Baseball Travels to No. 13 Texas for Weekend Series

Friday, March 29

Austin, Texas

8 PM

Xavier University

Texas

Baseball Travels to No. 13 Texas for Weekend Series

03.28.19 | Baseball

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By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

AUSTIN, Texas – Xavier baseball returns to the road, traveling to No. 13 Texas for a three-game series this weekend. Friday's game gets started at 8:00 p.m. ET at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. Saturday's game 6:30 p.m. ET and Sunday's match-up gets underway at 1:00 p.m. ET. All three games are available for live stream on the Longhorn Network through WatchESPN.com

Xavier enters the game at 9-15 overall after opening the home schedule over the weekend, taking two of three against Evansville, and then splitting a pair of midweek games with Wright State.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Game	Xavier	Texas
Fri	Damien Richard, RHP	Bryce Elder, RHP
Sat	Griffin Lanoue, RHP	Blair Henley, RHP
Sun	Conor Grammes, RHP	Coy Cobb, RHP

SERIES HISTORY

This year's series will mark the first meetings between the two programs.

OPPONENT NOTABLES

The Longhorns enter the game at 17-11 overall, ranked No. 13 in D1baseball.com's top 25, and are in the top 20 for the USA Today Coaches and Baseball America polls.
UT is coming off a 3-2 midweek loss to Incarnate Word. The Longhorns are 3-3 in Big 12 play after taking two of three against No. 11 Texas Tech, then falling in two of three against No. 22 TCU.
Texas finished 2018 at 42-23 overall and 17-7 in the Big 12, making an appearance in the NCAA College World Series
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.

PROJECTED LINEUP

1. Chris Givin, SS .350 BA, 36 H, 10 RBI
2. Jake Shepski, RF .278 BA, 22 H, 5 2B
3. Conor Grammes, DH .320 BA, 31 H, 12 RBI
4. Matt Warkentin, 1B .266 BA, 4 HR, 12 RBI
5. Allbry Major, LF .299 BA, 3 HR, 12 RBI
6. Natale Monastra, C .215 BA, 17 H, 10 RBI
7. Jack Housinger, 2B .293 BA, 22 H, 12 RBI
8. Kody Darcy, 3B .182 BA, 6 H, 2 HR
9. Andrew Sexton, CF .196 BA, 9 BB, 6 RBI

LINEUP NOTES

Chris Givin enters the game hitting a team-best .350 and has reached base in 23 of 24 games this season, including the first 19 of the season, and the last four. Givin has a team-best 36 hits this season which ranks second in the BIG EAST, including four doubles, and has collected 10 walks on the season. Givin's 10 multi-hit games leads the team.
Conor Grammes enters the series with Texas with a six-game hitting streak, the longest current streak on the team, and an eight game on-base streak, also a team-high. Grammes is hitting .320 and has 31 hits and 12 RBIs.
Ryan Altenberger has a four-game hitting streak, hitting .274 with a team-high seven doubles. Altenberger also has a seven-game on-base streak matching Grammes for team-high. Altenberger has taken 17 walks on the season.
Jake Shepski enters the week with team-highs of 19 walks, which leads the league, and 14 RBI, hitting .278 on the season.
Allbry Major returned to the line-up on Wednesday, entering the series with Texas hitting .299 with 20 hits, 11 of which were extra base hits including a team-high three triples.
Matt Warkentin returned to the line-up against Wright State as well, entering the series with Texas with 21 hits, including four home runs which matches Conor Grammes for team-high.
Kody Darcy brings a three-game hitting streak into the week after hitting a pair of home runs, the first of his college career, on Saturday.

ABOUT XAVIER

The Musketeers return 20 letter-winners and six starters from last season's team, which went 7-11 in the BIG EAST Conference and failed to reach the postseason for just the second time in five years. 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. Incoming freshman Kody Darcy should slot into the everyday lineup at third base and could be an impact freshman, already earning Preseason BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors from D1Baseball.com and Baseball America.

