Thursday, May 26
3:30 p.m.
Xavier University
vs
No. 4 St. John's
Top-Seeded Musketeers Begin BIG EAST Championships on Thursday
05.25.16 | Baseball
Musketeers will face fourth-seeded St. John's at 3:30 p.m. ET in Aberdeen, Md.
ABERDEEN, Md. – Xavier baseball makes its second appearance in the BIG EAST Championships in three years on Thursday, beginning the four-team, double elimination tournament against fourth-seeded St. John's at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium.
Xavier enters the tournament 27-28 overall, winners in 13 of 15 and as BIG EAST regular season champions – following a 14-4 run through conference play.
The Musketeers will play St. John's, the 2015 BIG EAST tournament champs, in an opening game that features the past two champions of the league tournament.
In the lone meeting this season, Xavier took two of three against the Red Storm at Hayden Field from April 23-24.
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• Xavier has turned its season around over the last five weeks, claiming five consecutive series against conference foes for the first time since winning five straight in 2011.
• The Musketeers are BIG EAST regular season champions for the first time in program history after clinching a home sweep against Villanova last weekend. XU went 14-4 in league play, including series wins over St. John's, Butler, Seton Hall, Creighton and Villanova.
• Rebounding from a frustrating 2015 season, XU surpassed last season's win total back on Sunday, April 24 – coming in a 1-0 win over St. John's.
• The Musketeers played 36 of their 55 games away from Hayden Field in 2016. 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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• 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 cleared 300 career wins with a 1-0 victory over Villanova on Thursday, May 19.
• Googins has 302 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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• St. John's comes into the tournament at 27-24-1 after a 9-9 run through the BIG EAST. The Red Storm went 3-5 in their last eight, rebounding to win a series finale against Creighton which helped give XU an outright league title.
• Xavier took two of three against the Red Storm from April 23-24 at Hayden Field, dropping the opener before rebounding to win the final two. The series win turned out to be the turning point in Xavier's season, as the Musketeers would not drop a weekend series the rest of the way.
• Thursday's starter for the Red Storm will be senior righty Kevin Torres, who pitched St. John's to a win against XU on Saturday, April 23. For the season, Torres holds a 3-2 record and a 3.45 ERA. Torres has made five starts and 17 appearances overall, striking out 23 in 47 innings.
• Against XU, Torres went six innings and allowed two earned runs while scattering seven hits and striking out five.Â
• BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Thomas Hackimer anchors the Red Storm bullpen with a 0.72 ERA and 67 strikeouts in just 49.2 innings pitched.
• St. John's hits .285 as a team paced by John Valente (.327, 1 HR, 10 RBI), Michael Donadio (.324, 3 HR, 30 RBI), Jesse Berardi (.311, 5 HR, 39 RBI) and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Josh Shaw (.302, 2 HR, 41 RBI).
• The Red Storm have a team ERA of 4.81 led by Hackimer (0.72 ERA, 49.2 IP), Joe Napolitano (2.03 ERA, 40 IP) and Torres (3.45 ERA, 47 IP).
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• The 2016 BIG EAST Tournament is being held in Aberdeen, Md. at Ripken Stadium – home of the Baltimore Orioles Single-A affiliate Aberdeen IronBirds.
• The four team field is be set with Xavier as the top-seeded team. Creighton is the No. 2 seed, while Seton Hall is the No. 3 and St. John's is the No. 4.
• Ripken Stadium is 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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• Xavier has 51 homers already this season, which stands tied for seventh-most in a season by an XU team.
• Xavier ranks 33rd in the nation with 51 homers and 34th in home runs per game (0.93).
• The Musketeers have homered at least once in 21 of their last 40 games, totaling 42 longballs over that span.
• Senior shortstop Andre Jernigan ranks 77th in the nation with 12 longballs.
• Joe Gellenbeck ranks 77th in the nation with 12 longballs. His 10th was a huge one, helping Xavier walk-off with a series win against Creighton on Sunday, May 15. He has homered in 10 of XU's 15 weekend series.
• XU boasts the top three home run hitters in the BIG EAST Conference: Jernigan (12), Gellenbeck (12), Rizzie (9)
• 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
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• Sophomore righty Garrett Schilling has been a stalwart in the bullpen this season for Xavier, compiling 11 saves in 24 appearances to go with a team-leading 1.54 ERA.
