Xavier University Athletics
Tuesday, May 17
Oxford, Ohio
6 P.M.
Xavier University
at
Miami (Ohio)
Baseball Finishes Out Non-Conference Schedule on Tuesday Night at Miami (OH)
05.16.16 | Baseball
Musketeers have won 10 of 11 heading into final week of regular season
CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball looks to keep rolling on Tuesday, finishing out the non-conference portion of its schedule against Miami (OH) at McKie Field at Hayden Park.
The Musketeers are 24-27 overall (11-4 BIG EAST) and have won 10 of their last 11 – including two of three against visiting Creighton this past weekend. The series win against Creighton was the fourth in a row for Xavier, vaulting the Musketeers into a tie for first-place in the BIG EAST and representing the first time a BIG EAST team has knocked off the Bluejays in a weekend series.
The Redhawks come into the game on a tear as well, as the team has won nine of its past 11 and sports a 23-26 record overall (12-9 MAC).
• Xavier has turned its season around over the last four weeks, claiming four consecutive series against conference foes for the first time since winning five straight in 2011.
• The Musketeers are tied for first in the BIG EAST and sit at 11-4 in league play, including series wins over St. John's, Butler, Seton Hall and Creighton.
• Rebounding from a frustrating 2015 season, XU has already surpassed last season's win total – coming in a 1-0 win over St. John's on Sunday, April 24.
• The Musketeers have played 35 of their 51 games away from Hayden Field. The competition was stiff early, as seven of XU's first 11 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.
• Head coach Scott Googins, now in his 11th year at Xavier, surpassed former coach John Morrey for most wins in school history on Friday, April 15 at Georgetown.
• Googins has 299 wins in his first 10+ seasons, while Morrey had 287 over 12 years (1993-2004).
• Read about some of Coach Googins' biggest accomplishments at Xavier.
• Miami (OH) is 23-26 overall and 12-9 in the Mid-American Conference. The Redhawks have won nine of their last 11.
• The Redhawks hit .262 as a team and led offensively by Ross Haffey (.367, 10 HR, 42 RBI). The pitching staff has a combined ERA of 5.00.
• This will be the third matchup between XU and Miami (OH) this year. Xavier took the first matchup, 12-4, at Hayden Field behind four homers. MU took the season's second meeting, 3-2, during day one of the Joe Nuxhall Classic back on April 12.
• Xavier has 47 homers already this season, which stands as the 10th most in a season by XU with four games to play.
• As of 5/12, Xavier ranked 26th in the nation with 45 homers and 31st in home runs per game (0.94).
• The Musketeers have homered at least once in 19 of their last 36 games, totaling 38 longballs over that span.
• As of 5/12, Andre Jernigan ranked 33rd in the nation with 12 longballs.
• Joe Gellenbeck ranked 105th in the nation with nine longballs as of 5/12 and added another one over the weekend, helping Xavier walk-off against Creighton on Sunday with a towering shot to right. He has now homered in nine of XU's 14 weekend series.
• XU boasts the top three home run hitters in the BIG EAST Conference: Jernigan (12), Gellenbeck (10), Rizzie (8)
• Xavier launched six homers against St. John's in an 11-8 win on Saturday, April 23 at Hayden Field. It was the most homers in a game by a Xavier team since April 30, 2010 when XU bashed six against Dayton in a 21-5 win.
• Both have surpassed last year's team leader in homers, Derek Hasenbeck, who hit six in 53 games.
• Xavier has already passed last season's team total of 27 longballs.
Xavier Single Season Home Run Leaders
• Sophomore righty Garrett Schilling has been a stalwart in the bullpen this season for Xavier, compiling 10 saves in 23 appearances to go with a team-leading 1.59 ERA.
• The back end of the bullpen has been a strength for XU all season, as the Musketeers are 19-0 when leading after eight innings.
• His last save at Seton Hall moved him into a tie for third on the all-time list of single season save leaders at Xavier.
Xavier Single Season Save Leaders
• As of 5/12, Xavier ranked 36th in the nation with a fielding percentage of .975. The team improved that mark to .976 over the weekend, making two errors in the Creighton series.
