Xavier University Athletics
Wednesday, March 15
Louisville, Ky.
1 p.m.
Xavier University
at
Louisville
Baseball Heads to No. 1 Louisville for Midweek Matchup
03.13.17 | Baseball
Musketeers coming off 2-3 week during spring break
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Xavier baseball gets back to action on Wednesday, traveling to No. 1 Louisville for a midweek game at Patterson Stadium.
XU comes into the series at 7-9, while Louisville enters the game at 15-0.
• Sam Flamini has a four-game hitting streak.
• Junior third baseman Rylan Bannon has been hot at the plate over his last 12 games.
• After a 2-for-19 (.105) start to the year at Troy, Bannon has recorded a 16-for-45 (.356) line in his last 12 games with 10 runs, five doubles, four homers and 11 RBI.
• Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Joe Gellenbeck ranks 20th nationally with 15 walks on the young season.
• Gellenbeck's on-base percentage is a team-high .452 and he has walked just as many times as he has struck out this year (15-to-15).
• The Musketeers are coming off their second BIG EAST Championship run in three seasons in 2017 after sweeping both the regular season and league tournament titles in 2016. Xavier went 32-30 (14-4 BIG EAST) a year ago and brings back 26 letterwinners from its most recent title run.
• Six everyday starters are back for the Musketeers. XU also brings back 13 pitchers, representing all but 54 innings pitched from last season. 48.1 of those 54 innings lost were thrown by junior righty Damien Richard, who remains on the roster but is rehabbing from an injury.
• XU returns quantity and quality, bringing back All-BIG EAST First Team selections Rylan Bannon and Nate Soria, as well as All-BIG EAST Second Team honorees Zac Lowther, Joe Gellenbeck and Garrett Schilling.
• Xavier junior Garrett Schilling is transitioning to the rotation in 2017 after serving in the bullpen for his first two years on the team.
• Schilling threw seven innings of one-run ball, striking out five and scattering three hits in his first career start at Troy (2/18). He left after throwing just 72 pitches.
• Schilling picked up his first win as a starter at Penn State (2/25), allowing just three hits and one unearned run in six innings of work.
• A lights-out closer as a sophomore, Schilling posted a 1.91 ERA (tied for eighth in XU history) and broke the school record for saves with 14.
• Xavier made just two errors in four games at Troy to open the season and holds a .970 fielding percentage to start the season.
• The Musketeers also rank ninth in the nation with 18 double plays this season.
• XU tied a school record in 2016 with a .974 fielding percentage.
• Freshman Conor Grammes had a memorable first collegiate weekend at Troy after batting .471 (8-for-17) with three runs, three doubles, a homer and five RBI.
• Batting in the clean-up spot from his first start, Grammes recorded two hits in all four games.
• The McLean, Va. native has also been a top option out of the bullpen, putting up a 2.45 ERA in five appearances.
• One of just four unanimous preseason All-BIG EAST selections, senior Joe Gellenbeck was named the program's first-ever preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year in December. The lefty swinger had a breakout season in 2016, homering in 10 of XU's 15 weekend series and leading the BIG EAST with 51 RBI and 125 total bases. A force in the middle of the lineup, the Lebanon, Ohio native and St. Xavier grad also ranked second for Xavier with 13 homers, 16 doubles, 41 runs, 70 hits and a .508 slugging percentage.
• Clutch in big moments, Gellenbeck had back-to-back walk-off hits to clinch a series win over Creighton in mid-May in addition to a game-tying homer in the third inning of the 2016 BIG EAST Championship game.
• Gellenbeck played in and tied all 62 games for Xavier last season, tying a school record, while also hitting .300 (9-for-30) with a homer and six RBI in seven postseason starts.
• Seven Musketeers – Nate Soria, Joe Gellenbeck, Chris Givin, Rylan Bannon, Will LaRue, Zac Lowther and Garrett Schilling – were selected by the league's coaches as Preseason All-BIG EAST honorees – the most for the program since joining the league for the 2014 season.
