Xavier University Athletics
Tuesday, April 18
Marge Schott Stadium
6:30 p.m.
Xavier University
vs
Cincinnati
Baseball Heads Across Town for Annual Joe Nuxhall Classic
04.17.17 | Baseball
CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball plays a pair of midweek contests, taking part in the ninth annual Joe Nuxhall Classic on Tuesday and Wednesday at the University of Cincinnati's Marge Schott Stadium.
The Musketeers open the tournament on Tuesday against crosstown rival UC at 6:30 p.m. and will meet either Miami (OH) or Wright State in the second game of the event on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
• The Joe Nuxhall Classic is a two-day tournament that honors the legacy of Cincinnati baseball legend Joe Nuxhall while promoting amateur baseball in Southwest Ohio.
• Joe Nuxhall was signed to a pro contract by the Reds in 1944 at the age of 15, making his MLB debut on June 10, 1944. He is still the youngest player to ever appear in an MLB game.
• An All-Star in 1955 and 1956, Nuxhall was traded to Kansas City in 1961 and also spent time in Baltimore and California during his pro career.
• Nuxhall returned to the Reds in 1966 and was offered a job in the broadcast booth a year later. He would go on to a four-decade career in the booth, making him one of the most beloved personalities in Reds franchise history.
• Wright State, Cincinnati, Miami (OH) and Xavier have competed in every Joe Nuxhall Classic since its beginnings in 2009.
• XU won the inaugural event in 2009, beating Wright State at Marge Schott Stadium.
• Xavier Musketeers (20-16, 3-3 BIG EAST)
• Cincinnati Bearcats (18-17, 4-5 AAC)
• Miami RedHawks (13-23, 2-7 MAC)
• Wright State Raiders (25-8, 11-1 Horizon League)
• Xavier clinched a BIG EAST series win with a dominant 9-0 win over visiting Seton Hall on Saturday at Hayden Field.
• Junior Mitch Gallagher went 4-for-5 with three RBI in the win, falling a homer shy of the cycle.
• Rylan Bannon hit his team and league-leading ninth homer.
• Matt Fallon went yard for the second time in the series.
• Greg Jacknewitz, David Williams and Taylor Williams combined for a shutout, the second of the year for XU.
• As a team, XU has hit at least one homer and stolen at least one base in five straight games.
• An XU player has been hit by a pitch in eight straight games.
• Blaine Griffiths and Chris Givin lead XU with four-game hitting streaks.
• Rylan Bannon has reached base in a team-high 11 straight games.
• The Musketeers have drawn at least one walk in all 36 games this season. XU also worked a walk in all 62 games played in 2016. Going back to 2015, Xavier has walked in 107 straight games. The Musketeers' last game without a walk was April 26, 2015 against Georgetown.
• Under Scott Googins, seven runs has been as good as a win. Since 2006, XU is 196-36 (.845) when scoring seven or more runs.
• Since 2011, XU's record when scoring seven has been even better at 110-12 (.902).
• XU hasn't lost more than one game in a season when scoring seven or more since 2014, going 42-3 (.933) in that span.
• Xavier has a 13-1 record in 2017 when scoring seven or more runs.
• Xavier ranks 34th nationally and first in the BIG EAST with 36 home runs on the season. XU is also 42nd nationally with an average of 1.00 homers per game.
• Rylan Bannon leads the team and BIG EAST while ranking 51st in the nation with nine longballs.
• Joe Gellenbeck ranks second on the team and BIG EAST while ranking 78th in the nation with eight longballs.
• The Musketeers swatted nine homers a sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson from March 31-April 2, including seven in a 22-9 win during Friday's series opener.
• 13 different Musketeers have left the yard this season, including every player that has at least 40 AB's.
• XU was one of the top power teams in the nation last season as well, hitting 59 homers in 2016. That number ranked fourth all-time in program history.
• Xavier ranks 36th in the nation with 50 stolen bases this season and 45th nationally with 1.39 steals per game.
• Will LaRue ranks 17th nationally with 17 stolen bases. The junior outfielder is 55-for-64 (85.9%) in steal attempts during his career.
• The Musketeers have stolen at least one base in five straight games, including 19 of the last 20. XU has also stolen five bases in a game twice this season.