• The program record for fielding percentage in a season is currently .974, a mark set in 2011.
• XU has committed 46 errors in 51 games, including 20 errorless outings.
• As of 5/12, the Musketeers ranked 30th in the NCAA with 45 double plays turned.
• Xavier has turned a league-leading 25 double plays in BIG EAST action alone. Georgetown is second with 13 double plays.
• Catcher Dan Rizzie has been a standout behind the plate, throwing out 60.6 percent (20-for-33) of attempted base stealers with just two errors in 47 starts.
• One of the top base-stealing teams in the nation, Xavier has 83 steals this season.
• As of 5/12, XU ranked 13th nationally in steals and 16th in steals per game (1.69).
• Xavier stole seven bases in back-to-back games at Mercer, tallying 17 for the weekend series.
• Prior to the Mercer series (Feb. 26-28), the last time Xavier stole seven bases in a game was on March 31, 2015 at Dayton.
• As of 5/12, sophomore Will LaRue ranks 16th in the nation with 25 steals and 27th in the nation with 0.53 steals per game.
• Xavier's sweep of Seton Hall from May 6-7 was its fourth of the season and gave the Musketeers an eight-game winning streak for the first time since winning nine straight from March 6-18, 2011.
• The last time XU had four sweeps in a season was in 2013 when the Musketeers swept four series (UMass, Dayton, Evansville and St. Bonaventure)
• Xavier swept Butler from April 29-May 1 on the road and also ran the table on Central Michigan at home from March 18-20. Xavier's first sweep of the year came at USC Upstate from March 4-6, which snapped a season-opening seven game losing streak.
• Prior to the USC Upstate sweep, XU last ran the table from April 11-13, 2014 against Villanova at Hayden Field.
• Since the beginning of conference play, XU has put together a 3.70 team ERA on the hill. Six Musketeer pitchers have posted ERA's at 3.86 or lower in 15 BIG EAST games.
• Trey Schramm has yet to allow a run in league play with a 0.00 ERA in 10 innings.
• Matt Kent (3.74 ERA, 21.2 IP), Damien Richard (2.45 ERA, 7.1 IP), Brad Kirschner (3.86 ERA, 18.2 IP), Zac Lowther (3.86 ERA, 32.2 IP) and Garrett Schilling (2.19 ERA, 12.1 IP) have also been superb thus far in BIG EAST action.
• Xavier's pitching staff finished the Butler series with a 1.00 ERA (27 IP, 3 ER) covering all three games.
• XU's bullpen finished the weekend at Butler allowing just one earned run in 10 innings (0.90 ERA), including 8.1 consecutive scoreless innings to end the weekend.
• As a unit, the Musketeer 'pen has posted a 1.72 ERA (47.1 IP, 9 ER) in its last 12 games. Xavier's relief corps currently has a combined scoreless streak of 11.2 innings.
• In 36 non-conference games, Xavier recorded a team ERA of 5.00.
• Seven pitchers for XU came into 2016 without a single career appearance and five have thrown significant innings for the Musketeers this spring.
• Four true freshmen – Trey Schramm, Taylor Williams, Noah Malone and Sam Czabala – all made their Xavier debuts during opening weekend at Arizona State. Another rookie, Matt Kent, made his career debut on Friday, March 25 at UC, setting down the Bearcats in 1-2-3 fashion.
• Schramm and Williams are both among the team leaders in appearances, while throwing a combined 79.1 innings of relief.
• Kent has worked his way into the weekend rotation after making his first career start against Miami (OH) on April 12.
• Xavier has just three seniors on the 2016 roster (Andre Jernigan, Dan Rizzie and David Morton) 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.
• 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 has been clipped by a pitch 11 times again this season, moving into a tie for third all-time in XU history in HBP.
• Jernigan's career total of 33 is tied for third all-time at Xavier, trailing leader Mark Elwell (41 HBP, 2009-13) by eight.
• 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.
All-Time Career Leaders in HBP
• 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).
