Xavier University Athletics
Tuesday, March 15
Louisville, Ky.
3 P.M.
Xavier University
at
Louisville
Baseball Hosts Miami (OH) in Midweek Home Opener
03.14.16 | Baseball
Xavier looks to snap five-game losing streak, welcomes RedHawks on Wednesday afternoon at Hayden Field
CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball looks to snap a four-game losing streak, facing off against No. 4 Louisville and Miami (OH) in a pair of midweek games.
XU travels to Jim Patterson Stadium on Tuesday before hosting Miami (OH) in Wednesday's home opener at Hayden Field.
• Just one year removed from a BIG EAST Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, Xavier is looking to rebound after a frustrating 15-38 (3-15 BIG EAST) season in 2015.
• The Musketeers are off to a 3-11 start, playing all 14 games on the road. The competition has been stiff early, as five of XU's first six weekend opponents were 2015 NCAA Tournament teams.
• Head coach Scott Googins is in his 11th season in 2016 with 19 returners, including All-BIG EAST pitcher Trent Astle and BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Nate Soria. Seniors Dan Rizzie and Andre Jernigan were also selected preseason All-BIG EAST.
• It's been feast or famine so far this season for XU. The Musketeers opened the year with seven straight losses before ripping off a weekend sweep at USC Upstate. Xavier has since lost four straight – three of those coming against No. 2 Vanderbilt.
• Xavier's bats have woken up lately, as the Musketeers have scored 37 of their 47 runs in their last eight games, including a 17 run series at USC Upstate and a 14-run outburst last Sunday at Mercer.
• Louisville enters Tuesday's game ranked No. 4 by Baseball America and is off to a 13-2 start, including three ACC wins over Notre Dame this past weekend. The Cardinals are currently riding an eight-game winning streak.
• Seven Cardinals are hitting .324 or better as the team is batting .327 overall (12th in the nation) in 15 games. Potential first round MLB Draft pick Corey Ray is hitting .377 with five home runs and leads the nation with 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts.
• Louisville, like XU, is among the nation's leaders in stolen bases. The Cardinals rank fourth in the NCAA in steals per game (2.53) and third in total steals (38).
• Miami (OH) is off to a 6-7 start with four losses in its last five. The RedHawks salvaged a 5-1 win in extra innings, snapping a four-game losing streak at Winthrop on Saturday, March 12 in their last outing. Miami (OH) will face UC on Tuesday at 4 p.m. before coming to Hayden Field for Wednesday's home opener.
• The RedHawks are among the nation's leaders in home runs early this season, ranking eighth with 21 longballs and fifth at 1.62 homers per game.
• Five Miami regulars are hitting .321 or better, including .400 hitters Ross Haffey (.423) and Dallas Hall (.409). Haffey has four home runs and a team-best 20 RBI in 13 starts.
• Xavier's three straight wins at USC Upstate snapped a season-opening seven game losing streak. The three straight wins were the most for XU since taking three straight at the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament during the team's championship run.
• Xavier's last weekend sweep came from April 11-13, 2014 against Villanova at Hayden Field.
• The last road non-conference weekend sweep for the Musketeers came from April 12-14, 2013 at Evansville.
• With 32 stolen bases on the season, XU ranks 10th nationally in steals (32) and is seventh in steals per game (2.29).
• The Musketeers have 28 steals in their last 10 games.
• Xavier stole seven bases in back-to-back games at Mercer, tallying 17 for the weekend series.
• Prior to last weekend, the last time Xavier stole seven bases in a game was on March 31, 2015 at Dayton.
• Sophomore Will LaRue ranks 14th in the nation with 10 steals and 14th with 0.71 steals per game. He's swiped a base in six of his last nine games.
• Outside of junior Brad Kirschner, who entered the year with 99.1 career innings pitched, the options for Xavier in the bullpen came into 2016 with a combined 31 appearances and 32.2 innings pitched.• The bullpen options consist of 12 pitchers, but no seniors. Two juniors, four sophomores and six freshmen make up the 'pen.
• Seven arms came into 2016 without a single career appearance. Kent, Glass and Makarewicz will be making their respective career debuts when they next take the hill.
• Four true freshmen – Schramm, Williams, Malone and Czabala – all made their Xavier debuts during opening weekend at Arizona State.
• Xavier has just three seniors on the 2016 roster after graduating 14 from its 2015 squad.
• The Musketeers lost 15 letterwinners overall and have 13 newcomers on the 2016 roster.
• Xavier was picked fourth in the BIG EAST preseason coaches' poll, coming in just behind Seton Hall, Creighton and St. John's.
• It's the third straight season the Musketeers have been selected to finish fourth in the poll.
• Seniors Dan Rizzie and Andre Jernigan were both tabbed preseason All-BIG EAST in a vote by the league's coaches.