• Junior third baseman Rylan Bannon has recovered from a slow start for the second straight season, transitioning into the third spot in the lineup after beginning the year in the two-hole.
• After a 2-for-19 (.105) weekend at Troy, Bannon has recorded a .324 (36-for-111) line in his last 32 games with 23 runs, nine doubles, nine homers and 24 RBI. He's also walked 27 times against 24 strikeouts to record a team-best .472 on-base percentage.
• In a bit of a statistical oddity, Bannon also shook off a 0-for-16 start at the plate last season to hit .296 (56-for-189) the rest of the way.
• Rylan Bannon ranks 36th in the nation with 28 walks this season.
• Joe Gellenbeck ranks 93rd nationally with 25 walks on the season.
• Both have walked nearly as many times as they have struck out: Bannon (28 BB, 33 K), Gellenbeck (25 BB, 33 K)
• Leadoff man Chris Givin has walked 15 times against just 12 strikeouts in 68 AB's.
• As a team, XU ranks 60th in the nation with 157 walks. XU has walked at least once in every game this season and in 107 straight games going back to 2015.
• Sophomore Matt Kent is off to a solid start to 2017, going 4-1 in 14 appearances with a 1.64 ERA.
• The righty began the year without allowing a run (earned or unearned) in his first 22.1 innings.
• Prior to March 25 against Illinois State, Kent was one of just two pitchers in college baseball to have thrown 19 innings or more without surrendering a run this season. The other was BIG EAST foe Ryan Testani of Seton Hall, who had thrown 19 scoreless frames and has since allowed runs as well.
• In 2016, Kent also went 10.1 innings before allowing the first earned run of his career and allowed just one run (unearned) out of the bullpen all season. For his career, Kent has thrown 42 innings in relief, allowing just six earned runs for a 1.29 ERA.
• Despite a 3-3 record in BIG EAST play thus far, the Xavier pitching staff has been dominant allowing one run or less in four of six games.
• As a whole, XU pitchers have posted a 1.88 ERA, striking out 57 and allowing just 27 hits in 52.2 innings. Opponents are batting just .153 against Musketeer pitching in six games.
• XU's starting rotation of Zac Lowther, Garrett Schilling and Greg Jacknewitz has been incredible as well, posting this line in league play: 0.77 ERA. 35.1 IP, 18 H, 3 ER, 37 K.
• Eight of the 11 runs scored in 54 innings of BIG EAST play have come on five hits in just two innings.
• In the other 52 innings, XU pitching has a 0.52 ERA with just 22 hits allowed.
• Xavier's ace, junior lefty Zac Lowther, is widely considered to be one of the top MLB Draft prospects in the BIG EAST. In fact, he was recently the first-ever XU player named to the Baseball America Top 100 MLB Draft Prospect list and is the only prospect listed from the league.
• XU skipped Lowther's turn in the Fairleigh Dickinson series in an effort to have him fresh for the beginning of BIG EAST play against Villanova.
• He responded by taking a perfect game into the ninth on April 7, tying a career-high with eight innings and striking out a career-best 16 in a no-decision. The strikeouts were the most by an XU pitcher since 1997.
• A preseason All-BIG EAST selection, Lowther is 3-2 with a 3.13 ERA through eight starts. He has limited opponents to a .150 batting average.
• In BIG EAST play, he's been even more dominant with a 0.64 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 14 innings with just two hits allowed.
• Lowther has racked up at least nine strikeouts in each of his last four starts, including three double-digit games and a career-high 16 at Villanova.
• Through his first eight starts, Lowther ranks third in the nation with 13.89 strikeouts per nine innings and second in the NCAA with 4.50 hits allowed per nine innings. He is also 21st nationally with 71 strikeouts.
• Already ranks seventh in program history in career strikeouts with 188.
• Over the summer, Lowther led the prestigious Cape Cod League in strikeouts.
• 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 set a new career-high with six strikeouts against Ohio State (3/19).
• 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 has made just 25 errors in 36 games this season and holds a .981 fielding percentage, a number which ranks first in the BIG EAST and 11th nationally.
• XU has played errorless baseball in nine of its last 11 games, committing just three errors since March 31.
• The Musketeers also rank 62nd in the nation with 31 double plays this season.