The Musketeers are 24-27 overall (11-4 BIG EAST) and have won 10 of their last 11 – including two of three against visiting Creighton this past weekend. The series win against Creighton was the fourth in a row for Xavier, vaulting the Musketeers into a tie for first-place in the BIG EAST and representing the first time a BIG EAST team has knocked off the Bluejays in a weekend series.
The Redhawks come into the game on a tear as well, as the team has won nine of its past 11 and sports a 23-26 record overall (12-9 MAC).
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THE MATCHUP |
| Date – Time | Follow Live |
| Tues., May 16 – 6 p.m. | Stats / Video ($) / @XavierBASE |
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PROJECTED STARTERS |
| Tues. | RHP Damien Richard (4-2, 3.35 ERA) vs. Bailey Martin (2-1, 2.43 ERA) |
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AROUND THE HORN |
• Xavier has turned its season around over the last four weeks, claiming four consecutive series against conference foes for the first time since winning five straight in 2011.
• The Musketeers are tied for first in the BIG EAST and sit at 11-4 in league play, including series wins over St. John's, Butler, Seton Hall and Creighton.
• Rebounding from a frustrating 2015 season, XU has already surpassed last season's win total – coming in a 1-0 win over St. John's on Sunday, April 24.
• The Musketeers have played 35 of their 51 games away from Hayden Field. The competition was stiff early, as seven of XU's first 11 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.
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XU'S WINNINGEST COACH |
• Head coach Scott Googins, now in his 11th year at Xavier, surpassed former coach John Morrey for most wins in school history on Friday, April 15 at Georgetown.
• Googins has 299 wins in his first 10+ seasons, while Morrey had 287 over 12 years (1993-2004).
• Read about some of Coach Googins' biggest accomplishments at Xavier.
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SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION |
• Miami (OH) is 23-26 overall and 12-9 in the Mid-American Conference. The Redhawks have won nine of their last 11.
• The Redhawks hit .262 as a team and led offensively by Ross Haffey (.367, 10 HR, 42 RBI). The pitching staff has a combined ERA of 5.00.
• This will be the third matchup between XU and Miami (OH) this year. Xavier took the first matchup, 12-4, at Hayden Field behind four homers. MU took the season's second meeting, 3-2, during day one of the Joe Nuxhall Classic back on April 12.
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PROJECTED LINEUP |
| Name (Class) | Position | Notes |
| Rylan Bannon (So.) | Third Base | Started season 0-for-16 and is 42-for-143 (.294) with four homers and 17 RBI since... had an 11-game hitting streak snapped on April 12 at Miami (OH)... has reached base in 25 of his last 30 games... hit .500 (4-for-8) with a homer in the Creighton series... drew five walks in the series to post an incredible .714 on-base percentage... |
| Daniel Rizzie (Sr.) | Catcher | 2016 Preseason All-BIG EAST... 2016 Johnny Bench Award Watch List... missed most of last season with hand injury... has reached base in 13 straight games... batting .324 (44-for-136) with eight homers in last 34 starts... tied for team lead with 17 multi-hit games... |
| Joe Gellenbeck (Jr.) | First Base | Has homered in nine of XU's 14 weekend series... second in the BIG EAST with 10 homers... leads team with 38 RBI... hit first career home run in game two of Feb. 20 doubleheader at ASU... hit .500 (6-for-12) and had a pair of walk-offs against Creighton this past weekend... |
| Andre Jernigan (Sr.) | Shortstop | 2016 Preseason All-BIG EAST... leads team and BIG EAST with 12 homers and 106 total bases... also leads team with 11 HBP... second on team with 36 RBI and 32 runs scored... four triples are most in a season by a Musketeer since Stephen Schoettmer in 2013... has made 159 starts at SS in last three-plus seasons... |
| Nate Soria (So.) | Right Field | Led 2015 team in BA (.335), 2B (11) and OBP (.420)... has reached base in 65 of last 81 games going back to 2015... had a streak of five straight multi-hit games snapped on Tuesday, April 19 at NKU... leads team with .340 batting average (17-for-50) in BIG EAST play... had first career multi-HR effort on Saturday, April 23 in game two win against St. John's (2-for-3, 3 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI)... |
| Chris Givin (Fr.) | Second Base | Second on team with a .302 batting average (16-for-53) in BIG EAST play... has a hit in 19 of his last 26 games... OBP of .368 is third on the team... went 22-for-44 (.500) total in recent weekend series at Butler and Seton Hall... |