• Xavier had two preseason All-BIG EAST selections in each of the last two seasons and had one selection during its first year in the league.
• The seven selections more than doubles the total preseason All-BIG EAST picks in Xavier's proram history. The Musketeers had five overall in the last three seasons.
• Each of the selections is a first-time honoree.
• Five juniors, one senior and one sophomore were honored for Xavier.
• The defending league regular season and tournament champions, Xavier was picked to finish first in the BIG EAST for the first time in program history.
• Xavier had been picked fourth in each of its three seasons in the league prior to the first-place prediction on Tuesday.
• In addition to the BIG EAST poll, XU was also picked to win the league by publications like D1Baseball.com, Perfect Game and Baseball America.
Full Coaches Poll
First place votes in ( )
T1. Xavier – 32 points (4)
T1. St. John's – 32 pts. (3)
3. Creighton – 25 pts.
4. Seton Hall – 24 pts.
5. Georgetown – 17 pts.
6. Villanova – 9 pts.
7. Butler – 8 pts.
^ - denotes unanimous selection
* - due to ties in voting there are four outfielders and five starting pitchers on the 2017 Preseason All-BIG EAST team
• At its lowest point in 2016, Xavier was 14-26 and 1-3 in BIG EAST play in 2016 after a series-opening loss to St. John's.
• From that point on, XU would win eight straight games and 18 of its final 22.
• XU's senior class of Dan Rizzie, Andre Jernigan and David Morton combined to hit .395 in seven postseason games, carrying the Musketeers to a BIG EAST Championship for the second time in three seasons and another trip to Nashville for the NCAA Tournament.
• The Musketeers beat host and top-seeded Vanderbilt 15-1 in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament and also picked up a win against Washington, reaching the NCAA Tournament Regional Championship for the first time in program history.
• XU hit 59 home runs as a team, ranking among the national leaders and posting the fifth-most homers ever by an XU team.
• Xavier's fielding percentage of .974 tied a program record set in 2011.
• Xavier's 32 wins in 2016 were tied for the second-most in school history.
• Following a record-setting season, Xavier had two players selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft for the first time since 2008. Dan Rizzie went first, going to the New York Mets in the 13th round and Andre Jernigan followed as a 14th round selection of the Minnesota Twins.
• Xavier has now had at least one player drafted in 10 of the last 12 years.
• Head coach Scott Googins begins his 12th season in 2017 after reaching a couple milestones a year ago.
• Xavier's skipper became the all-time winningest baseball coach at Xavier with win No. 288 at Georgetown on April 15.
• Googins also picked up career win No. 300 on May 19 against Villanova.
• After a 7-9 start to the season, his all-time record is now 314-339 (.481).
XU comes into the series at 7-9, while Louisville enters the game at 15-0.
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PROBABLE PITCHERS |
| Game | Xavier | Louisville |
| 1 | Trent Astle, LHP -- 5.93 ERA, 13.2 IP, 6 K |
Michael McAvene, RHP -- 2.31 ERA, 11.2 IP, 18 K |
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PROJECTED LINEUP |
| Name | Class | Position | Hometown (HS) | Notes |
| Matt Fallon | SR | CF | Glenview, Ill. (Loyola) | Hit .400 (6-for-15) in opening weekend at Troy, including a career-best 4-for-4 performance in the finale... moved up to leadoff spot in series finale against PSU and put together a 2-for-5 line with a run scored... played in all 62 games last season, tying XU record, and made 61 starts... named to BIG EAST All-Tournament Team after hitting .500 (5-for-10) with four runs scored... scored the winning run during a semifinal walk-off win against St. John's on May 26... named to NCAA Tournament Nashville All-Regional Team after collecting a hit in each game and appearing on SportsCenter for a highlight-reel catch in center... tied for team lead with 34 walks... finished season on an eight-game hitting streak... reached in 50 of 62 games... |
