DATE:                              Friday-Sunday, April 24-26
LOCATION:                      Chicago, Ill. / Cacciatore Stadium
LIVE STATS:                   butlersports.com/statbroadcast
LIVE VIDEO:                   ESPN+
 
The Butler softball team heads to DePaul this weekend for a pivotal three-game BIG EAST series as conference action is winding down. The Bulldogs (20-17, 11-7 BIG EAST) currently sit in the fourth spot in the conference standings, and four teams will qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament in Chicago in early May. The Blue Demons (18-25, 6-12 BIG EAST) are currently tied for sixth with St. John's and are still fighting to continue play in the postseason.
 
Bulldog Bits                                                            
           (as of 4/22/26)

• As a team, Butler leads the BIG EAST and (ranks nationally) with 20 double plays (39th). The Bulldogs are second with 5.76 RBI/game (53rd) and third with a .304 batting avg. (96th), 6.11 runs/game (69th), and 1.38 stolen bases/game (64th).
• Makena Alexander leads the BIG EAST and is (ranked nationally) in several categories:
  .555 on base% (23rd), .905 Slug% (29th), .448 avg. (38th), and 1.38 RBI/game (15th). She is fourth in the conference with 12 home runs.
• Hailey Conger ranks in the BIG EAST and is (ranked nationally) in several categories:
  1st (21st) with 1.24 runs/game, 5th (75th) with .517 on base%, and 6th with a .405 avg.
• Cate Lehner ranks in the BIG EAST and is (ranked nationally) in several categories:
  1st (6th) with 45.7 at bats per strikeout, and 2nd (28th) with 22 stolen bases. 

   Wednesday vs. Dayton

• Kendall Graves drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning to tie the game at 6-6. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, with two on and two outs, she hit a walk-off double, giving the Bulldogs a 7-6 victory.

Series History

• DePaul leads, 21-17
• Butler swept last season's series in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs have won the past four contests and eight of the last ten.
• DePaul won one of three games in the 2024 series and also defeated Butler in the 2023 BIG EAST Tournament.
• The Blue Demons' most recent series win was in 2021 when they swept the Bulldogs.
   

SCOUTING DEPAUL (18-25, 6-12 BIG EAST)
BIG EAST series: 2-1 at Seton Hall | 1-2 vs. St. John's | 0-3 at UConn | 0-3 at Providence | 2-1 vs. Georgetown | 1-2 vs. Villanova

• Additional wins for DePaul include Northwestern, UIC, Illinois State, Yale, Detroit Mercy, Green Bay, Oakland, and Western Illinois.
• Additional losses have come to Kansas, Boston College, Indiana State, UIC, and USF.

2026 DEPAUL stats compared to (Butler)
Avg. .286 (.302), Runs 181 (225), Hits 311 (304), RBI 173 (212), SB 63 (52), ERA 5.50 (5.44)