Xavier University Athletics
Wednesday, April 5
Hayden Field
3 p.m.
Xavier University
vs
Miami (OH)
Baseball Hosts Miami (OH) on Wednesday at Hayden Field
04.03.17 | Baseball
Musketeers coming off three-game sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson over the weekend
CINCINNATI – Coming off a dominant weekend, Xavier baseball hosts Miami (OH) for a midweek contest on Wednesday at Hayden Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
XU comes into the series at 16-12 overall, while Miami (OH) enters at 7-19 (1-5 MAC).
The Musketeers will begin BIG EAST Conference action following Wednesday's game, traveling to Villanova for a three-game series this weekend.
• Xavier capped a three-game sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson with a 15-3 win on Sunday at Hayden Field.
• Xavier scored a total of 45 runs in the series, the most since head coach Scott Googins took over the program in 2006.
• As a team, XU hit .434 in the series (46-for-106) with nine homers and 43 RBI. The Musketeers also worked 22 walks in the series to post a .522 team on-base percentage.
• XU hit nine homers in total for the series, while raising the team batting average a total of 21 points (.238 to .259).
• Conor Grammes leads the team with a four-game hitting streak and a stretch of 12 straight games reaching base.
• Matt Fallon has reached base in eight straight, while Joe Gellenbeck and Will LaRue have reached in seven straight.
• XU has had double-digit hit totals in each of the last three games.
• XU has had a double in nine straight games and homered in three straight games.
• As a team, Xavier has stolen at least one base in 12 straight games.
• XU has played three straight games without committing an error.
• Until Sunday's series finale against Fairleigh Dickinson, XU had a streak of 13 straight games with a player getting hit by a pitch.
• Xavier ranks 39th nationally and first in the BIG EAST with 27 home runs on the season. XU is also 47th nationally with an average of 0.96 homers per game.
• Rylan Bannon leads the team with eight homers on the season, which ranks 31st nationally and first in the BIG EAST Conference.
• The Musketeers hit nine longballs in last weekend's sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson, including seven in a 22-9 win on Friday.
• 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 39 stolen bases this season and 48th nationally with 1.39 steals per game.
• Will LaRue ranks 35th nationally with 12 stolen bases.
• The Musketeers have stolen at least one base in each of the last 12 games.
• 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 29-for-84 (.345) line in his last 24 games with 20 runs, seven doubles, two triples, eight homers and 21 RBI. He's also walked 19 times against 15 strikeouts to record a team-best .481 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.
• Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Joe Gellenbeck ranks 43rd nationally with 22 walks on the young season.
• Gellenbeck's on-base percentage is second on the team at .408 and he has walked nearly as many times as he has struck out this year (22-to-24).
• Sophomore Matt Kent is off to a strong start to 2017, going 3-1 in 10 appearances with a 1.63 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 36.2 innings in relief, allowing just five earned runs for a 1.24 ERA.
• Xavier's Friday night starter, junior lefty Zac Lowther, is widely considered to be one of the top MLB Draft prospects in the BIG EAST.
• XU skipped Lowther's last start in an effort to have him fresh for the beginning of BIG EAST play against Villanova this weekend.
• A preseason All-BIG EAST selection, Lowther is 2-2 with a 4.22 ERA through six starts. He has limited opponents to a .191 batting average.
• Lowther has racked up double-digit strikeout totals in each of his last two starts, fanning a career-high 11 against Ohio State on March 18 and getting 10 batters to whiff on March 24 against Illinois State.
• Through his first six starts, Lowther ranks 15th in the nation with 12.94 strikeouts per nine innings and 55th in the NCAA with 5.91 hits allowed per nine innings. He is also 88th nationally with 46 strikeouts.
• 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 22 errors in 28 games this season and holds a .978 fielding percentage, a number which ranks 21st nationally.
• The Musketeers also rank 57th in the nation with 24 double plays this season.