• XU tied a school record in 2016 with a .974 fielding percentage.
• Freshman Conor Grammes leads XU with a .331 batting average, 43 hits and 16 multi-hit games on the season.
• Has been swinging a hot bat over last 19 games, batting .426 (29-for-68) with three homers and 11 RBI.
• Went 4-for-6 (.667) in two games to open up BIG EAST play at Villanova.
• Had best weekend yet against Fairleigh Dickinson (3/31-4/2), posting a .636 batting average (7-for-11) with a homer and six RBI in a three-game series sweep.
• Grammes has been recognized by the BIG EAST three times already this season, earning BIG EAST Player of the Week on March 21 and a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll twice (2/20, 4/4).
• Had a memorable first collegiate weekend at Troy, recording two hits in all four games from the four spot in the order. He finished the weekend batting .471 (8-for-17) with three runs, three doubles, a homer and five RBI.
• On March 21, he was named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the first time after hitting .571 (8-for-14) in a 3-1 week against No. 1 Louisville and Ohio State.
• Recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the season on March 15 at No. 1 Louisville, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.
• The McLean, Va. native has also been a top option out of the bullpen, logging 18.1 innings in 10 appearances with a 3.44 ERA.
• Six different Musketeers have been honored by the BIG EAST Conference with weekly awards this season.
• Head coach Scott Googins is in his 12th season in 2017 after reaching several 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, 2016.
• Googins also picked up career win No. 300 on May 19, 2016 against Villanova.
• After a 20-16 start to the season, his all-time record is now 327-346 (.486).
• 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.
• 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.
The Musketeers open the tournament on Tuesday against crosstown rival UC at 6:30 p.m. and will meet either Miami (OH) or Wright State in the second game of the event on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
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THE JOE NUXHALL CLASSIC |
• The Joe Nuxhall Classic is a two-day tournament that honors the legacy of Cincinnati baseball legend Joe Nuxhall while promoting amateur baseball in Southwest Ohio.
• Joe Nuxhall was signed to a pro contract by the Reds in 1944 at the age of 15, making his MLB debut on June 10, 1944. He is still the youngest player to ever appear in an MLB game.
• An All-Star in 1955 and 1956, Nuxhall was traded to Kansas City in 1961 and also spent time in Baltimore and California during his pro career.
• Nuxhall returned to the Reds in 1966 and was offered a job in the broadcast booth a year later. He would go on to a four-decade career in the booth, making him one of the most beloved personalities in Reds franchise history.
• Wright State, Cincinnati, Miami (OH) and Xavier have competed in every Joe Nuxhall Classic since its beginnings in 2009.
• XU won the inaugural event in 2009, beating Wright State at Marge Schott Stadium.
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THE FIELD |
• Xavier Musketeers (20-16, 3-3 BIG EAST)
• Cincinnati Bearcats (18-17, 4-5 AAC)
• Miami RedHawks (13-23, 2-7 MAC)
• Wright State Raiders (25-8, 11-1 Horizon League)
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PRESS CONFERENCE |
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PROBABLE PITCHERS |
| Game | Xavier | Opponent |
| 1 | Brad Kirschner, LHP -- 4.91 ERA, 25.2 IP, 21 K |
A.J. Olasz -- 3.86 ERA, 30.1 IP, 15 K |
| 2 | Trent Astle, LHP -- 6.37 ERA, 35.1 IP, 19 K |
Eric Handelman -- 12.79 ERA, 6.1 IP, 5 K |
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PROJECTED LINEUP |
| Name | Class | Position | Hometown (HS) | Notes |
| Mitch Gallagher | JR | 2B | Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) | Has hit .319 in last 28 games, going 29-for-91 with a homer and 15 RBI since the Penn State series... missed Villanova series after suffering an injury during a collision in the FDU series... hit .385 (5-for-13) in return to action during Seton Hall series... was a homer shy of the cycle in series finale, going 4-for-5 with a pair of runs and three RBI (4/15)... named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (3/28) after hitting .467 (7-for-15) with six runs scored during a 3-1 week for XU... had two game-deciding RBI in Illinois State series win, including a walk-off single in Sunday's series-clinching, 3-2 win (3/25)... batted .455 (5-for-11) overall with four RBI in the Illinois State series... went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI in midweek win over Wright State (3/21)... drove in three runs, including a walk-off sacrifice fly in 5-4 win over Ohio State (3/19)... hit .400 (8-for-20) in five spring break starts at Charlotte and Georgia... has played all over the infield (1B, 2B and SS), but settled into shortstop as regular starter Chris Givin dealt with an injury... 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... |