| Will LaRue (So.) | Left Field | As of 5/12, ranked 16th nationally with 25 stolen bases and 27th nationally with 0.52 steals per game... fourth on team with 30 runs scored... third on team with 22 walks... had a huge three-run double with two outs in Saturday's comeback win vs. Creighton... |
| Roger Danison (Fr.) | Designated Hitter | Made two starts at DH in Creighton series and came off the bench in the series opener... went 3-for-7 (.429) overall with a pair of runs scored in the weekend series... |
| Matt Fallon (Jr.) | Center Field | Transfer from Black Hawk College (JC)... has reached base in 40 of 50 games this season... leads team with 29 walks... OBP of .342 is seventh on team... |
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PROJECTED STARTERS |
| Day | Name (Class) | Throws | Notes |
| Tues. | Damien Richard (So.) | RHP | Has made 14 appearances (10 in relief, four starts)... has also taken two turns in weekend rotation... started first career game at Wright State (3/8)... has thrown 26 innings out of the bullpen, compiling a 2.42 ERA (7 ER) as a reliever... has a 2.45 ERA in league play (3 APP, 7.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 K)... tossed five innings, allowing three runs and striking out three to get the win at Illinois State (4/3)... pitched well in last start at NKU, going a career-high six innings and limiting the Norse to one run on three hits (4/19)... helped XU seal a win on Saturday, throwing 4.1 innings of one-run relief against St. John's (4/23)... posted two innings of scoreless relief at Butler (5/1) to help seal a weekend sweep... |
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BULLPEN |
| Name (Class) | Throws | Notes |
| Garrett Schilling (So.) | RHP | Leads team with 23 appearances... has the win or save in seven of XU's last 10 games (four saves, three wins)... leads team with a 1.59 ERA... leads XU and ranked 18th in the nation with 10 saves as of 5/12... had a streak of 16.2 innings without an earned run snapped at Georgetown (4/17)... Earned back-to-back saves in games two and three at USC Upstate (3/5-6)... put up a career-high three innings of one-run relief in game four at ASU (2/21)... saved back-to-back wins vs. St. John's (4/23-24)... |
| Trey Schramm (Fr.) | RHP | Third on team with 21 appearances... has pitched 1+ innings in 15 of 21 appearances... has thrown 16 straight scoreless innings... yet to allow a run in league play (7 APP, 10 IP, 4 K)... Threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief in career debut at ASU (2/20)... tossed 3.2 innings with four strikeouts in series finale at Mercer (2/28)... earned first career win in Saturday game at USC Upstate, going three innings and striking out three (3/5)... tied a season-high with 3.2 innings of scoreless relief against Morehead State (4/10)... struck out two in two scoreless frames at Butler, helping XU seal a weekend sweep (5/1)... |
| Taylor Williams (Fr.) | RHP | Second on team with 22 appearances... sparkled in career debut, striking out six in 2.1 innings of relief at ASU (2/20)... struck out three in two innings of quality relief at UC (3/25)... went a career-high four innings at Miami (OH), striking out four (4/12)... picked up first career save with two innings of scoreless relief at Butler (5/1)... struck out two over 2.1 innings of scoreless relief vs. Creighton, helping XU come-from-behind to win the series in walk-off fashion (5/15)... |
| Greg Jacknewitz (Jr.) | LHP | Ranked sixth in the nation in hits per nine innings (5.37) in 2015... Twirled 6.2 innings of two-run ball in first outing at ASU (2/20)... went six innings and allowed just two runs in XU's win at USC Upstate (3/5)... last four appearances have been out of the bullpen after making eight straight starts to open the year... |
| Brad Kirschner (Jr.) | LHP | Has taken five turns in weekend rotation in 2016... has made six starts and nine relief appearances overall... has a 5.06 ERA as a starter (32 innings, 18 ER, 20 K)... coming off a brilliant relief appearance in game two at Seton Hall in which he tossed 6.2 innings, striking out six and scattering six hits (5/7)... threw 4.1 scoreless innings in relief on Saturday vs. Creighton, helping Xavier come-from-behind to even the series (5/14)... has allowed just one run in his last 11 innings over the last two weeks, lowering his ERA over a full point (5.63-4.59)... |
| Brandon Johnson (So.) | RHP | Allowed five earned runs in first career start in game three at ASU (2/20)... tossed a scoreless inning at nationally-ranked Louisville (3/15)... |
| Jason Hall (Jr.) | RHP | Made season debut at Mercer, tossing 1.1 innings of scoreless relief (2/28)... threw a scoreless inning at Illinois State (4/1)... finished out XU's midweek loss to IU (4/20)... |
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BOMBS AWAY |
• Xavier has 47 homers already this season, which stands as the 10th most in a season by XU with four games to play.