• XU tied a school record in 2016 with a .974 fielding percentage.
• 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.
• Freshman Conor Grammes leads XU with a .356 batting average, 37 hits, eight doubles and 13 multi-hit games on the season.
• He has been smoking hot over the last 12 games, helping XU to a 9-3 record with a .548 batting average (23-for-42), two homers and 10 RBI.
• 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).
• He 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.
• He 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 12.1 innings in eight appearances with a 5.11 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 16-12 start to the season, his all-time record is now 323-342 (.486).
• 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.
XU comes into the series at 16-12 overall, while Miami (OH) enters at 7-19 (1-5 MAC).
The Musketeers will begin BIG EAST Conference action following Wednesday's game, traveling to Villanova for a three-game series this weekend.
 |
PROBABLE PITCHERS |
| Game | Xavier | Miami (OH) |
| 1 | Trent Astle, LHP -- 7.24 ERA, 27.1 IP, 14 K |
TBA -- |
|
|
PROJECTED LINEUP |
| Name | Class | Position | Hometown (HS) | Notes |
| Mitch Gallagher | JR | SS | Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) | Has hit .308 in last 24 games, going 24-for-78 with a homer and 12 RBI since the Penn State series... 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 stop 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 already this season... coming off 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 last Sunday (3/19)... ranks 43rd in the nation with 22 walks this season, including seven during XU's opening weekend at Troy... has reached base in 24 of 28 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 .345 (29-for-84) in last 24 games with 20 runs, seven doubles, eight homers and 21 RBI... leads team with eight homers on the season... went 4-for-9 over the weekend against Fairleigh Dickinson, leading XU with three homers and six runs scored... had first career multi-HR game, connecting for two bombs on Friday in a 22-9 win over FDU... hit .500 (5-for-10) with a double, triple and two RBI in last weekend's 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 | DH | McLean, Va. (McLean) | Smoking hot over last 12 games as XU has gone 9-3... batting .548 (23-for-42) with two homers and 10 RBI during the stretch... leads team with 12-game reached base streak... leads team with 13 multi-hit games... 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 | 2B | Castle Rock, Colo. (Rock Canyon) | Made return to lineup last Wednesday at Miami (OH) after missing 17 games due to injury... opened season as leadoff hitter, but went 1-for-4 in the fifth spot of the order in return... hitting .357 (5-for-14) in four games since returning to the lineup... 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 83 of last 107 games going back to 2015... 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... |
| Nate Monastra | FR | 1B | Lewis Center, Ohio (Olentangy) | Was 1-for-2 in a pair of games off the bench over the weekend against Fairleigh Dickinson... went 1-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and hit second homer of season in a 7-4 win over Wright State (3/21)... went 3-for-9 with a double and two RBI in a pair of games against Georgia (3/7-8)... 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... |
| Will LaRue | JR | LF | Evansville, Ind. (Mater Dei) |
Has raised batting average steadily over last two weeks, hitting .316 (12-for-38) with a homer and six RBI in last 12 games... one of the top stolen base threats in the nation... leads team with 12 steals... 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 against Illinois State last weekend... 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) | 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... |
|
|
PROBABLE STARTERS |
| Trent Astle | SR | LHP | Jeffersonville, Ind. (Jeffersonville) | Has a 7.24 ERA in six starts this season... picked up the win against Wright State, 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... |
|
|
LAST TIME OUT |
• Xavier capped a three-game sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson with a 15-3 win on Sunday at Hayden Field.
• Xavier scored a total of 45 runs in the series, the most since head coach Scott Googins took over the program in 2006.
• As a team, XU hit .434 in the series (46-for-106) with nine homers and 43 RBI. The Musketeers also worked 22 walks in the series to post a .522 team on-base percentage.
• XU hit nine homers in total for the series, while raising the team batting average a total of 21 points (.238 to .259).
|
|
STREAKING |
• Conor Grammes leads the team with a four-game hitting streak and a stretch of 12 straight games reaching base.
