Baseball Hosts No. 6 Kentucky in Midweek Showdown

Tuesday, March 20

Hayden Field

3 p.m.

Xavier University

No. 6 Kentucky

Baseball Hosts No. 6 Kentucky in Midweek Showdown

03.19.18 | Baseball

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By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball gets back to action at Hayden Field on Tuesday, hosting No. 6 Kentucky in a midweek showdown at 3 p.m.

The Musketeers (7-12) are coming off a three-game sweep of Miami (OH), including a 13-3 win on Sunday in the 2018 home opener at Hayden Field.

Xavier is coming off its second straight BIG EAST Championship, beginning a new era with first year head coach Billy O'Conner after finishing the 2017 season with a 34-27 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament Louisville Regional Final. XU has made two straight appearances in a regional title game.

SERIES HISTORY

• Kentucky leads the all-time series 32-9, but Xavier took the last meeting in Lexington, Ky., spoiling UK's home opener with a 3-2 extra innings win on Feb. 20 in a game that was Billy O'Conner's first career win.

OPPONENT NOTABLES

• The Wildcats ended the 2017 campaign ranked No. 10 in the nation after reaching the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time ever.
• UK's 19 wins in SEC play were the second-most in school history and came after the Wildcats were selected to finish in the bottom half of the league in the SEC preseason poll.
• Kentucky returns SEC Pitcher of the Year Sean Hjelle and All-American outfielder Tristan Pompey in addition to a top-10 rated recruiting class.

THE KING RETURNS

• The Musketeers are coming off a third BIG EAST Championship run in four seasons after sweeping their way to a BIG EAST Championship in Omaha, Neb. this past May. XU swept the regular season and tournament titles in 2016 and also won the tournament in 2014, its first year in the league.
• Xavier went 34-27 (10-6 BIG EAST) a year ago and brings back 21 letterwinners from its most recent title run.
• Six everyday starters will be back for the Musketeers, including All-BIG EAST players Matt Kent, Chris Givin and Blaine Griffiths.
• Since joining the league in 2014, Xavier has won three of the four BIG EAST Championships (2014, 2016, 2017) and ranks third all-time in league championships with Seton Hall, Rutgers and Connecticut. XU and Seton Hall are tied for the most BIG EAST titles amongst current league members.
• With back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017, Xavier became the first team since Louisville in 2008 and 2009 to repeat as tournament champions.

BILLY BALL

• After a decorated playing career and four years as an assistant on the Xavier baseball staff, Billy O'Conner was named the program's seventh head coach in June following Scott Googins' departure after 12 seasons.
• Googins coached O'Conner as a player and was the program's all-time winningest coach at 341-357 (.489) and won four conference titles before accepting a position at Cincinnati in June.
• During his time on the staff, XU has posted three 30-win seasons, made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament and had eight players selected in the MLB First Year Player Draft. That number includes back-to-back years with multiple picks and a program record four selections in the 2017 draft.
• Prior to his time as an assistant at XU, O'Conner spent one year as an assistant at Northern Kentucky and two years in the volunteer assistant role at Xavier.

2017 TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Xavier's 34 wins were second-most in school history and its .557 winning percentage was seventh-best in program history.
• XU swept its way to the BIG EAST title for a second straight year, improving to 9-1 all-time in the conference tournament.
• XU advanced to an NCAA Tournament Regional Final for the second straight year with a 2-2 record, defeating Oklahoma and Radford in the national tournament. Prior to 2016, the program had never won multiple games in an NCAA Tournament.
• Xavier went 10-6 in BIG EAST play to clinch third in the league and qualified for the BIG EAST Championships for the third time in four seasons as a member school.
• Xavier had back-to-back 30+ win seasons for just the second time in school history.
• Xavier set school records for team fielding percentage (.977) and strikeouts (461).
• XU hit the third most homers in a single season in program history as 14 different players left the yard.

YOUNG GUNS

• Due to graduation and the MLB Draft, Xavier lost seven pitchers, 60 starts and 373.1 innings of production from a year ago. That is roughly 70 percent of last year's innings pitched.
• Closer Trey Schramm is the lone returner to have started a game last season.
• Xavier will begin the year with two true freshmen in the rotation in lefties Trevor Olson and Nick Zwack.
• Senior Damien Richard will serve as a weekend starter after missing last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
• The opening weekend rotation came into the season with just five starts and 52.2 innings of career experience, all belonging to Damien Richard.

DRAFTING MUSKETEERS

• Zac Lowther was the highest-ever selection by a Xavier baseball player this past June, going in the second round compensatory selections. XU's previous high pick was Seth Willoughby, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2012 by the Colorado Rockies.
• Xavier had a program record four players selected in the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Additionally, two committed players were taken in the draft for the first time in program history.
• Xavier's four draft picks were: Zac Lowther (Comp. Round B, 74th pick, Baltimore Orioles), Rylan Bannon (8th Round, 250th pick, LA Dodgers), Garrett Schilling (18th Round, 536th pick, Colorado Rockies), Greg Jacknewitz (22nd Round, 666th pick, San Francisco Giants)
• XU has now had multiple picks in each of the last two seasons. In 2016, Dan Rizzie went to the New York Mets in the 13th round and Andre Jernigan followed as a 14th round selection of the Minnesota Twins.
• Xavier has had at least one player drafted in 11 of the last 13 years.
• 16 total XU players have been drafted since 2005.

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS

• The defending BIG EAST Tournament champions, Xavier was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST in 2018 during an annual vote conducted by the league's head coaches.
• XU was picked to finish second in the league for the first time.
• The Musketeers were selected to finish fourth in each of their first three seasons in the league until being picked to win the BIG EAST ahead of the 2017 season.
• Chris Givin, Conor Grammes and Matt Kent were each selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.

First place votes in ( )
1. St. John's – 35 points (5)
2. Xavier – 30 pts. (2)
3. Creighton – 24 pts.
4. Seton Hall – 23 pts.
5. Butler – 18 pts.
6. Georgetown – 11 pts.
7. Villanova – 6 pts.

LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE

• Xavier will play a 56-game schedule in 2018, including 15 home dates and the three home series at Hayden Field. XU will travel to nine different states as part of its road schedule.
• The 2018 schedule features five NCAA Tournament participants (Florida State, Kentucky, Louisville, Dallas Baptist and St. John's). All five 2017 NCAA Tournament opponents were 40-game winners a year ago.
• Overall, the Musketeers will face a challenging schedule that features opponents that combined for a 727-629 (.536) record in 2017.

XU TO HOST LEAGUE TOURNEY

• Xavier will look to defend its title as the host of the 2018 BIG EAST Championships at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio. The four-team, double elimination tournament will run from May 24-27.
• It will be the first time Xavier has served as host of the league tournament. Prasco Park is about 20 miles north of Cincinnati and a 30-minute drive from Xavier's campus.