• Schilling's 11th save, which came versus Villanova on Thursday, May 19, moved him into third on the all-time list of single season save leaders at Xavier.
• The back end of the bullpen has been a strength for XU all season, as the Musketeers are 22-0 when leading after eight innings.
Xavier Single Season Save Leaders
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• Xavier ranks 45th in the nation with a fielding percentage of .974.
• The program record for fielding percentage in a season is currently .974, a mark set in 2011.
• XU has committed 53 errors in 52 games, including 20 errorless outings.
• The Musketeers rank 33rd in the NCAA with 51 double plays turned.
• Xavier has turned a league-leading 28 double plays in BIG EAST action alone. Creighton is second with 14 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 54 starts.
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• One of the top base-stealing teams in the nation, Xavier has 93 steals this season.
• 12 different players have swiped a base for Xavier.
• XU ranks 16th nationally in steals (93) and 13th 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.
• Sophomore Will LaRue ranks 16th in the nation with 28 steals and 28th in the nation with 0.52 steals per game.
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• XU's last sweep, coming against Villanova from May 19-21, was its fifth of the season. It's the first time since 2011 the Musketeers have accomplished the feat.
• Xavier's sweep of Seton Hall from May 6-7 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 had last ran the table from April 11-13, 2014 against Villanova at Hayden Field.
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• Since the beginning of conference play, XU has put together a 3.53 team ERA on the hill. Five Musketeer pitchers have posted ERA's at 3.10 or lower in 18 BIG EAST games.
• Trey Schramm did not allow a run through his first 14 innings in league play and has a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings of work.
• Trent Astle (2.82 ERA, 22.1 IP), Damien Richard (2.45 ERA, 7.1 IP), Zac Lowther (3.10 ERA, 40.2 IP) and Garrett Schilling (1.69 ERA, 16 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.Â
• 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.
• In 37 non-conference games, Xavier has recorded a team ERA of 5.02.
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• As a unit, the Musketeer bullpen has been sensational over its last 16 games. The XU 'pen has recorded a 2.17 ERA (62.2 IP, 15 ER) over that stretch.
• Xavier's relief corps had a combined scoreless streak of 11.2 innings snapped last Tuesday at Miami (OH).
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• Seven pitchers for XU came into 2016 without a single career appearance and five have thrown significant innings for the Musketeers this spring.Â
• 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 86.2 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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• 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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• 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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• Senior Andre Jernigan has been clipped by a pitch 12 times this season, a mark tied for fifth in XU single season history. His proclivity for getting hit over his career has also moved him into third all-time in XU history in HBP.Â
• Jernigan has reached base the hard way at a prolific clip over the last three years, getting hit by a pitch 11 times both in 2014 and 2015. Both seasons are tied for eighth all-time in the XU record book.
• Jernigan's career total of 34 is third all-time at Xavier, trailing leader Mark Elwell (41 HBP, 2009-13) by seven.
• 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
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• 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 faced 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.
Xavier enters the tournament 27-28 overall, winners in 13 of 15 and as BIG EAST regular season champions – following a 14-4 run through conference play.
The Musketeers will play St. John's, the 2015 BIG EAST tournament champs, in an opening game that features the past two champions of the league tournament.
In the lone meeting this season, Xavier took two of three against the Red Storm at Hayden Field from April 23-24.
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 THE MATCHUP |
|  Date – Time |  Follow Live |
|  Thurs., May 26 – 3:30 p.m. |  Stats / BEDN / @XavierBASE |
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 PROJECTED STARTERS |
| Thurs. | LHP Zac Lowther (6-5, 2.88 ERA) vs. RHP Kevin Torres (3-2, 3.45 ERA) |
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 AROUND THE HORN |
• Xavier has turned its season around over the last five weeks, claiming five consecutive series against conference foes for the first time since winning five straight in 2011.
• The Musketeers are BIG EAST regular season champions for the first time in program history after clinching a home sweep against Villanova last weekend. XU went 14-4 in league play, including series wins over St. John's, Butler, Seton Hall, Creighton and Villanova.