| Joe Gellenbeck | SR | RF | Lebanon, Ohio (St. Xavier) | Named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (3/6 & 3/13) twice this season... second in the BIG EAST with eight homers... leads BIG EAST and ranks 50th in the nation with 37 RBI... hitting .326 (14-for-43) with four homers and 18 RBI in last 11 games... has been a sneaky threat on the bases, going 8-for-8 in steals... had a big game last Tuesday against Wright State, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a grand slam and five RBI... the blast was his second career grand slam... went 3-for-4 with his sixth homer and three RBI in a 9-4 against Miami (OH) on April 5... had a big weekend against Fairleigh Dickinson in which he hit .500 (6-for-12) with a homer and eight RBI... hit walk-off two run homer against Ohio State to cap a weekend sweep (3/19)... ranks 93rd in the nation with 25 walks this season, including seven during XU's opening weekend at Troy... has reached base in 28 of 36 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 hit .324 (36-for-111) in last 32 games with 23 runs, nine doubles, nine homers and 24 RBI... leads the BIG EAST and ranks 51st nationally with nine homers this season... went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in series clinching win against Seton Hall (4/15)... went 4-for-9 (.444) in the series against Fairleigh Dickinson, leading XU with three homers and six runs scored... had first career multi-HR game, connecting for two bombs on March 31 in a 22-9 win over FDU... hit .500 (5-for-10) with a double, triple and two RBI in series win against Illinois State... named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after Penn State series (2/27), in which he hit .500 (8-for-16) with two HR 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... |
| Conor Grammes | FR | 1B | McLean, Va. (McLean) | Swinging a hot bat over last 19 games... batting .426 (29-for-68) with three homers and 11 RBI during the stretch... saw a 12-game reached base streak snapped on April 5 against Miami (OH)... leads team with 16 multi-hit games... hit fourth homer of season in a 10-1 win over Villanova (4/9)... went 4-for-6 (.667) with four runs scored in two games at 'Nova... named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (4/4) after hitting .636 (7-for-11) in the Fairleigh Dickinson sweep, homering and knocking in six runs... went 5-for-12 (.417) with two runs and an RBI last weekend in Illinois State series... named BIG EAST Player of the Week for first time in career after hitting .571 (8-for-14) with 12 total bases in a 3-1 week for XU, including a sweep of Ohio State (3/21)... hit solo homer in come-from-behind, 6-5, win over Ohio State on Sunday (3/19)... went 2-for-3 with an RBI at No. 1 Louisville on Wednesday (3/15)... 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 nine innings 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... |
| Chris Givin | SO | SS | Castle Rock, Colo. (Rock Canyon) | Made return to lineup on March 29 at Miami (OH) after missing 17 games due to a hand injury... has walked more than he has struck out on the season (15-to-12)... coming off a .500 (5-for-10) series against SHU with a pair of multi-hit games... hit go-ahead two-run homer, his first of the season, in the fourth inning of a 2-1 win against the Pirates in the series opener (4/13)... went 1-for-5 with a walk, run, RBI and steal against Wright State (4/11)... was 1-for-4 with a run and a two-run double 9-4 win against the Miami (OH) on April 5... scored six runs and walked four times despite just one hit in the Penn State series... preseason All-BIG EAST selection... 2016 NCAA Tournament Nashville All-Regional Team... made 48 starts in strong freshman season... second on team with a .293 average and .384 OBP... stepped up in BIG EAST play, tying for the team lead with a .333 average (21-for-63) and leading the team with a .432 OBP... played a steady second base, making just six errors (.975 fielding percentage) in 50 games... linchpin of defense that ranked 33rd in the nation in double plays (54) and tied a school record with a .974 fielding percentage... |