RECORD WATCH

Junior Conor Grammes entered the season for 11th all-time in career batting average at XU with a .331 mark.
Senior Chris Givin's 11 career triples rank fourth in program history, tying John McCambridge in the record book with his second of the season yesterday at Wright State. He tied the XU single season mark with six in 2018 and could make a run at all-time leader Dan Froehle's mark of 18.
Givin should also enter the program's all-time top 10 in both hits and doubles this season with numbers similar to his past seasons. His 211 hits trail the No. 10 spot in program history by seven and his 36 doubles are just three outside the program's top 10.
Senior Matt Kent's career ERA of 3.44 entering the season ranks 11th in program history. The righty makes his 62nd career appearance today, just eight appearances from entering the program's top 10.

ROAD WARRIORS

Xavier has been a reliable defensive unit so far, posting a BIG EAST-leading .978 fielding percentage with 19 errors in 24 games. The Musketeers rank 30th nationally as of March 26.
The Musketeers have 19 double plays on the season, second in the BIG EAST.
Xavier posted a .973 fielding percentage in 2018, ranking fourth in program history.
Xavier has set three of the top four program marks in fielding percentage in the last three seasons, including a program record mark of .977 in 2017.

X CAN PICK IT

Xavier has been a reliable defensive unit so far, posting a BIG EAST-leading .978 fielding percentage with 19 errors in 24 games. The Musketeers rank 30th nationally as of March 26.
The Musketeers have 19 double plays on the season, second in the BIG EAST.
Xavier posted a .973 fielding percentage in 2018, ranking fourth in program history.
Xavier has set three of the top four program marks in fielding percentage in the last three seasons, including a program record mark of .977 in 2017.

BOMBS AWAY

After going without a home run in their season-opening series at No. 7 UNC, the Musketeers exploded for seven in their series at Samford. That included a five homer game in the Friday opener. The Musketeers now have 22 longballs for the 2019 season.
Xavier baseball has become one of the most prolific power-hitting teams in the country in recent years, breaking the XU program record with 68 bombs in 2018.
The previous program record was 64 hit by the 1997 Musketeers. Xavier has now hit 129 homers in the last two seasons, the most in successive seasons in the history of the program.
Last year's total of 68 led the BIG EAST by 21 and ranked 21st in the NCAA.
Matt Warkentin led the team and the BIG EAST with 14 homers as 13 different batters provided a longball for XU.
Xavier returns eight players who contributed a homer in 2018, totaling 42 longballs. That number would have ranked second in the league.

2019 AWARDS

Conference/National Awards

Conor Grammes	BIG EAST Co-Preseason Player of the Year	Link
Conor Grammes	Preseason All-BIG EAST	Link
Chris Givin	Preseason All-BIG EAST	Link
Allbry Major	Preseason All-BIG EAST	Link

Weekly Awards

Jake Shepski	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (2/18)	Link
Nick Zwack	BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week (2/25)	Link
Matt Warkentin	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (2/25)	Link
Lane Flamm	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (3/4)	Link
Conor Grammes	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (3/4)	Link
Chris Givin	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (3/18)	Link
Conor Grammes	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (3/25)	Link

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

The Musketeers had a down season in 2018, but have won three BIG EAST Championships in the last five seasons overall.
XU won its last title in 2017, sweeping their way to a BIG EAST Championship in Omaha, Neb. XU swept the regular season and tournament titles in 2016 and also won the tournament in 2014, its first year in the league.
Since joining the league in 2014, Xavier has won three of five BIG EAST Championships (2014, 2016, 2017) and ranks third all-time in league championships with Seton Hall, Rutgers and Connecticut. XU and Seton Hall are tied for the most BIG EAST titles amongst current league members.
With back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017, Xavier became the first team since Louisville in 2008 and 2009 to repeat as tournament champions.

