DATE:                              Friday, March 20 – Sunday, March 22
LOCATION:                    Indianapolis, Ind. / Butler Softball Field
LIVE STATS:                   butlersports.com (statbroadcast)
 
The Butler softball team will open the home portion of the 2026 season hosting Seton Hall for a BIG EAST Series this weekend. The Bulldogs (10-9, 3-0 BIG EAST) are coming off a series sweep at Villanova. The Pirates (10-11, 2-4 BIG EAST) most recently took two of three at UConn.
 
Bulldog Bits                                                            
           (as of 3/16/26)

• As a team, Butler leads the BIG EAST with a .330 batting average and with 11 double plays.
• Makena Alexander leads the BIG EAST and is (ranked nationally) in several categories: .618 on base% (7th), .525 avg. (8th), 1.051 slug% (11th), 35 RBI (38th), and 8 home runs (80th).
• Hailey Conger is 2nd in the BIG EAST (43rd nationally) with a .551 on base%. Additional rankings: 2nd (67th) with a .453 avg., 3rd with 26 RBIs, 5th with 8 stolen bases.
• Cate Lehner leads the BIG EAST (29th nationally) with 14 stolen bases. She is 2nd (11th) with 72.0 at bats per strikeout. 

           at Villanova

• Alexander earned BIG EAST Player of the Week after slashing .667/.692/1.583 and leading Butler with eight hits that included two doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBIs. She hit two home runs (4 RBI) in game two, and her three-run home run in the 10th inning of game three provided the winning margin.
• Kayla Preiss was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after batting .357 with two doubles, five RBIs, and five runs scored in the three-game series.
• Katie Petran was recognized on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after picking up two wins in the series. She pitched a complete-game victory in game one. She then entered game three, in the top of the eighth with the score tied, and picked up her second win. In 3.0 innings, she allowed only three hits and struck out a pair.
• Lehner (.571, 8-for-14) and Conger (.538, 7-for-13) were second and third at the plate for the Bulldogs. 

Series History

• Butler leads: 20-15
• Butler won 2 of 3 in last season's BIG EAST series in South Orange, N.J.
• Butler won, 9-0, in a BIG EAST Tournament contest in 2024.
• Seton Hall won 2 of 3 in the 2024 series in Indianapolis and the 2023 series in South Orange.
• The teams are tied, 5-5, in the last 10 contests.
   

SCOUTING SETON HALL (10-11, 2-4 BIG EAST)
BIG EAST series: 0-3 vs. Creighton | 2-1 vs. UConn

• Additional wins for Seton Hall include Winthrop, Furman, George Mason, and Wagner.
• Losses for the Pirates include Utah State (2), Georgia, Virginia Tech, Stetson, and UT Martin.
• SHU split with Indiana State. 

2026 Seton Hall stats* compared to (Butler)
Avg. .290, (.328), Runs 119 (143), Hits 160 (179), RBI 112 (134), SB 12 (37), ERA 6.57 (6.44)