| Nate Soria | JR | C | Homer Glen, Ill. (St. Rita of Cascia) | Named to 2017 Johnny Bench Award Watch List... fourth straight year XU has had a catcher on the list... returning to catcher role after serving as an outfielder/DH during sophomore season... has reached base in 89 of 114 games going back to 2015... went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a two-run homer in a 9-4 win against Miami (OH) on April 5... hit .500 (5-for-10) with a a homer and five RBI in the Fairleigh Dickinson sweep... rebounded from a tough series (1-for-15) against Penn State to hit .333 (3-for-9) with a homer at Charlotte... also went 3-for-9 in a pair of midweek games at Georgia (3/7-8)... 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... |
| Blaine Griffiths | JR | DH | Lebanon, Ohio (Lakota West) | Riding a four-game hitting streak... has scored a run in each of the last four games he's played... has worked six walks in last three starts... had a career-high three walks at Wright State (4/11)... has exhibited great plate discipline throughout career, drawing 34 walks in 179 career AB's... ranked in top four on team in OBP in each of last two seasons... made 29 appearances and 22 starts in 2016 before suffering a season-ending injury in mid-April... |
| Will LaRue | JR | LF | Evansville, Ind. (Mater Dei) |
Has raised batting average steadily over 20 games, hitting .333 (22-for-66) with a homer and eight RBI... one of the top stolen base threats in the nation... leads team and ranks 17th nationally with 17 steals... had a big game on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with a pair of runs and steals at Wright State... went 4-for-11 (.364) in the Villanova series, scoring twice and knocking in two runs... went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the win over Miami (OH) on April 5... had a pair of two-hit games in the Fairleigh Dickinson series, going 4-for-9 (.444) with four runs scored and his first homer of the season... collected one hit in each game of the Illinois State series... had a pair of two-hit games and hit .400 (4-for-10) in a weekend sweep against Ohio State (3/18-19)... went 2-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and three steals in two midweek games at Georgia (3/7-8)... 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... |
| Matt Fallon | SR | CF | Glenview, Ill. (Loyola) | Leads team with .421 batting average (8-for-19), two homers, five runs scored and seven RBI in BIG EAST play... homered twice in series win over Seton Hall, hitting .375 overall (3-for-8) with five runs scored... hit first homer of the year, a two-run shot in fourth inning of a 6-3 loss against the Pirates (4/14)... scored a season-high three runs and added a solo shot while going 2-for-3 in 9-0 series-clinching win on Saturday (4/15)... led team with a .455 batting average, going 5-for-11 with three RBI last weekend against Villanova... collected hits in each game of last weekend's series against Illinois State, going 4-for-10 (.400) with four runs scored... 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 (2/26)... played in all 62 games last season, tying XU record, and made 61 starts... named to 2016 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 (5/26)... 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... |
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PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Brad Kirschner | SR | LHP | Russellville, Ohio (Ripley-Union) | Has made one start and 15 appearances out of the bullpen to start the season... tied for fourth in program history with 77 appearances... has compiled a 2.81 ERA and held opponents to a .193 batting average with 16 K's in 16 innings since last start at Georgia... has contributed eight scoreless outings in last 11 appearances... pitched a season-high four innings of shutout relief with three strikeouts against FDU (3/31)... picked up a win and tossed 3.2 innings with three K's in scoreless relief turn against Illinois State (3/25)... took five turns in the weekend rotation during the 2016 season... finished the year with a 5-2 record over 21 appearances... was second on the team with 44 K's as a junior... |
| Trent Astle | SR | LHP | Jeffersonville, Ind. (Jeffersonville) | Has a 3-1 record and a 6.37 ERA in eight starts this season... ranks 11th in program history with 260.2 career innings pitched... tied for seventh in program history with 47 starts... tied for 10th in program history with 16 wins... went five scoreless last Wednesday (4/5), striking out three and scattering five hits in a 9-4 win over Miami (OH)... picked up a win against Wright State in the last meeting between the two teams, going 6.1 innings and allowing three earned runs while striking out six (3/21)... held No. 1 Louisville to two runs through four innings before coming out in the fifth (3/15)... 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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LAST TIME OUT |
• Xavier clinched a BIG EAST series win with a dominant 9-0 win over visiting Seton Hall on Saturday at Hayden Field.