• Matt Fallon has reached base in eight straight, while Joe Gellenbeck and Will LaRue have reached in seven straight.
• XU has had double-digit hit totals in each of the last three games.
• XU has had a double in nine straight games and homered in three straight games.
• As a team, Xavier has stolen at least one base in 12 straight games.
• XU has played three straight games without committing an error.
• Until Sunday's series finale against Fairleigh Dickinson, XU had a streak of 13 straight games with a player getting hit by a pitch.
|
|
BOMBS AWAY |
• Xavier ranks 39th nationally and first in the BIG EAST with 27 home runs on the season. XU is also 47th nationally with an average of 0.96 homers per game.
• Rylan Bannon leads the team with eight homers on the season, which ranks 31st nationally and first in the BIG EAST Conference.
• The Musketeers hit nine longballs in last weekend's sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson, including seven in a 22-9 win on Friday.
• 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.
|
|
CATCH 'EM IF YOU CAN |
• Xavier ranks 36th in the nation with 39 stolen bases this season and 48th nationally with 1.39 steals per game.
• Will LaRue ranks 35th nationally with 12 stolen bases.
• The Musketeers have stolen at least one base in each of the last 12 games.
|
|
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 29-for-84 (.345) line in his last 24 games with 20 runs, seven doubles, two triples, eight homers and 21 RBI. He's also walked 19 times against 15 strikeouts to record a team-best .481 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.
|
|
WAIT FOR THE GOOD PITCHES |
• Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Joe Gellenbeck ranks 43rd nationally with 22 walks on the young season.
• Gellenbeck's on-base percentage is second on the team at .408 and he has walked nearly as many times as he has struck out this year (22-to-24).
|
|
THE OTHER INVINCIBLE KENT |
• Sophomore Matt Kent is off to a strong start to 2017, going 3-1 in 10 appearances with a 1.63 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 36.2 innings in relief, allowing just five earned runs for a 1.24 ERA.
|
|
ZAC ATTACK |
• Xavier's Friday night starter, junior lefty Zac Lowther, is widely considered to be one of the top MLB Draft prospects in the BIG EAST.
• XU skipped Lowther's last start in an effort to have him fresh for the beginning of BIG EAST play against Villanova this weekend.
• A preseason All-BIG EAST selection, Lowther is 2-2 with a 4.22 ERA through six starts. He has limited opponents to a .191 batting average.
• Lowther has racked up double-digit strikeout totals in each of his last two starts, fanning a career-high 11 against Ohio State on March 18 and getting 10 batters to whiff on March 24 against Illinois State.
• Through his first six starts, Lowther ranks 15th in the nation with 12.94 strikeouts per nine innings and 55th in the NCAA with 5.91 hits allowed per nine innings. He is also 88th nationally with 46 strikeouts.
• Over the summer, Lowther led the prestigious Cape Cod League in strikeouts.
|
|
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.
|
|
X CAN PICK IT |
• Xavier has made just 22 errors in 28 games this season and holds a .978 fielding percentage, a number which ranks 21st nationally.
• The Musketeers also rank 57th in the nation with 24 double plays this season.
• XU tied a school record in 2016 with a .974 fielding percentage.
|
|
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.
|
|
THE KID CAN PLAY |
• Freshman Conor Grammes leads XU with a .356 batting average, 37 hits, eight doubles and 13 multi-hit games on the season.
• He has been smoking hot over the last 12 games, helping XU to a 9-3 record with a .548 batting average (23-for-42), two homers and 10 RBI.
• 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).
• He 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.
• He 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 12.1 innings in eight appearances with a 5.11 ERA.
|
|
2017 HONORS |
• Six different Musketeers have been honored by the BIG EAST Conference with weekly awards this season.
|
|
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 16-12 start to the season, his all-time record is now 323-342 (.486).
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
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