• Rizzie earned the honor for a second straight season and is back to full health after missing a majority of the 2015 season with a hand injury.
• Rizzie, a 2014 All-BIG EAST First Team selection, is one of the top returning catchers in the conference. After missing most of last season with a hand injury, Rizzie will look to get back to the production level he showed in 2014 when he hit .307 to go with five home runs, 41 runs scored and 38 RBI.
• Jernigan earned preseason honors for the first time and has racked up 121 starts for Xavier at shortstop in the past two-plus seasons. A career .255 hitter, Jernigan brings a combination of speed and power to the shortstop position. In 2015, he led the Musketeers with 210 at-bats and 16 stolen bases, while ranking second on the team with 10 doubles and adding 13 multi-hit games.
• Senior Andre Jernigan has reached base the hard way at a prolific clip, getting hit by a pitch 11 times in each of the last two seasons. Both seasons are tied for eighth all-time in the XU record book.
• Jernigan's career total of 27 – including two during Xavier's series against ASU and two more against Vandy – is tied for fourth all-time at Xavier, trailing leader Mark Elwell (41 HBP, 2009-13) by 14.
• Sophomore Nate Soria reached via HBP 12 times as a freshman, a mark that was tied for fifth in a single season by a Musketeer.
• Head coach Scott Googins, now in his 11th year at Xavier, is just nine wins from tying former coach John Morrey for most wins in school history.
• Googins has 278 wins in his first 10+ seasons, while Morrey had 287 over 12 years (1993-2004).
• The Musketeers are wrapping up a road-heavy portion of their schedule, as the season's first 14 games were all road contests. Local rival Miami (OH) will come to Hayden Field for the 2016 home opener on Wednesday, March 16 at 3:00 p.m.
• Xavier travels to eight states total as part of its 2016 regular season schedule, including Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and New Jersey. The Musketeers also play in Washington, D.C.
• Xavier's 22 opponents posted a combined record of 672-565 (.543) in 2015, which averages out to 30.5 wins per team.
• 15 of Xavier's 22 opponents had records of .500 or better last season.
• Xavier faces eight NCAA Tournament teams from 2015, including five in its first six series of the non-conference season.
• The combined 2015 record for XU's first six opponents is 226-140 (.618).
• Eight teams made trips to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, including Arizona State, Mercer, Wright State, Louisville, Morehead State, Indiana, Vanderbilt and St. John's.
• Xavier faces four teams that won at least 41 games in 2015, including Wright State (43), Vanderbilt (51), Louisville (47) and St. John's (41).
• In addition, eight more teams on the schedule posted 30-win seasons in 2015.
• The 2014 NCAA Champions, Vanderbilt advanced to the College World Series again last season before losing to Virginia in the best-of-three series. The Commodores have won at least 51 games in each of the last three seasons.
• The 2016 BIG EAST Tournament will be held in Aberdeen, Md. at Ripken Stadium – home of the Baltimore Orioles Single-A affiliate Aberdeen IronBirds.
• It will be the third different venue in the last three years for the conference tournament after stops in Brooklyn, N.Y. (2014) and Omaha, Neb. (2015).
• Xavier baseball has teamed up with the Vs. Cancer Foundation this spring to raise money to fight cancer nationally, as well as here in Cincinnati.
• The team will be collecting donations from now until April 10 when 31 members of the program have pledged to shave their heads in support of the cause. The head-shaving will occur following Xavier's home game against Morehead State.
XU travels to Jim Patterson Stadium on Tuesday before hosting Miami (OH) in Wednesday's home opener at Hayden Field.
 | THE MATCHUP |
| Date – Time | Follow Live | Projected Starters |
| Tues., March 15 – 3 p.m. | Stats / Watch / @XavierBASE | RHP Taylor Williams vs. TBA |
| Weds., March 16 – 3 p.m. | Stats / @XavierBASE | LHP Trent Astle vs. TBA |
| AROUND THE HORN |
• The Musketeers are off to a 3-11 start, playing all 14 games on the road. The competition has been stiff early, as five of XU's first six weekend opponents were 2015 NCAA Tournament teams.
• Head coach Scott Googins is in his 11th season in 2016 with 19 returners, including All-BIG EAST pitcher Trent Astle and BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Nate Soria. Seniors Dan Rizzie and Andre Jernigan were also selected preseason All-BIG EAST.
• It's been feast or famine so far this season for XU. The Musketeers opened the year with seven straight losses before ripping off a weekend sweep at USC Upstate. Xavier has since lost four straight – three of those coming against No. 2 Vanderbilt.
• Xavier's bats have woken up lately, as the Musketeers have scored 37 of their 47 runs in their last eight games, including a 17 run series at USC Upstate and a 14-run outburst last Sunday at Mercer.
| SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION |
• Seven Cardinals are hitting .324 or better as the team is batting .327 overall (12th in the nation) in 15 games. Potential first round MLB Draft pick Corey Ray is hitting .377 with five home runs and leads the nation with 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts.