• Junior Mitch Gallagher went 4-for-5 with three RBI in the win, falling a homer shy of the cycle.
• Rylan Bannon hit his team and league-leading ninth homer.
• Matt Fallon went yard for the second time in the series.
• Greg Jacknewitz, David Williams and Taylor Williams combined for a shutout, the second of the year for XU.
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STREAKING |
• As a team, XU has hit at least one homer and stolen at least one base in five straight games.
• An XU player has been hit by a pitch in eight straight games.
• Blaine Griffiths and Chris Givin lead XU with four-game hitting streaks.
• Rylan Bannon has reached base in a team-high 11 straight games.
• The Musketeers have drawn at least one walk in all 36 games this season. XU also worked a walk in all 62 games played in 2016. Going back to 2015, Xavier has walked in 107 straight games. The Musketeers' last game without a walk was April 26, 2015 against Georgetown.
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LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN |
• Under Scott Googins, seven runs has been as good as a win. Since 2006, XU is 196-36 (.845) when scoring seven or more runs.
• Since 2011, XU's record when scoring seven has been even better at 110-12 (.902).
• XU hasn't lost more than one game in a season when scoring seven or more since 2014, going 42-3 (.933) in that span.
• Xavier has a 13-1 record in 2017 when scoring seven or more runs.
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BOMBS AWAY |
• Xavier ranks 34th nationally and first in the BIG EAST with 36 home runs on the season. XU is also 42nd nationally with an average of 1.00 homers per game.
• Rylan Bannon leads the team and BIG EAST while ranking 51st in the nation with nine longballs.
• Joe Gellenbeck ranks second on the team and BIG EAST while ranking 78th in the nation with eight longballs.
• The Musketeers swatted nine homers a sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson from March 31-April 2, including seven in a 22-9 win during Friday's series opener.
• 13 different Musketeers have left the yard this season, including every player that has at least 40 AB's.
• XU was one of the top power teams in the nation last season as well, hitting 59 homers in 2016. That number ranked fourth all-time in program history.
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CATCH 'EM IF YOU CAN |
• Xavier ranks 36th in the nation with 50 stolen bases this season and 45th nationally with 1.39 steals per game.
• Will LaRue ranks 17th nationally with 17 stolen bases. The junior outfielder is 55-for-64 (85.9%) in steal attempts during his career.
• The Musketeers have stolen at least one base in five straight games, including 19 of the last 20. XU has also stolen five bases in a game twice this season.
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RIDING RYLAN |
• Junior third baseman Rylan Bannon has recovered from a slow start for the second straight season, transitioning into the third spot in the lineup after beginning the year in the two-hole.
• After a 2-for-19 (.105) weekend at Troy, Bannon has recorded a .324 (36-for-111) line in his last 32 games with 23 runs, nine doubles, nine homers and 24 RBI. He's also walked 27 times against 24 strikeouts to record a team-best .472 on-base percentage.
• In a bit of a statistical oddity, Bannon also shook off a 0-for-16 start at the plate last season to hit .296 (56-for-189) the rest of the way.
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WAIT FOR THE GOOD PITCHES |
• Rylan Bannon ranks 36th in the nation with 28 walks this season.
• Joe Gellenbeck ranks 93rd nationally with 25 walks on the season.
• Both have walked nearly as many times as they have struck out: Bannon (28 BB, 33 K), Gellenbeck (25 BB, 33 K)
• Leadoff man Chris Givin has walked 15 times against just 12 strikeouts in 68 AB's.
• As a team, XU ranks 60th in the nation with 157 walks. XU has walked at least once in every game this season and in 107 straight games going back to 2015.
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THE OTHER INVINCIBLE KENT |
• Sophomore Matt Kent is off to a solid start to 2017, going 4-1 in 14 appearances with a 1.64 ERA.
• The righty began the year without allowing a run (earned or unearned) in his first 22.1 innings.
• Prior to March 25 against Illinois State, Kent was one of just two pitchers in college baseball to have thrown 19 innings or more without surrendering a run this season. The other was BIG EAST foe Ryan Testani of Seton Hall, who had thrown 19 scoreless frames and has since allowed runs as well.