| Joe Gellenbeck | SR | RF | Lebanon, Ohio (St. Xavier) | Named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (3/6 & 3/13) in back-to-back weeks... ranks 20th nationally with 15 walks this season, including seven during XU's opening weekend at Troy... saw a team-high nine-game hit streak snapped at Georgia last Wednesday... has reached base in 14 of 15 games this season... preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year... unanimous preseason All-BIG EAST selection... 2016 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection... 2016 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team... started all 62 games in 2016, tying a program record... led team and BIG EAST with 51 RBI and 125 total bases... ranked 57th in NCAA Division I with 13 longballs... homered in 10 of Xavier's 15 weekend series... |
| Rylan Bannon | JR | 3B | Joliet, Ill. (Joliet Catholic) |
Began season 2-for-19 (.105) but has recovered over last 12... 16-for-45 (.356) in last 12 games with 10 runs, five doubles, four homers and 11 RBI... named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after Penn State series (2/27), in which he hit .500 (8-for-16) with two homer and eight RBI in four games... went 6-for-8 (.750) in doubleheader sweep against PSU (2/25)... preseason All-BIG EAST selection... 2016 All-BIG EAST First Team selection... 2016 NCAA Tournament Nashville All-Regional Team... coming off a breakout sophomore season, shaking off a 0-for-16 start at the plate to hit .296 (56-for-189) the rest of the way... became a sparkplug at the leadoff spot for the Musketeers... played in 60 games with 59 starts at third base... tied for team-lead with 34 walks and 17 doubles... led team with a .390 on-base percentage... was fourth on team with a .273 batting average... walked 17 times and struck out just 10 times in league play, raising his OBP to .420 in BIG EAST action... |
| Connor Grammes | FR | 2B | McLean, Va. (McLean) | Fourth on team with four multi-hit games... named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after a big first weekend at Troy... hit .471 (8-for-17) with three runs, three doubles, a homer and five RBI in four starts... has also logged 5.2 innings of scoreless relief out of the bullpen... hit .500 with a .587 on-base percentage as a high school senior... was a back-to-back state champion wrestler and graduated as McLean's all-time leader in wins on the mat... |
| Nate Soria | JR | C | Homer Glen, Ill. (St. Rita of Cascia) | Named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List... fourth straight year XU has had a catcher on the list... rebounded from a tough series (1-for-15) against PSU to hit .333 (3-for-9) with a homer at Charlotte... also went 3-for-9 in a pair of midweek games at Georgia... put together a .308 (4-for-13) series with a homer and three RBI in XU's opening weekend trip to Troy... preseason All-BIG EAST selection... 2016 All-BIG EAST First Team selection... 2015 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American... 2015 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year... tied for first on team with a .333 (20-for-60) batting average in BIG EAST play... has reached base in 79 of last 100 games going back to 2015... returning to catcher role after serving as an outfielder/DH during sophomore season... |
| Nate Monastra | FR | DH | Lewis Center, Ohio (Olentangy) | Started all three games at Charlotte, going 1-for-10 with a double... went 3-for-9 with a double and two RBI in a pair of games against Georgia... went 2-for-3 with a homer and double in his first two college at-bats at Troy (2/18)... hit .456 with 28 RBI as a high school senior... was ranked as the second-best catching prospect in the state of Ohio by Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report... |
| Mitch Gallagher | JR | SS | Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) | Has come on in last 12 games, going 12-for-36 (.333) against Penn State, Charlotte, Georgia and Southern Miss... hit .400 (8-for-20) last five starts at Charlotte and Georgia... has played all over the infield (1B, 2B and SS)... hit .339 as a sophomore at Palomar Junior College... transferred to XU over the off-season... was one of seven Comets to sign D-I after earning First Team All-PCAC honors... began college career at Pepperdine... |
| Will LaRue | JR | LF | Evansville, Ind. (Mater Dei) |
One of the top steal threats in the nation... leads team with eight steals... went 2-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and three steals in two midweek games at Georgia... preseason All-BIG EAST selection... appeared in 61 games with 60 starts during a breakout season... became one of the nation's best basestealers... swiped 31 bags in 36 attempts (86.1% success rate)... ranked 13th in the nation in total steals (31) and 27th in steals per game (0.51)... fourth on team with 38 runs scored... tied for fourth on team with 25 walks... third on team with 57 hits... |