• Rebounding from a frustrating 2015 season, XU surpassed last season's win total back on Sunday, April 24 – coming in a 1-0 win over St. John's.
• The Musketeers played 36 of their 55 games away from Hayden Field in 2016. 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 cleared 300 career wins with a 1-0 victory over Villanova on Thursday, May 19.
• Googins has 302 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 |
• St. John's comes into the tournament at 27-24-1 after a 9-9 run through the BIG EAST. The Red Storm went 3-5 in their last eight, rebounding to win a series finale against Creighton which helped give XU an outright league title.
• Xavier took two of three against the Red Storm from April 23-24 at Hayden Field, dropping the opener before rebounding to win the final two. The series win turned out to be the turning point in Xavier's season, as the Musketeers would not drop a weekend series the rest of the way.
• Thursday's starter for the Red Storm will be senior righty Kevin Torres, who pitched St. John's to a win against XU on Saturday, April 23. For the season, Torres holds a 3-2 record and a 3.45 ERA. Torres has made five starts and 17 appearances overall, striking out 23 in 47 innings.
• Against XU, Torres went six innings and allowed two earned runs while scattering seven hits and striking out five.Â
• BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Thomas Hackimer anchors the Red Storm bullpen with a 0.72 ERA and 67 strikeouts in just 49.2 innings pitched.
• St. John's hits .285 as a team paced by John Valente (.327, 1 HR, 10 RBI), Michael Donadio (.324, 3 HR, 30 RBI), Jesse Berardi (.311, 5 HR, 39 RBI) and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Josh Shaw (.302, 2 HR, 41 RBI).
• The Red Storm have a team ERA of 4.81 led by Hackimer (0.72 ERA, 49.2 IP), Joe Napolitano (2.03 ERA, 40 IP) and Torres (3.45 ERA, 47 IP).
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 2016 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT |
• The 2016 BIG EAST Tournament is being held in Aberdeen, Md. at Ripken Stadium – home of the Baltimore Orioles Single-A affiliate Aberdeen IronBirds.
• The four team field is be set with Xavier as the top-seeded team. Creighton is the No. 2 seed, while Seton Hall is the No. 3 and St. John's is the No. 4.
• Ripken Stadium is 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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 PROJECTED LINEUP |
| Name (Class) | Position | Notes |
| Rylan Bannon (So.) | Third Base | 2016 All-BIG EAST First Team selection... Started season 0-for-16 and is 46-for-158 (.291) with five homers and 20 RBI since... posted an OBP of .420 in BIG EAST play... tied for team lead with .390 OBP overall... had an 11-game hitting streak snapped on April 12 at Miami (OH)... has reached base in 29 of his last 34 games... hit .500 (4-for-8) with a homer in the Creighton series two weekends ago... drew five walks in the series to post an incredible .714 on-base percentage... |
| Daniel Rizzie (Sr.) | Catcher | 2016 All-BIG EAST First Team selection... 2016 Preseason All-BIG EAST... 2016 Johnny Bench Award Watch List... missed most of last season with hand injury... has reached base in 17 straight games... batting .336 (51-for-152) with nine homers in last 38 games... leads team with 20 multi-hit performances, including three two-hit games last weekend vs. Villanova... |
| Joe Gellenbeck (Jr.) | First Base | 2016 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection... has homered in 10 of XU's 15 weekend series... has walk-off hits in three of XU's last six games... tied for first in the BIG EAST with teammate Andre Jernigan (12 HR)... leads team and BIG EAST with 45 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... named BIG EAST Player of the Week after Villanova series... batted .400 (6-for-15) against the Wildcats, supplying six RBI and a grand slam on Saturday as XU clinched the league title... |
| Andre Jernigan (Sr.) | Shortstop | 2016 BIG EAST Player of the Year... All-BIG EAST First Team... Preseason All-BIG EAST... tied for team and BIG EAST lead with 12 homers and 110 total bases... also leads team with 12 HBP... second on team with 37 RBI and third with 34 runs scored... four triples are most in a season by a Musketeer since Stephen Schoettmer in 2013... has made 163 starts at SS in last three-plus seasons... |
| Nate Soria (So.) | Right Field | 2016 All-BIG EAST First Team... Led 2015 team in BA (.335), 2B (11) and OBP (.420)... has reached base in 68 of last 85 games going back to 2015... had a streak of five straight multi-hit games snapped on Tuesday, April 19 at NKU... tied for team lead with .333 batting average (20-for-60) 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 | Tied for team lead with a .333 batting average (21-for-63) in BIG EAST play... has a hit in 22 of his last 30 games... OBP of .390 is tied for first on team... 22-for-44 (.500) total in back-to-back weekend series at Butler and Seton Hall... named BIG EAST Player of the Week after hitting .500 in Seton Hall series... |
