Xavier Baseball Announces 2019 Schedule

CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball announced its complete 56-game 2019 schedule on Tuesday, setting the stage for 16 home dates, four home series at Hayden Field and road trips to 11 different states.

First pitch of the season will come at 3 p.m. on Friday, February 15 in the first of three games at North Carolina. BIG EAST action begins on Friday, April 5 with XU hosting Georgetown.

Xavier will look to make its return to the BIG EAST Championships in 2019 as the four-team tournament makes its return to Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio in 2019. The event, which Xavier has won in three of the past five seasons, will run from May 23-26.

The 2018 schedule features eight NCAA Tournament participants, including two College World Series participants in North Carolina and Texas.

16 of Xavier's 23 opponents posted a .500 or better record a year ago.

Overall, the Musketeers will face a challenging schedule that features opponents that combined for a 720-579-1 (.554) record in 2018.

ABOUT XAVIER

The Musketeers return 20 letter-winners and six starters from last season's 20-35 team, which went 7-11 in the BIG EAST Conference and failed to reach the postseason for just the second time in five years. XU fought through a number of injuries and a lot of youth in its pitching staff last season, but should be poised for a bounce back in head coach Billy O'Conner's second season.

Xavier returns a number of standouts, including sophomore pitcher/outfielder Allbry Major, who took home All-BIG EAST Second Team, Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America and BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors. The Musketeers also return top hitters Conor Grammes (.330, 10 HR, 27 RBI) and Chris Givin (.342, 4 HR, 45 RBI) in addition to the power bat of Matt Warkentin, who hit 14 homers in his first season with the program last year.

THE OPPONENTS

2019 Opening Series
at NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 15-17 at UNC's Boshamer Stadium (Three Games)
2018 Record: 44-20, 22-8 (ACC)
Postseason: ACC Tournament Quarterfinals, NCAA College World Series

Notable:
• UNC made its seventh College World Series appearance in 13 seasons last year and the 11th in program history.
• The two teams last met in a three-game series in 2014 with UNC taking two out of three. XU claimed a 2-1 win in the opening game of the series against the then-ranked No. 12 Tar Heels to open the season with a 4-0 record, its best mark since 1979.
• North Carolina leads the all-time series against Xavier, 2-4. All of the meetings have come in three-game series in 2012 and 2014.

at SAMFORD BULLDOGS
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 22-24 at Samford's Joe Lee Griffin Field (Three Games)
2018 Record: 37-26, 16-8 SoCon
Postseason: SoCon Tournament Champions, NCAA Tournament Tallahassee Regional

Notable:
• Samford returns a pair of Freshman All-America selections in Samuel Strickland and Brooks Carlson. Carlson, the Bulldogs DH, hit a team-best .343 with 10 homers and 47 RBI. Strickland, a hard-throwing lefty starter, was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year and posted a 2.33 ERA with a team-best 87 strikeouts.
• The Bulldogs appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season for the second time in school history, winning a game over No. 7 Florida State before being eliminated in a 9-8 game against Mississippi State.
• This year's series will be the first meeting between the two programs.

at LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Series Info: Tuesday, Feb. 26 at Louisville's Jim Patterson Stadium (One Game)
2018 Record: 45-19, 18-12 ACC
Postseason: ACC Tournament Runner-Up, NCAA Tournament Lubbock Regional Finals

Notable:
• Xavier made the trip to Louisville for its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017, advancing to the regional final before falling to the host Cardinals in a wildly entertaining 8-7 game at Jim Patterson Stadium.
• The Cardinals have won 40 or more games in seven straight seasons and advanced to an NCAA Regional Final in seven straight seasons.
• Louisville leads the all-time series 37-17.

at LIPSCOMB BISON
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, March 1-3 at Lipscomb's Dugan Field (Three Games)
2018 Record: 24-30, 9-12 ASUN
Postseason: ASUN Championships

Notable:
• The Bison return a pair of ASUN All-Freshman Team selections in starting pitcher Noah Thompson (3.03 ERA, 50.1 IP) and outfielder Maddux Houghton (.255, 23 RBI).
• The two teams have not met since March 20-22, 2015. The Bison took two-of-three in the series, but XU salvaged the finale in a 5-1 win.
• Lipscomb leads the all-time series 8-1.