| Ethan Schmidt | SR | 1B | Granville, Ohio (Granville) | Collected hits in three of four games against PSU... made 41 appearances and 21 starts at first in 2016... hit .224 with two homers and nine RBI... launched first career grand slam in a 12-4 win over Miami (OH) on March 16... had a seven-game hitting streak from April 16-24... |
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PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Trent Astle | SR | LHP | Jeffersonville, Ind. (Jeffersonville) | Has a 5.93 ERA in three starts this season... threw six innings of scoreless ball in first start of season at Troy (2/18)... was fantastic in BIG EAST play in 2016, leading XU starters with a 3-0 record and a 2.82 ERA... helped seal series sweeps against Butler, Seton Hall and Villanova with game three wins... was second on team in starts (15), innings (69.2) and tied for second in wins (5)... was the winning pitcher in XU's win over Villanova to clinch the regular season title... was All-BIG EAST Second Team as a sophomore in 2015 after posting a career-best 3.42 ERA and leading XU in IP, K and GS... three a complete-game, three-hit shutout against No. 1 seeded Creighton to lead XU to the 2014 BIG EAST Championship as a freshman in 2014... |
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STREAKING |
• Sam Flamini has a four-game hitting streak.
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RIDING RYLAN |
• Junior third baseman Rylan Bannon has been hot at the plate over his last 12 games.
• After a 2-for-19 (.105) start to the year at Troy, Bannon has recorded a 16-for-45 (.356) line in his last 12 games with 10 runs, five doubles, four homers and 11 RBI.
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TAKE A HIKE |
• Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Joe Gellenbeck ranks 20th nationally with 15 walks on the young season.
• Gellenbeck's on-base percentage is a team-high .452 and he has walked just as many times as he has struck out this year (15-to-15).
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THE KING RETURNS |
• The Musketeers are coming off their second BIG EAST Championship run in three seasons in 2017 after sweeping both the regular season and league tournament titles in 2016. Xavier went 32-30 (14-4 BIG EAST) a year ago and brings back 26 letterwinners from its most recent title run.
• Six everyday starters are back for the Musketeers. XU also brings back 13 pitchers, representing all but 54 innings pitched from last season. 48.1 of those 54 innings lost were thrown by junior righty Damien Richard, who remains on the roster but is rehabbing from an injury.
• XU returns quantity and quality, bringing back All-BIG EAST First Team selections Rylan Bannon and Nate Soria, as well as All-BIG EAST Second Team honorees Zac Lowther, Joe Gellenbeck and Garrett Schilling.
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SCHILLING AT THE START |
• Xavier junior Garrett Schilling is transitioning to the rotation in 2017 after serving in the bullpen for his first two years on the team.
• Schilling threw seven innings of one-run ball, striking out five and scattering three hits in his first career start at Troy (2/18). He left after throwing just 72 pitches.
• Schilling picked up his first win as a starter at Penn State (2/25), allowing just three hits and one unearned run in six innings of work.
• A lights-out closer as a sophomore, Schilling posted a 1.91 ERA (tied for eighth in XU history) and broke the school record for saves with 14.
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X CAN PICK IT |
• Xavier made just two errors in four games at Troy to open the season and holds a .970 fielding percentage to start the season.
• The Musketeers also rank ninth in the nation with 18 double plays this season.
• XU tied a school record in 2016 with a .974 fielding percentage.
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THE KID CAN PLAY |
• Freshman Conor Grammes had a memorable first collegiate weekend at Troy after batting .471 (8-for-17) with three runs, three doubles, a homer and five RBI.
• Batting in the clean-up spot from his first start, Grammes recorded two hits in all four games.
• The McLean, Va. native has also been a top option out of the bullpen, putting up a 2.45 ERA in five appearances.