• As of 5/12, Xavier ranked 26th in the nation with 45 homers and 31st in home runs per game (0.94).
• The Musketeers have homered at least once in 19 of their last 36 games, totaling 38 longballs over that span.
• As of 5/12, Andre Jernigan ranked 33rd in the nation with 12 longballs.
• Joe Gellenbeck ranked 105th in the nation with nine longballs as of 5/12 and added another one over the weekend, helping Xavier walk-off against Creighton on Sunday with a towering shot to right. He has now homered in nine of XU's 14 weekend series.
• XU boasts the top three home run hitters in the BIG EAST Conference: Jernigan (12), Gellenbeck (10), Rizzie (8)
• Xavier launched six homers against St. John's in an 11-8 win on Saturday, April 23 at Hayden Field. It was the most homers in a game by a Xavier team since April 30, 2010 when XU bashed six against Dayton in a 21-5 win.
• Both have surpassed last year's team leader in homers, Derek Hasenbeck, who hit six in 53 games.
• Xavier has already passed last season's team total of 27 longballs.
Xavier Single Season Home Run Leaders
| Name or Names (Year or Years) | Home Runs |
| Ben Thomas (2009), Dan Froehle (1986) | 16 |
| Ben Thomas (2011), Jim Dallio (1996), Sean West (1995) | 15 |
| Matt Watson (1999) | 14 |
| Ben Thomas (2010), Mike Sak (1995), Andy Jansen (1982) | 13 |
| Bobby Freking (2010), Jim Dallio (1997, 1998), Scott Gordon (1989), Ted Shalloe (1985), Dan Froehle (1983), Andre Jernigan (2016) | 12 |
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SCHILLING SAVES IT |
• Sophomore righty Garrett Schilling has been a stalwart in the bullpen this season for Xavier, compiling 10 saves in 23 appearances to go with a team-leading 1.59 ERA.
• The back end of the bullpen has been a strength for XU all season, as the Musketeers are 19-0 when leading after eight innings.
• His last save at Seton Hall moved him into a tie for third on the all-time list of single season save leaders at Xavier.
Xavier Single Season Save Leaders
| Name or Names (Year or Years) | Saves |
| Jordan Conley (2009) | 13 |
| Seth Willoughby (2012) | 12 |
| Jordan Conley (2008) | 10 |
| Garrett Schilling (2016) | 10 |
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X CAN PICK IT |
• As of 5/12, Xavier ranked 36th in the nation with a fielding percentage of .975. The team improved that mark to .976 over the weekend, making two errors in the Creighton series.
• The program record for fielding percentage in a season is currently .974, a mark set in 2011.
• XU has committed 46 errors in 51 games, including 20 errorless outings.
• As of 5/12, the Musketeers ranked 30th in the NCAA with 45 double plays turned.
• Xavier has turned a league-leading 25 double plays in BIG EAST action alone. Georgetown is second with 13 double plays.
• Catcher Dan Rizzie has been a standout behind the plate, throwing out 60.6 percent (20-for-33) of attempted base stealers with just two errors in 47 starts.
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BASE BURGLARS |
• One of the top base-stealing teams in the nation, Xavier has 83 steals this season.
