tallahassee to open the 2024 season at Florida State. Only two of the three games played at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium were played due to weather. The Seminoles won game one 11-0 and ended the series with a 15-5 victory. Ian Choi scored the first run of the season for BU in the third inning of game two. AJ Solomon and Zach Munton scored in the seventh, Drew Charney scored in the eighth and Ryan Drumm added the final run in the ninth.
 
Three Butler BIG EAST Games to Stream on FloSports
The Bulldogs will play three games on the BIG EAST Digital Network this spring. One will be at home while the other two take place on the road. Butler's contest at Seton Hall on April 27 will be the first game streamed by the conference. The home game against Creighton on May 2 will be the second and the final will be Butler's tilt at UConn on May 11.
 
Beemer Added Three Pitchers on National Signing Day
The Butler Bulldog baseball coaching staff added three talented arms to the program on National Signing Day. Grayson Bradberry (Columbia City, Ind.) Jake Thomas (Kansas City, Mo.) and Garyson Smiddy (Defiance, Ohio) all made their decisions official on Nov. 15. Coach Beemer believes this class addresses top end pitching talent for the program and is excited for them to impact the 2026 season.
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs will play a three-game series at Norfolk State next weekend. Game one is set for Friday, Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. Saturday's first pitch is bumped up to 1 p.m. and the getaway game begins at noon on Sunday.