• In 2016, Kent also went 10.1 innings before allowing the first earned run of his career and allowed just one run (unearned) out of the bullpen all season. For his career, Kent has thrown 42 innings in relief, allowing just six earned runs for a 1.29 ERA.
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LIGHTS OUT IN LEAGUE PLAY |
• Despite a 3-3 record in BIG EAST play thus far, the Xavier pitching staff has been dominant allowing one run or less in four of six games.
• As a whole, XU pitchers have posted a 1.88 ERA, striking out 57 and allowing just 27 hits in 52.2 innings. Opponents are batting just .153 against Musketeer pitching in six games.
• XU's starting rotation of Zac Lowther, Garrett Schilling and Greg Jacknewitz has been incredible as well, posting this line in league play: 0.77 ERA. 35.1 IP, 18 H, 3 ER, 37 K.
• Eight of the 11 runs scored in 54 innings of BIG EAST play have come on five hits in just two innings.
• In the other 52 innings, XU pitching has a 0.52 ERA with just 22 hits allowed.
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ZAC WITHOUT A K... SOMEHOW |
• Xavier's ace, junior lefty Zac Lowther, is widely considered to be one of the top MLB Draft prospects in the BIG EAST. In fact, he was recently the first-ever XU player named to the Baseball America Top 100 MLB Draft Prospect list and is the only prospect listed from the league.
• XU skipped Lowther's turn in the Fairleigh Dickinson series in an effort to have him fresh for the beginning of BIG EAST play against Villanova.
• He responded by taking a perfect game into the ninth on April 7, tying a career-high with eight innings and striking out a career-best 16 in a no-decision. The strikeouts were the most by an XU pitcher since 1997.
• A preseason All-BIG EAST selection, Lowther is 3-2 with a 3.13 ERA through eight starts. He has limited opponents to a .150 batting average.
• In BIG EAST play, he's been even more dominant with a 0.64 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 14 innings with just two hits allowed.
• Lowther has racked up at least nine strikeouts in each of his last four starts, including three double-digit games and a career-high 16 at Villanova.
• Through his first eight starts, Lowther ranks third in the nation with 13.89 strikeouts per nine innings and second in the NCAA with 4.50 hits allowed per nine innings. He is also 21st nationally with 71 strikeouts.
• Already ranks seventh in program history in career strikeouts with 188.
• Over the summer, Lowther led the prestigious Cape Cod League in strikeouts.
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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 set a new career-high with six strikeouts against Ohio State (3/19).
• 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 has made just 25 errors in 36 games this season and holds a .981 fielding percentage, a number which ranks first in the BIG EAST and 11th nationally.
• XU has played errorless baseball in nine of its last 11 games, committing just three errors since March 31.
• The Musketeers also rank 62nd in the nation with 31 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 leads XU with a .331 batting average, 43 hits and 16 multi-hit games on the season.
• Has been swinging a hot bat over last 19 games, batting .426 (29-for-68) with three homers and 11 RBI.
• Went 4-for-6 (.667) in two games to open up BIG EAST play at Villanova.
• Had best weekend yet against Fairleigh Dickinson (3/31-4/2), posting a .636 batting average (7-for-11) with a homer and six RBI in a three-game series sweep.
• Grammes has been recognized by the BIG EAST three times already this season, earning BIG EAST Player of the Week on March 21 and a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll twice (2/20, 4/4).
• Had a memorable first collegiate weekend at Troy, recording two hits in all four games from the four spot in the order. He finished the weekend batting .471 (8-for-17) with three runs, three doubles, a homer and five RBI.
• On March 21, he was named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the first time after hitting .571 (8-for-14) in a 3-1 week against No. 1 Louisville and Ohio State.
• Recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the season on March 15 at No. 1 Louisville, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.
• The McLean, Va. native has also been a top option out of the bullpen, logging 18.1 innings in 10 appearances with a 3.44 ERA.
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2017 WEEKLY HONORS |
• Six different Musketeers have been honored by the BIG EAST Conference with weekly awards this season.
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GOOGS AT THE HELM |
• Head coach Scott Googins is in his 12th season in 2017 after reaching several 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, 2016.
• Googins also picked up career win No. 300 on May 19, 2016 against Villanova.
• After a 20-16 start to the season, his all-time record is now 327-346 (.486).
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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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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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/ 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