at WRIGHT STATE RAIDERS
Series Info: Wednesday, March 6 at Wright State's Nischwitz Stadium (One Game)
2018 Record: 39-17, 22-6 Horizon League
Postseason: Horizon League Champions, NCAA Tournament Stanford Regional

Notable:
• Alex Sogard takes over as head coach after two season as an assistant at Wright State. He replaces Jeff Mercer, who took the head job at Indiana over the offseason.
• Wright State has made seven all-time appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including three appearances in the last four years.
• Wright State leads the all-time series 36-30.

at ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, March 8-10 at Arizona State's Phoenix Municipal Stadium (Three Games)
2018 Record: 23-32, 13-17 Pac-12
Postseason: N/A

Notable:
• The Sun Devils return one of the nation's biggest breakout performers in Spencer Torkelson, who led the nation with 25 regular season home runs and was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in addition to making multiple appearances on all-america teams. He shattered Barry Bonds' ASU record of 11 homers by a freshman and tied for second-most homers in a season by an ASU player.
• ASU leads all NCAA schools with 437 total MLB draft picks in its history, including five 2018 selections. At least one Sun Devil has been drafted every year since the draft's inception in 1965. The first-ever MLB draft pick was former Sun Devil Rick Monday.
• Arizona State leads the all-time series 4-0, all coming in a series sweep to begin the 2016 season in Tempe, Ariz.

at ARIZONA WILDCATS
Series Info: Tuesday, March 12 at Arizona's Hi Corbett Field (One Game)
2018 Record: 34-22, 14-16 Pac-12
Postseason: N/A

Notable:
• Arizona won 11 of 16 down the stretch and finished with a top-50 RPI last season, but was left out of the NCAA Tournament.
• This year, the Wildcats welcome the No. 3 rated recruiting class according to Collegiate Baseball. The class includes six players who were drafted in 2018.
• This year's meeting will be the first between the two programs.

at GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES
Series Info: Wednesday-Saturday, March 13-16 at Grand Canyon's Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark (Four Games)
2018 Record: 33-24, 19-5 WAC
Postseason: WAC Regular Season Champions, WAC Championships

Notable:
• GCU set a program record for Division I wins last season with 33 and was the No. 1 seed in the WAC Championships, only to bow out of the tournament with consecutive losses to Seattle and Sacramento State. The Lopes have won the WAC regular season three times in the last four years.
• Former big leaguer Andy Stankiewicz enters his eighth season at the helm of the Grand Canyon program, helping take the team from Division II (2012-13) to Division I in 2014. His career record in seven seasons is 216-164-1.
• This year's meeting will be the first between the two programs.

at KENTUCKY WILDCATS
Series Info: Tuesday, March 19 at Kentucky (One Game)
2018 Record: 34-22, 13-17 SEC
Postseason: SEC Tournament

Notable:
• UK enters its third year with Nick Mingione at the helm and have won 77 games through his first two seasons. The program has seen a national-best 21 players selected in the MLB Draft, including 13 off last season's team. The Wildcats also reached their first NCAA Tournament Super Regional in 2017.
• UK moves into a brand new, $49M ballpark for the 2019 season and Xavier was among the first to play on its surface, as the Musketeers took down UK, 9-2, in a fall game on Sept. 29.
• Xavier head coach Billy O'Conner won his first career game at UK last Feb. 20, a 3-2 victory in 10 innings.
• Kentucky leads the all-time series 28-2.

vs. EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
Series Info: Friday, March 22-24 at Hayden Field (Three Games)
2018 Record: 12-39, 3-18 MVC
Postseason: MVC Championships

Notable:
• The Purple Aces had a down season in 2018 after winning campaigns in the three previous seasons.
• Evansville leads the all-times series 26-14, but the two programs haven't met since the 2013 season when XU swept a three-game series on the road.
• Wes Carroll enters his 11th season as the head coach at Evansville. He is the younger brother of former MLB infielder Jamey Carroll.

vs. WRIGHT STATE RAIDERS
Series Info: Wednesday, March 27 at Hayden Field (One Game)
2018 Record: 39-17, 22-6 Horizon League
Postseason: Horizon League Champions, NCAA Tournament Stanford Regional

at TEXAS LONGHORNS
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, March 29-31 at Texas' UFCU Disch-Falk Field (Three Games)
2018 Record: 42-23, 17-7 (Big 12)
Postseason: NCAA College World Series