| Will LaRue (So.) | Left Field | Ranks 16th nationally with 28 stolen bases and 28th nationally with 0.52 steals per game... fourth on team with 31 runs... tied for third on team with 22 walks... had a huge three-run double with two outs in a comeback win vs. Creighton (5/14)... enters tournament with a team-leading nine-game hitting streak... |
| 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 42 of 54 games this season... tied for team lead with 30 walks... |
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 PROJECTED STARTERS |
| Day | Name (Class) | Throws | Notes |
| Thurs. | Zac Lowther (So.) | LHP | 2016 All-BIG EAST Second Team... has lasted at least five innings in all 14 of his turns so far as the Friday night starter... leads team in innings (90.2) and strikeouts (76)... leads BIG EAST with 29 strikeouts looking... turned in a brilliant start at USC Upstate (3/4), tying career-highs with seven innings of one-run ball... struck out a career-high eight in six innings of shutout ball against CMU (3/18)... spun six innings of scoreless ball against Illinois State on Friday, striking out seven... limited Morehead State to one run over seven innings (4/8)... After allowing four runs in each of first two BIG EAST starts, rebounded to post seven innings of one-run ball at Butler (4/29)... picked up a win at Seton Hall (5/6), going six and allowing two earned runs to go with seven strikeouts... named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week (5/23) after firing a career-high eight innings of shutout ball vs. Villanova last Thursday... tied a career-high with eight strikeouts in the start vs. 'Nova (5/19)... |
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 BULLPEN |
| Name (Class) | Throws | Notes |
| Garrett Schilling (So.) | RHP | 2016 All-BIG EAST Second Team... leads XU with 24 appearances... has the win or save in eight of XU's last 14 games (five saves, three wins)... leads team with a 1.54 ERA... leads XU and ranks 26th in the nation with 11 saves... third on single season all-time save list for XU... 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 | Tied for second on team with 23 appearances... has pitched 1+ innings in 16 of 23 appearances... saw a 20-inning scoreless streak snapped on Friday (5/20)... has dropped ERA from 5.63-3.50 since April 2... allowed just three runs in league play (8 APP, 15 IP, 5 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)... pitched a career-high five innings in game two win vs. Villanova (5/20), going four scoreless before allowing three in the ninth of a blowout win... |
| Taylor Williams (Fr.) | RHP | Tied for team lead with 23 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 five appearances have been out of the bullpen after making eight straight starts to open the year... tossed two scoreless innings on Tuesday at Miami (OH), striking out a pair (5/17)... pitched final two innings of Saturday's BIG EAST title clincher, allowing no runs and striking out two (5/21)... |
| Brad Kirschner (Jr.) | LHP | Has taken five turns in weekend rotation in 2016... got the ball in six starts and has made 10 relief appearances... has a 5.06 ERA as a starter (32 innings, 18 ER, 20 K)... posted back-to-back brilliant relief appearances in BIG EAST play... tossed 6.2 innings, striking out six and scattering six hits in game two win at Seton Hall (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 four earned runs in his last 15 innings over the last two weeks, lowering his ERA nearly a full point (5.63-4.83)... |
| Trent Astle (Jr.) | LHP | 2015 All-BIG EAST Second Team... has posted a 3-0 record to go with a 2.82 ERA in 22.1 innings during league play... has won three of four BIG EAST starts, helping seal sweeps against Butler, Seton Hall and Villanova... went five innings, allowing just one run at Butler (5/1)... lasted a season-high seven innings and gave up just two runs on Saturday at Seton Hall (5/7), helping XU to a 10-6 win... second on team with 60.2 innings pitched... tied a season-high with seven innings of scoreless ball, striking out four to lead XU to BIG EAST regular season title clincher against Villanova (5/21)... |
| Damien Richard (So.) | RHP | Has made 15 appearances (10 in relief, five 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... |
| 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 51 homers already this season, which stands tied for seventh-most in a season by an XU team.