• Louisville, like XU, is among the nation's leaders in stolen bases. The Cardinals rank fourth in the NCAA in steals per game (2.53) and third in total steals (38).
• Miami (OH) is off to a 6-7 start with four losses in its last five. The RedHawks salvaged a 5-1 win in extra innings, snapping a four-game losing streak at Winthrop on Saturday, March 12 in their last outing. Miami (OH) will face UC on Tuesday at 4 p.m. before coming to Hayden Field for Wednesday's home opener.
• The RedHawks are among the nation's leaders in home runs early this season, ranking eighth with 21 longballs and fifth at 1.62 homers per game.
• Five Miami regulars are hitting .321 or better, including .400 hitters Ross Haffey (.423) and Dallas Hall (.409). Haffey has four home runs and a team-best 20 RBI in 13 starts.
| PROJECTED LINEUP |
| Name (Class) | Position | Notes |
| Will LaRue (So.) | Left Field | Hit .385 with four stolen bases in Mercer series... leads team and ranks 14th nationally with 10 stolen bases... collected a career-high four hits on Sunday at Vandy... |
| Blaine Griffiths (So.) | Designated Hitter | Has started last five games at DH, ranks second on Xavier with a .293 batting average... |
| Daniel Rizzie (Sr.) | Catcher | 2016 Preseason All-BIG EAST... missed most of last season with hand injury... has four multi-hit games in 14 starts to begin 2016 season... |
| Joe Gellenbeck (Jr.) | First Base | Has homered in each of Xavier's first four weekend series... leads Xavier with 10 runs and four homers... hit first career home run in game two of 2/20 doubleheader at ASU... |
| Andre Jernigan (Sr.) | Shortstop | 2016 Preseason All-BIG EAST... hit .429 with 2 HR and 4 RBI in the Mercer series... leads XU with .294 batting average and 15 hits... riding a five-game hitting streak... |
| Nate Soria (So.) | Right Field | Led 2015 team in BA (.335), 2B (11) and OBP (.420)... has reached base in 44 of last 48 games going back to 2015... |
| David Morton (Sr.) | Second Base | Named BIG EAST Player of the Week last Monday for first time in his career... has an RBI in five of last eight games... |
| Rylan Bannon (So.) | Third Base | Broke out of season-opening 0-for-16 slump with a 2-for-4 game in series finale at Mercer... hit first career home run in third inning of same game... |
| Matt Fallon (Jr.) | Center Field | Transfer from Black Hawk College... has reached base in 13 of 14 games this season... had two doubles in series finale at Vandy on Sunday... |
| PROJECTED ROTATION |
| Name (Class) | Throws | Notes |
| Zac Lowther (So.) | LHP | Has lasted at least five innings in all four of his turns so far as the Friday night starter... turned in a brilliant start last Friday at USC Upstate, tying career-highs with seven innings of one-run ball... |
| Greg Jacknewitz (Jr.) | LHP | Twirled 6.2 innings of two-run ball in first outing at ASU... went six innings and allowed just two runs in Saturday's win at USC Upstate... |
| Trent Astle (Jr.) | LHP | 2015 All-BIG EAST Second Team... has struggled in first four starts, walking nine and allowing 17 runs in 12.2 innings... |
| BULLPEN |
| Name (Class) | Throws | Notes |
| Garrett Schilling (So.) | RHP | Earned back-to-back saves in games two and three at USC Upstate... put up a career-high three innings of one-run relief in game four at ASU... has thrown five straight scoreless innings... |
| Brandon Johnson (So.) | RHP | Allowed five earned runs in first career start in game three at ASU... |
| Brad Kirschner (Jr.) | LHP | Struck out the only batter he faced in season debut at ASU... threw 1.2 innings of scoreless relief on Sunday, helping Xavier claim the sweep... |
| Trey Schramm (Fr.) | RHP | Threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief in career debut at ASU... tossed 3.2 innings with four strikeouts in series finale at Mercer... earned first career win on Saturday at USC Upstate, going three innings and striking out three... has pitched 1+ innings in all five appearances and leads team with 13.1 innings out of the 'pen... |
| Damien Richard (So.) | RHP | Tied for team-lead with five appearances... has thrown multiple innings in all five of his appearances... closed out last Friday's win at USC Upstate with two innings and four strikeouts... |
| Taylor Williams (Fr.) | RHP | Sparkled in career debut, striking out six in 2.1 innings of relief at ASU... has nine K's in first eight innings of career... |
| Jason Hall (Jr.) | RHP | Made season debut on Sunday at Mercer, tossing 1.1 innings of scoreless relief... |
| Noah Malone (Fr.) | RHP | Made career debut, tossing 0.2 innings at ASU |
| Matt Kent (Fr.) | RHP | Yet to appear in 2016 |
| Sam Czabala (Fr.) | LHP | Tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in Xavier debut at ASU |
| Christian Glass (So.) | RHP | Yet to appear in 2016 |
| Mitchel Makarewicz (Fr.) | RHP | Yet to appear in 2016 |
| BUSTING OUT THE BROOMS |
• Xavier's last weekend sweep came from April 11-13, 2014 against Villanova at Hayden Field.