• As of 5/12, XU ranked 13th nationally in steals and 16th in steals per game (1.69).
• Xavier stole seven bases in back-to-back games at Mercer, tallying 17 for the weekend series.
• Prior to the Mercer series (Feb. 26-28), the last time Xavier stole seven bases in a game was on March 31, 2015 at Dayton.
• As of 5/12, sophomore Will LaRue ranks 16th in the nation with 25 steals and 27th in the nation with 0.53 steals per game.
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BUSTING OUT THE BROOMS |
• Xavier's sweep of Seton Hall from May 6-7 was its fourth of the season and gave the Musketeers an eight-game winning streak for the first time since winning nine straight from March 6-18, 2011.
• The last time XU had four sweeps in a season was in 2013 when the Musketeers swept four series (UMass, Dayton, Evansville and St. Bonaventure)
• Xavier swept Butler from April 29-May 1 on the road and also ran the table on Central Michigan at home from March 18-20. Xavier's first sweep of the year came at USC Upstate from March 4-6, which snapped a season-opening seven game losing streak.
• Prior to the USC Upstate sweep, XU last ran the table from April 11-13, 2014 against Villanova at Hayden Field.
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STEPPING IT UP ON THE MOUND |
• Since the beginning of conference play, XU has put together a 3.70 team ERA on the hill. Six Musketeer pitchers have posted ERA's at 3.86 or lower in 15 BIG EAST games.
• Trey Schramm has yet to allow a run in league play with a 0.00 ERA in 10 innings.
• Matt Kent (3.74 ERA, 21.2 IP), Damien Richard (2.45 ERA, 7.1 IP), Brad Kirschner (3.86 ERA, 18.2 IP), Zac Lowther (3.86 ERA, 32.2 IP) and Garrett Schilling (2.19 ERA, 12.1 IP) have also been superb thus far in BIG EAST action.
• Xavier's pitching staff finished the Butler series with a 1.00 ERA (27 IP, 3 ER) covering all three games.
• XU's bullpen finished the weekend at Butler allowing just one earned run in 10 innings (0.90 ERA), including 8.1 consecutive scoreless innings to end the weekend.
• As a unit, the Musketeer 'pen has posted a 1.72 ERA (47.1 IP, 9 ER) in its last 12 games. Xavier's relief corps currently has a combined scoreless streak of 11.2 innings.
• In 36 non-conference games, Xavier recorded a team ERA of 5.00.
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YOUNG GUNS |
• Seven pitchers for XU came into 2016 without a single career appearance and five have thrown significant innings for the Musketeers this spring.
• Four true freshmen – Trey Schramm, Taylor Williams, Noah Malone and Sam Czabala – all made their Xavier debuts during opening weekend at Arizona State. Another rookie, Matt Kent, made his career debut on Friday, March 25 at UC, setting down the Bearcats in 1-2-3 fashion.
• Schramm and Williams are both among the team leaders in appearances, while throwing a combined 79.1 innings of relief.
• Kent has worked his way into the weekend rotation after making his first career start against Miami (OH) on April 12.
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YOUTH MOVEMENT |
• Xavier has just three seniors on the 2016 roster (Andre Jernigan, Dan Rizzie and David Morton) after graduating 14 from its 2015 squad.
• The Musketeers lost 15 letterwinners overall and have 13 newcomers on the 2016 roster.
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BIG EAST PROGNOSTICATIONS |
• 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.
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TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM |
• 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 has been clipped by a pitch 11 times again this season, moving into a tie for third all-time in XU history in HBP.
• Jernigan's career total of 33 is tied for third all-time at Xavier, trailing leader Mark Elwell (41 HBP, 2009-13) by eight.
• 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.
All-Time Career Leaders in HBP
| Name (Years at XU) | HBP |
| Mark Elwell (2009-13) | 41 |
| John McCambridge (2008-11) | 39 |
| Bill Fish (1996-99) | 33 |
| Andre Jernigan (2013-Present) | 33 |
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2016 OPPONENT BREAKDOWN |
• 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.
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2016 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT |
• 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).
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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