Notable:
• Texas participated in the NCAA College World Series for a record 36th time in 2018
• Head coach David Pierce enters his third season in 2019 after being named Baseball America's National Coach of the Year last season. He came to Texas from Tulane and has a 278-156 (.641) record in seven seasons as a Division I head coach.
• This year's series will mark the first meetings between the two programs.

at EASTERN KENTUCKY COLONELS
Series Info: Wednesday, April 3 at Eastern Kentucky's Earle Combs Stadium (One Game)
2018 Record: 30-31, 15-15 (OVC)
Postseason: OVC Tournament

Notable:
• The Colonels knocked off a pair of top-15 teams, won 30 games and finished five spots higher than predicted in the OVC. EKU also was in the final three of the OVC Tournament.
• Second baseman Daniel Harris IV was named to the 2018 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Team after hitting .268 with five homers and 35 RBI in 60 games.
• EKU leads the all-time series 26-20.

vs GEORGETOWN HOYAS
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, April 5-7 at Hayden Field (Three Games)
2018 Record: 25-30, 8-9 (BIG EAST)
Postseason: BIG EAST Tournament

Notable:
• Pete Wilk enters his 20th season as the head coach of the program in 2019.
• Georgetown qualified for the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2015 last season, but was eliminated in two games.
• Xavier leads the all-time series 9-6. The Hoyas took last season's three-game series in Washington, D.C. with a pair of one-run wins in extra innings.

at JOE NUXHALL CLASSIC
Series Info: Tuesday-Wednesday, April 9-10 at Cincinnati's Marge Schott Stadium (Two Games)
Participating Teams: Xavier, Miami (OH), Wright State, Cincinnati

Notable:
• 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.

at ST. JOHN'S RED STORM
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, April 12-14 at St. John's Jack Kaiser Stadium (Three Games)
2018 Record: 40-17, 15-3 (BIG EAST)
Postseason: BIG EAST Champions, NCAA Tournament Clemson Regional

Notable:
• The Red Storm won their league-best ninth BIG EAST crown in 2018 and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for a 37th time, tied for the eighth-highest in the history of college baseball.
• The Johnnies also recorded their 10th 40-win season and ninth in the last 14 years last season.
• St. John's leads the all-time series 12-7. Xavier won the opener 7-3 last year at Hayden Field before the Red Storm rallied to win the final two games of the series.

at OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Series Info: Tuesday, April 16 at Ohio State's Bill Davis Stadium (One Game)
2018 Record: 36-24, 14-10 (Big Ten)
Postseason: Big Ten Tournament Semifinals, NCAA Tournament Greeneville Regional

Notable:
• The Buckeyes earned a 21st NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018, but bowed out in two games at the Greeneville Regional hosted by East Carolina. OSU has made the national tournament in two of the past three seasons.
• Greg Beals enters his ninth season at the helm of the Buckeye program in 2019. He is 261-203-1 at Ohio State.
• Ohio State leads the all-time series 15-9. XU swept a three-game series, all one-run games, in the last meeting from March 18-19 in 2017. It was the first three-game sweep for XU against OSU.

vs. BUTLER BULLDOGS
Series Info: Thursday-Saturday, April 18-20 at Hayden Field (Three Games)
2018 Record: 34-20, 9-8 (BIG EAST)
Postseason: BIG EAST Championships

Notable:
• Butler won 30 or more games for the fifth time in program history in 2018, qualifying for the BIG EAST Championships for the first time since joining the league in 2014. It was the first winning season for the Bulldogs in 13 years.
• Head coach Dave Schrage enters his second year with the program in 2019 after directing an impressive turnaround in his first season.
• Xavier leads the all-time series 57-33. The Musketeers won last season's weekend opener, 9-6, before dropping the back two games of the series.

at MIAMI REDHAWKS
Series Info: Tuesday, April 23 at Miami's McKie Field at Hayden Park (One Game)
2018 Record: 35-20, 17-10 (MAC)
Postseason: MAC Championship Runner-Up

Notable:
• The RedHawks reached the MAC Championship in 2018 before falling to Kent State, 14-0.
• Miami lost three juniors, Zach Spears, Nick Ernst and Hayden Senger, to the MLB Draft following the season.
• The RedHawks have two former Musketeers on staff in head coach Danny Hayden and equipment manager Joe Forney.
• Miami leads the all-time series 44-29-1, but Xavier won three of four meetings last season.

at CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, April 26-28 at Creighton's TD Ameritrade Park (Three Games)
2018 Record: 34-16, 8-9 (BIG EAST)
Postseason: N/A

Notable:
• Four Bluejays were taken in the MLB Draft after the season, including junior catcher Michael Emodi. 30 Creighton players have been drafted since 2004.
• Ed Servais returns for his 16th season in 2019 and is the winningest coach in CU baseball history.
• Creighton leads the all-time series 11-9. The Musketeers dropped the first two games of last season's series at Hayden Field before rebounding to win the finale, 12-8.

vs. MIAMI REDHAWKS
Series Info: Tuesday, April 30 at Xavier's Hayden Field (One Game)
2018 Record: 35-20, 17-10 (MAC)
Postseason: MAC Championship Runner-Up

vs. NORTHERN KENTUCKY NORSE
Series Info: Wednesday, May 1 at Xavier's Hayden Field (One Game)
2018 Record: 14-39, 9-21 (BIG EAST)
Postseason: N/A

Notable:
• NKU returns Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Griffin Doersching, a power-hitting first baseman who blasted 13 homers and drove in 49 runs last season.
• Todd Asalon returns for his 19th season in charge of the Norse program in 2019. He has a career record of 532-496-1 overall.
• Xavier leads the all-time series 34-19-1 and won both matchups last season, including a 7-5 road win and a 14-3 win at Hayden Field.

vs. SETON HALL PIRATES
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, May 3-5 at Hayden Field (Three Games)
2018 Record: 30-20-1, 13-4 (BIG EAST)
Postseason: BIG EAST Championships Runner-Up

Notable:
• The Pirates finished runner-up to St. John's in the BIG EAST Championships, claiming second in the tournament for the fifth time. SHU forced a winner-take-all game seven with a 19-2 win in game six, but was shut out in the clincher.
• BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Ricky DeVito returns for the Pirates, but seven standouts from last year's team have advanced to the professional ranks: Billy Layne, Jr. (Rangers, 11th Round), Andrew Politi (Red Sox, 15th Round), Shane McCarthy (Indians, 18th Round), Ryan Ramiz (Mariners, 23rd Round), Cullen Dana (Padres, 30th Round). Matt Leon (Los Angeles Angels) and Mike Alescio (Milwaukee Brewers) were both signed as free agents.
• Seton Hall leads the all-time series 9-7. The Pirates took two-of-three from Xavier last season at Owen T. Carroll Field.

at VILLANOVA WILDCATS
Series Info: Friday-Sunday, May 10-12 at Villanova's (Three Games)
2018 Record: 9-39, 1-17 (BIG EAST)
Postseason: N/A

Notable:
• The Wildcats look to improve behind a young returning core that saw freshmen/sophomores start 286 games during the 2018 season.
• Junior first baseman Ryan Toohers returns after leading VU in average (.298), homers (5) and RBI (31).
• Xavier leads the all-time series 10-6, including a series win last season at Hayden Field.

vs. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS
Series Info: Tuesday, May 14 at Purdue's Alexander Field (One Game)
2018 Record: 38-21, 17-6 (Big Ten)
Postseason: Big Ten Tournament, NCAA Tournament Chapel Hill Regional

Notable:
• The Boilermakers had a pair of 13-game winning streaks en route to a second-place regular season finish in the Big Ten last season. After a 16-16 start, Purdue went 22-5 from April 19 through the end of the season.
• Last year's win total ranked second in program history. Seven seniors and two draft-eligible juniors were lost following the season.
• Purdue leads the all-time series 8-2, but the two programs have not met since 2004.

vs. CINCINNATI BEARCATS
Series Info: May 16-18 at UC's Marge Schott Stadium, Xavier's Hayden Field and Prasco Park (Three Games)
2018 Record: 28-28, 12-12 (AAC)
Postseason: AAC Tournament

Notable:
• Former Xavier head coach Scott Googins is in his second year at the helm of the rival Bearcats.
• UC had its best final record since 2011 in Googins' first year with the program, finishing sixth in the AAC before being eliminated in two games at the conference tournament.
• Cincinnati leads the all-time series 66-43 and took both matchups last season.

Schedule

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Players Mentioned

Chris Givin

Conor Grammes

Allbry Major

Matt Warkentin

Upcoming Events

Xavier University Athletics