• Xavier ranks 33rd in the nation with 51 homers and 34th in home runs per game (0.93).
• The Musketeers have homered at least once in 21 of their last 40 games, totaling 42 longballs over that span.
• Senior shortstop Andre Jernigan ranks 77th in the nation with 12 longballs.
• Joe Gellenbeck ranks 77th in the nation with 12 longballs. His 10th was a huge one, helping Xavier walk-off with a series win against Creighton on Sunday, May 15. He has homered in 10 of XU's 15 weekend series.
• XU boasts the top three home run hitters in the BIG EAST Conference: Jernigan (12), Gellenbeck (12), Rizzie (9)
• 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), Joe Gellenbeck (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 11 saves in 24 appearances to go with a team-leading 1.54 ERA.
• Schilling's 11th save, which came versus Villanova on Thursday, May 19, moved him into third on the all-time list of single season save leaders at Xavier.
• The back end of the bullpen has been a strength for XU all season, as the Musketeers are 22-0 when leading after eight innings.
Xavier Single Season Save Leaders
| Name or Names (Year or Years) | Saves |
| Jordan Conley (2009) | 13 |
| Seth Willoughby (2012) | 12 |
| Garrett Schilling (2016) | 11 |
| Jordan Conley (2008) | 10 |
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 X CAN PICK IT |
• Xavier ranks 45th in the nation with a fielding percentage of .974.
• The program record for fielding percentage in a season is currently .974, a mark set in 2011.
• XU has committed 53 errors in 52 games, including 20 errorless outings.
• The Musketeers rank 33rd in the NCAA with 51 double plays turned.
• Xavier has turned a league-leading 28 double plays in BIG EAST action alone. Creighton is second with 14 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 54 starts.
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 BASE BURGLARS |
• One of the top base-stealing teams in the nation, Xavier has 93 steals this season.
• 12 different players have swiped a base for Xavier.
• XU ranks 16th nationally in steals (93) and 13th 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.
• Sophomore Will LaRue ranks 16th in the nation with 28 steals and 28th in the nation with 0.52 steals per game.
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 BUSTING OUT THE BROOMS |
• XU's last sweep, coming against Villanova from May 19-21, was its fifth of the season. It's the first time since 2011 the Musketeers have accomplished the feat.
• Xavier's sweep of Seton Hall from May 6-7 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 had 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 3.53 team ERA on the hill. Five Musketeer pitchers have posted ERA's at 3.10 or lower in 18 BIG EAST games.
• Trey Schramm did not allow a run through his first 14 innings in league play and has a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings of work.
• Trent Astle (2.82 ERA, 22.1 IP), Damien Richard (2.45 ERA, 7.1 IP), Zac Lowther (3.10 ERA, 40.2 IP) and Garrett Schilling (1.69 ERA, 16 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.Â
• 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.
• In 37 non-conference games, Xavier has recorded a team ERA of 5.02.
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 PROVIDING RELIEF |
• As a unit, the Musketeer bullpen has been sensational over its last 16 games. The XU 'pen has recorded a 2.17 ERA (62.2 IP, 15 ER) over that stretch.
• Xavier's relief corps had a combined scoreless streak of 11.2 innings snapped last Tuesday at Miami (OH).
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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.Â
• 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 86.2 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 been clipped by a pitch 12 times this season, a mark tied for fifth in XU single season history. His proclivity for getting hit over his career has also moved him into third all-time in XU history in HBP.Â
• Jernigan has reached base the hard way at a prolific clip over the last three years, getting hit by a pitch 11 times both in 2014 and 2015. Both seasons are tied for eighth all-time in the XU record book.
• Jernigan's career total of 34 is third all-time at Xavier, trailing leader Mark Elwell (41 HBP, 2009-13) by seven.
• 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 |
| Andre Jernigan (2013-Present) | 34 |
| Bill Fish (1996-99) | 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 faced 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.
Players Mentioned
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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