• The last road non-conference weekend sweep for the Musketeers came from April 12-14, 2013 at Evansville.
| BASE BURGLARS |
• The Musketeers have 28 steals in their last 10 games.
• Xavier stole seven bases in back-to-back games at Mercer, tallying 17 for the weekend series.
• Prior to last weekend, the last time Xavier stole seven bases in a game was on March 31, 2015 at Dayton.
• Sophomore Will LaRue ranks 14th in the nation with 10 steals and 14th with 0.71 steals per game. He's swiped a base in six of his last nine games.
| YOUNG GUNS IN THE 'PEN |
• Seven arms came into 2016 without a single career appearance. Kent, Glass and Makarewicz will be making their respective career debuts when they next take the hill.
• Four true freshmen – Schramm, Williams, Malone and Czabala – all made their Xavier debuts during opening weekend at Arizona State.
| YOUTH MOVEMENT |
• The Musketeers lost 15 letterwinners overall and have 13 newcomers on the 2016 roster.
| BIG EAST PROGNOSTICATIONS |
• It's the third straight season the Musketeers have been selected to finish fourth in the poll.
| TWO NAMED ALL-BIG EAST |
• Rizzie earned the honor for a second straight season and is back to full health after missing a majority of the 2015 season with a hand injury.
• Rizzie, a 2014 All-BIG EAST First Team selection, is one of the top returning catchers in the conference. After missing most of last season with a hand injury, Rizzie will look to get back to the production level he showed in 2014 when he hit .307 to go with five home runs, 41 runs scored and 38 RBI.
• Jernigan earned preseason honors for the first time and has racked up 121 starts for Xavier at shortstop in the past two-plus seasons. A career .255 hitter, Jernigan brings a combination of speed and power to the shortstop position. In 2015, he led the Musketeers with 210 at-bats and 16 stolen bases, while ranking second on the team with 10 doubles and adding 13 multi-hit games.
| TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM |
• Jernigan's career total of 27 – including two during Xavier's series against ASU and two more against Vandy – is tied for fourth all-time at Xavier, trailing leader Mark Elwell (41 HBP, 2009-13) by 14.
• Sophomore Nate Soria reached via HBP 12 times as a freshman, a mark that was tied for fifth in a single season by a Musketeer.
| GOOGINS CLOSING IN ON XU MARK |
• Googins has 278 wins in his first 10+ seasons, while Morrey had 287 over 12 years (1993-2004).
| ROAD WARRIORS |
• Xavier travels to eight states total as part of its 2016 regular season schedule, including Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and New Jersey. The Musketeers also play in Washington, D.C.
| 2016 OPPONENT BREAKDOWN |
• 15 of Xavier's 22 opponents had records of .500 or better last season.
• Xavier faces eight NCAA Tournament teams from 2015, including five in its first six series of the non-conference season.
• The combined 2015 record for XU's first six opponents is 226-140 (.618).
• Eight teams made trips to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, including Arizona State, Mercer, Wright State, Louisville, Morehead State, Indiana, Vanderbilt and St. John's.
• Xavier faces four teams that won at least 41 games in 2015, including Wright State (43), Vanderbilt (51), Louisville (47) and St. John's (41).
• In addition, eight more teams on the schedule posted 30-win seasons in 2015.
• The 2014 NCAA Champions, Vanderbilt advanced to the College World Series again last season before losing to Virginia in the best-of-three series. The Commodores have won at least 51 games in each of the last three seasons.
| 2016 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT |
• It will be the third different venue in the last three years for the conference tournament after stops in Brooklyn, N.Y. (2014) and Omaha, Neb. (2015).
| XAVIER BASEBALL VS. CANCER |
• The team will be collecting donations from now until April 10 when 31 members of the program have pledged to shave their heads in support of the cause. The head-shaving will occur following Xavier's home game against Morehead State.
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/ BaseballHIGHLIGHTS | Baseball vs. UConn (BIG EAST Tournament)
Thursday, May 22
HIGHLIGHTS | Baseball at Penn State (Game 3)
Saturday, May 17
HIGHLIGHTS | Baseball at Creighton (Game Three)
Sunday, May 11
HIGHLIGHTS | Baseball at Creighton (Game 2)
Sunday, May 11