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2017 HONORS |
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XU'S FIRST PRESEASON POY |
• One of just four unanimous preseason All-BIG EAST selections, senior Joe Gellenbeck was named the program's first-ever preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year in December. The lefty swinger had a breakout season in 2016, homering in 10 of XU's 15 weekend series and leading the BIG EAST with 51 RBI and 125 total bases. A force in the middle of the lineup, the Lebanon, Ohio native and St. Xavier grad also ranked second for Xavier with 13 homers, 16 doubles, 41 runs, 70 hits and a .508 slugging percentage.
• Clutch in big moments, Gellenbeck had back-to-back walk-off hits to clinch a series win over Creighton in mid-May in addition to a game-tying homer in the third inning of the 2016 BIG EAST Championship game.
• Gellenbeck played in and tied all 62 games for Xavier last season, tying a school record, while also hitting .300 (9-for-30) with a homer and six RBI in seven postseason starts.
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SEVEN ALL-BIG EAST PICKS |
• Seven Musketeers – Nate Soria, Joe Gellenbeck, Chris Givin, Rylan Bannon, Will LaRue, Zac Lowther and Garrett Schilling – were selected by the league's coaches as Preseason All-BIG EAST honorees – the most for the program since joining the league for the 2014 season.
• Xavier had two preseason All-BIG EAST selections in each of the last two seasons and had one selection during its first year in the league.
• The seven selections more than doubles the total preseason All-BIG EAST picks in Xavier's proram history. The Musketeers had five overall in the last three seasons.
• Each of the selections is a first-time honoree.
• Five juniors, one senior and one sophomore were honored for Xavier.
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PICKED TO REPEAT |
• The defending league regular season and tournament champions, Xavier was picked to finish first in the BIG EAST for the first time in program history.
• Xavier had been picked fourth in each of its three seasons in the league prior to the first-place prediction on Tuesday.
• In addition to the BIG EAST poll, XU was also picked to win the league by publications like D1Baseball.com, Perfect Game and Baseball America.
Full Coaches Poll
First place votes in ( )
T1. Xavier – 32 points (4)
T1. St. John's – 32 pts. (3)
3. Creighton – 25 pts.
4. Seton Hall – 24 pts.
5. Georgetown – 17 pts.
6. Villanova – 9 pts.
7. Butler – 8 pts.
^ - denotes unanimous selection
* - due to ties in voting there are four outfielders and five starting pitchers on the 2017 Preseason All-BIG EAST team
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A RUN TO REMEMBER |
• At its lowest point in 2016, Xavier was 14-26 and 1-3 in BIG EAST play in 2016 after a series-opening loss to St. John's.
• From that point on, XU would win eight straight games and 18 of its final 22.
• XU's senior class of Dan Rizzie, Andre Jernigan and David Morton combined to hit .395 in seven postseason games, carrying the Musketeers to a BIG EAST Championship for the second time in three seasons and another trip to Nashville for the NCAA Tournament.
• The Musketeers beat host and top-seeded Vanderbilt 15-1 in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament and also picked up a win against Washington, reaching the NCAA Tournament Regional Championship for the first time in program history.
• XU hit 59 home runs as a team, ranking among the national leaders and posting the fifth-most homers ever by an XU team.
• Xavier's fielding percentage of .974 tied a program record set in 2011.
• Xavier's 32 wins in 2016 were tied for the second-most in school history.
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DRAFTING MUSKETEERS |
• Following a record-setting season, Xavier had two players selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft for the first time since 2008. Dan Rizzie went first, going to the New York Mets in the 13th round and Andre Jernigan followed as a 14th round selection of the Minnesota Twins.
• Xavier has now had at least one player drafted in 10 of the last 12 years.
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A MILESTONE YEAR FOR GOOGS |
• Head coach Scott Googins begins his 12th season in 2017 after reaching a couple milestones a year ago.
• Xavier's skipper became the all-time winningest baseball coach at Xavier with win No. 288 at Georgetown on April 15.
• Googins also picked up career win No. 300 on May 19 against Villanova.
• After a 7-9 start to the season, his all-time record is now 314-339 (.481).
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C
/ 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