INDIANAPOLIS - Butler will travel to Charleston, Illinois to take on the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Tuesday evening. First pitch at Frost Field at Coaches Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: April 21
GAME TIME: 6PM ET / 5 PM CT
LOCATION: Charleston, Ill. 
LIVE STATS: Butlersports.com​
WATCH: ESPN+
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ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

• Butler (15-24, 5-4 BIG EAST) is coming off a 1-2 weekend against Georgetown. Butler's lone win over the Hoyas came on Saturday in a 6-0 victory fueled by eight strong innings on the mound from Max Winders. 
• Winders was solid against Georgetown tossing eight innings allowing only four hits and no runs while fanning five Hoya batters. Winders picked up his third win of the season on the mound and currently boasts a 3.88 ERA which leads the team. 
• Butler and EIU have played once previously this season back on February 18. The Panthers secured the 15-12 victory at Droplight Grand Park. BU hit three home runs in the contest, two from Rhoades and one from David Ayers.
• Matthew Rhoades ranks eighth nationally in home runs (18), 25th nationally in total bases (110) and is 42nd nationally in slugging percentage (.710). The junior leads the team in RBIs (34) and runs (38).
• Rhoades leads Butler at the dish, slashing .310/.710/1.113 in 39 games this season. The junior is second on the team in doubles (8) and leads the team in home runs (18).
• Winders leads Butler on the mound with a 3-3 record and a 3.88 ERA. Winders has tossed 51 innings this season and has 47 strikeouts to only six walks. 
• 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 2026, slashing .250/.362/.717 in 34 games for the Dawgs. Crock has 29 hits, five doubles, two homers and 21 RBIs to his credit.
• 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 is in 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 EASTERN ILLINOIS

• Eastern Illinois (21-14) is coming off an 0-3 weekend at Arkansas Little Rock. 
• Chris Worcester leads EIU at the dish slashing .341/.635/1.049. Worcester leads the team in home runs with eight and RBIs with 34. 
• On the mound, Bryce Riggs leads EIU with a 2.61 ERA and a 6-1 record. Riggs has tossed a team-high 62 innings and has allowed only 18 earned runs while striking out 60. 

 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will return to action this weekend as BU travels to Omaha, Nebraska to take on Creighton in a BIG EAST series. Game one is slated for Friday, April 24 with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Charles Schwab Field. A link to live stats will be available on Butlersports.com.