BILLY BALL

After a decorated playing career and four years as an assistant on the Xavier baseball staff, Billy O'Conner enters his second season at the helm of the program in 2019.
During his time on the staff, XU has posted three 30-win seasons, made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament and had nine players selected in the MLB First Year Player Draft. That number includes three straight years with at least one selection and a program record four selections in the 2017 draft.
Billy O'Conner's first career win came at No. 8 Kentucky on Feb. 20, 2018 and he picked up a second top-10 victory on Feb. 26 of this season as XU took down No. 8 Louisville, 5-4, on the road.
Prior to his time as an assistant at XU, O'Conner spent one year as an assistant at Northern Kentucky and two years in the volunteer assistant role at Xavier.

ARMS APLENTY

Xavier went through attrition and injuries with its pitching staff last season, beginning 2018 with the loss of seven seniors and 373.1 innings of total production (70% of total innings). Last season's weekend rotation featured two true freshmen and just 52.2 innings of career experience, all belonging to Damien Richard.
This spring will be a different story as the Musketeers bring back 91 percent of their total innings from 2018. XU lost just four pitchers who logged a total of 42 innings last season.
Fifth year righty Damien Richard is now two seasons removed from Tommy John surgery, while Taylor Williams and David Williams return from the same surgery this season.
Xavier lost time to injury from five pitchers a year ago, including Trey Schramm, Taylor Williams, David Williams, Henry Miller and Roger Danison.

DRAFTING MUSKETEERS

Xavier has had a number of players go on to play professionally in recent years, including at least one MLB Draft selection in each of the last three years.
Lefty pitcher Zac Lowther was the highest-ever selection by a Xavier baseball player, going in the second round compensatory selections of the 2017 MLB Draft at 74th overall. XU's previous high pick was Seth Willoughby, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2012 by the Colorado Rockies.
Xavier had a program record four players selected in the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Additionally, two committed players were taken in the draft for the first time in program history.
Xavier's four draft picks were: Zac Lowther (Comp. Round B, 74th pick, Baltimore Orioles), Rylan Bannon (8th Round, 250th pick, LA Dodgers), Garrett Schilling (18th Round, 536th pick, Colorado Rockies), Greg Jacknewitz (22nd Round, 666th pick, San Francisco Giants)
Xavier has had at least one player drafted in 12 of the last 14 years.
17 total XU players have been drafted since 2005.

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS

As a team, Xavier was picked to finish fourth in the league with 25 points in the annual BIG EAST coaches poll. XU was just behind Creighton and Seton Hall, who tied for second in the poll with 25 points. Defending league champion St. John's was picked to repeat in 2019 with 36 points.
Conor Grammes was named the BIG EAST Co-Preseason Player of the Year, marking the second time an XU player has received the honor (Joe Gellenbeck, 2017).
Chris Givin, Conor Grammes and Allbry Major were each selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
XU was picked to finish fourth in the league for the fourth time.
Xavier was picked second in last season's poll and was picked to win the league ahead of the 2017 season.

First place votes in ( )
1. St. John's (6) – 36 points
T2. Creighton (1) – 25 pts.
T2. Seton Hall – 25 pts.
4. Xavier – 24 pts.
5. Butler – 17 pts.
6. Georgetown – 13 pts.
7. Villanova – 7 pts.

LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE

Xavier announced a 56-game schedule in October, featuring 16 home contests, four home series and road trips to 11 different states.
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.

XU TO HOST LEAGUE TOURNEY

Xavier will co-host the 2019 BIG EAST Championships at Prasco Park for the second straight season. The tournament will last from May 23-26.
There will be no charge for admission or concessions for BIG EAST Championship fans in attendance.
The finale of the 2019 BIG EAST Championship will air on FS2. All other games will be available to stream on the BIG EAST Digital Network, a dedicated channel on the FOX Sports GO app. FOX Sports is the BIG EAST Conference's broadcast partner.
Prasco Park is only the second ballpark to host the BIG EAST Baseball Championship not on the East Coast. TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, home of the 2014 and 2016 championships, is the other.