INDIANAPOLIS - Butler will travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in a three-game series. Game one is scheduled for Friday, March 20, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium.
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATES: March 20-22
GAME TIMES: Friday - 6PM, Saturday - 3PM, Sunday - 1PM
LOCATION: Columbus, Ohio
LIVE STATS: Butlersports.com
STREAM: BIG+
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ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

• Butler (5-16) is coming off a 14-10 victory over Ball State on Wednesday afternoon. Matthew Rhoades was spectacular for BU against the Cardinals, going 4-for-5 at the plate with two home runs, two doubles, three runs scored, a walk and four RBIs.
• Rhoades is currently tied for second in the nation in home runs with 14 to his credit. The junior also ranks fifth nationally in total bases (77) and is ninth nationally in slugging percentage (.928).
• Rhoades leads Butler at the dish, slashing .337/.928/1.374 on the season. The junior has 28 hits and 25 runs scored to his credit and leads the team in RBIs (25) and is first on the team in doubles (7) and home runs (14).
• Max Winders has been dominant on the mound for the Bulldogs. he has issed zero walks In six appearances (25.0 IP), Winders has posted a 3.60 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. The sophomore leads Butler with 30 strikeouts.
• Against Morehead State, Rhoades was sensational for Butler in the four-game series. In 16 at-bats, he recorded nine hits, 10 runs scored, one double, five home runs, eight RBIs, one walk and two hit by pitches. Rhoades hit .563 over the course of the week for BU. The junior earned BIG EAST Player of the Week honors after his spectacular weekend for the Dawgs.
• David Ayers had a sensational series for Butler against Morehead State that began with the junior tying a program record for most RBIs in a game with eight to his credit in Friday's 20-5 victory over the Eagles. Ayers hit .500 on the week with five runs scored, seven hits, one double, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a hit by pitch. For his efforts, Ayers earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
• Logan Crock was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watchlist earlier this season. The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. The top 100 shortstops in the country made the list, which featured Butler shortstop Crock. The sophomore has had a solid start to 2026, slashing .300/.480/.859 in 16 games for the Dawgs. Crock has 15 hits, three doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs to his credit on the young season.
• Butler returns 17 letterwinners from a year ago and welcomes 21 new faces to the squad for 2026.
• Butler welcomed Ty Neal to the coaching staff this offseason as the program's pitching coach. Neal was an assistant coach at Michigan in 2025, helping the Wolverines post a 33-23 overall record. They went 16-14 in the Big Ten standings and held a 4.92 team ERA. Neal has made stops at Michigan, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami Ohio, and Southern Illinois. He brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience to the program and has assisted in the recruiting and development of over 50 MLB draft picks.
• Freshman Grayson Bradberry was named the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball and Perfect Game prior to the start of the season. Bradberry hails from Columbia City, Indiana and earned All-Conference honors (3x), Pre-Season All-State honors, team MVP (2x), NE8 Conference Player of the Year and was chosen as a two-time team captain.
• In 2025, Butler saw Jack Moroknek get drafted in the 11th round by the Washington Nationals. Moroknek led the team in hits (81), batting average (.372), total bases (153), RBIs (57), home runs (18), runs scored (57), slugging percentage (.702) and OPS (1.145) while posting one of the best individual seasons in Butler history. Moroknek was the first Bulldog drafted since Ryan Pepiot was taken in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
• Head Coach Blake Beemer enters his fourth season at the helm of the Bulldogs. Beemer helped coach back-to-back BIG EAST Freshman of the Year winners Joey Urban (2023) and Kade Lewis (2024) in his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. Beemer played a pivotal role in developing Jack Moroknek who earned All-BIG EAST second team honors a season ago before being selected by the Washington Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft.

 
SCOUTING OHIO STATE

• Ohio State (7-12) is coming off an 8-4 victory over Xavier on Wednesday afternoon. Henry Kaczmar was stellar for the Buckeyes, recording three hits and two RBIs against the Musketeers.
• Kaczmar paces the OSU offense, slashing .295/.375/.449 with nine doubles, one home run and nine RBIs.
• On the mound, Pierce Herrenbruck leads the Buckeyes with a 1-1 record and a 4.84 ERA. Herrenbruck has tossed 22.1 innings and has allowed 22 hits and 12 earned runs while striking out 19.

 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will return to action on Tuesday, March 24 as BU will host Toledo at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. More information will be available on butlersports.com.