Baseball Closes Out BIG EAST Regular Season at Villanova

Friday, May 10

Villanova, Pa.

3 PM

Xavier University

Villanova

Baseball Closes Out BIG EAST Regular Season at Villanova

05.09.19 | Baseball

Live Stats Watch ($)

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball closes out the BIG EAST regular season this weekend, traveling to Villanova to face the Wildcats for a three-game series, beginning on Friday, May 10 at 3:00 p.m. The series is scheduled to continue Saturday, May 11 at 1:00 p.m. and conclude on Sunday, May 12 at noon.

Xavier stands at 21-27 overall and 10-4 in BIG EAST play, standing in second place in the BIG EAST with a .714 winning percentage going into the Musketeers' final BIG EAST series. With the exception of Butler, the other BIG EAST schools each have two BIG EAST series remaining in the regular season.

BIG EAST STANDINGS

SCHOOL	CONF	CPCT.	OVERALL	PCT.	STREAK
Creighton	9-3	0.750	29-10	0.744	W4
Xavier	10-4	0.714	21-27	0.438	W1
Seton Hall	6-6	0.500	22-23	0.489	L1
St. John's	5-7	0.417	25-19	0.568	W1
Georgetown	5-7	0.417	19-30	0.388	W2
Butler	5-9	0.357	24-21	0.533	W3
Villanova	4-8	0.333	13-33	0.283	L1

OPPONENT NOTABLES

Villanova enters the game at 13-33 overall and 4-8 in BIG EAST play, collecting a win in each series against Seton Hall, Georgetown, St. John's and Butler.
VU finished 9-39 overall and 1-7 in the BIG EAST last season.
The Wildcats returned a core of last year's team with freshmen and sophomores making 286 starts 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.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Game	Xavier	Villanova
Fri	Damien Richard, RHP	TBD
Sat	Conor Grammes, RHP	TBD
Sun	TBD	TBD

PROJECTED LINEUP

1. Conor Grammes, DH .321 BA, 60 H, 6 HR
2. Jake Shepski, RF .280 BA, 31 RBI, 31 BB
3. Allbry Major, LF .280 BA, 12 2B, 26 RBI
4. Matt Warkentin, 1B .283 BA, 51 H, 32 RBI
5. Chris Givin, SS .289 BA, 58 H, 4 3B
6. Jack Housinger, 3B .282 BA, 40 H, 11 2B
7. Luke Franzoni, CF .240 BA, 25 H, 7 HR
8. Ryan Altenberger, 2B .258 BA, 9 2B, 25 RBI
9. Natale Monastra, C .240 BA, 35 H, 17 RBI

LINEUP NOTES

Conor Grammes leads the team at the plate with a team-best .321 batting average, with a team-high 41 runs scored on 60 hits, also a team high. Grammes has 29 walks, the second most on the team with 14 of those walks coming in BIG EAST action.
Jake Shepski enters the game with a .280 batting average and an on-base percentage of .387 with 49 hits and a team-high 31 walks on the season. Shepski is second on the team with 31 RBIs.
Allbry Major enters the game with a .280 batting average and a team-best .500 slugging percentage, with six home runs, and team-high 12 doubles to go with three triples in 46 hits.
Chris Givin enters the series with a .289 batting average and has 58 hits this season, including four triples which ranks third in the BIG EAST.
Matt Warkentin is batting .283 on the season with 30 runs scored on 51 hits. After hitting a grand slam against NKU, Warkentin has a team-high 32 RBIs on the season, including 12 in conference action. His slugging percentage stands at .433 with 78 total bases, with six doubles and a team-high tying seven home runs to his credit.
Luke Franzoni enters the game batting .240 with a .471 slugging percentage, with a .675 slugging percentage in BIG EAST play. Franzoni hit his team-high tying seventh home run of the season against Miami and has 25 total hits, 10 for extra bases, and 26 RBIs.
Xavier leads the conference in total hits at 439, with 134 of those hits coming in BIG EAST play. In conference action, Xavier's 29 doubles are the most and their 12 home runs are tied with Georgetown for league high.

X CAN PICK IT

Xavier has the league's best fielding percentage at .983, which ranks second in the nation, as the Musketeers have committed just 30 errors in 48 games.
The Musketeers have 36 double plays on the season, tied for league-high.
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.

ROAD WARRIORS

Xavier played its first 20 games on the road this spring before returning to Cincinnati to open the home schedule on March 22 against Evansville.
XU will play a total of 39 games on the road. Xavier closes out the regular season this week with a trip to Purdue before playing a three game series with UC in Cincinnati, with one game at Cincinnati, one at Prasco Park in Mason and the regular season finale being played at Great American Ballpark.
The Musketeers' are 11-23 in non-conference play, with a strength of schedule rated No. 5 in the nation by D1Baseball.com.

BOMBS AWAY

After seniors Chris Givin and Ryan Fournier each hit a home run on Senior Day, the Musketeers now have 44 longballs for the 2019 season, the second most in the BIG EAST.
Fournier's home run against NKU brought the season total to 11 Musketeers who have hit a home run. Luke Franzoni and Matt Warkentin each have a team-high seven while Conor Grammes and Allbry Major each have six on the 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.

RECORD WATCH

Junior Conor Grammes entered the season for 11th all-time in career batting average at XU with a .331 mark. Grammes stands at .331 currently with a season batting average of .321.
Senior Chris Givin's 13 career triples rank fourth in program history, pulling to within two of third place in the record books with his fourth of the season at Creighton. 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 also entered the program's all-time top 10 in both hits and doubles at Cincinnati. His 233 hits tie Scott Federle (1989-92) for No. 6 all-time, three hits from moving into the top five, and his 42 doubles rank fifth in program history.
Senior Matt Kent's career ERA of 3.44 entering the season ranks 11th in program history. The righty has 69 career appearances after appearing against Miami, just one appearance from entering the program's top 10.

XU/UC TO BE PLAYED A GABP

Xavier and Cincinnati will play a trio of games in the Greater Cincinnati area to close out the regular season next weekend.
Thursday's game will be played at Cincinnati's Marge Schott Stadium, and is set for a 6:00 p.m. first pitch.
Friday's match-up will be played at Prasco Park in Mason, with first pitch set for 7:00 p.m. Admission and concessions are free.
Saturday's finale will be played at Great American Ball Park, immediately following the Cincinnati Reds game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Reds and the Dodgers are scheduled to begin at 4:10 p.m. with the game between the Musketeers and the Bearcats starting approximately 20-30 minutes following its conclusion.
Fans attending the Reds vs. Dodgers game can stay to see the Musketeers face the Bearcats. Tickets are available at www.reds.com/Tickets.
For those interested in attending only the XU vs. UC game, the main ballpark gates will stay open following the Reds vs. Dodgers game.

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.

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
Ryan Altenberger	BIG EAST Player of the Week (3/11)	Link
Chris Givin	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (3/18)	Link
Conor Grammes	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (3/25)	Link
Jake Shepski	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (4/1)	Link
Allbry Major	BIG EAST Player of the Week (4/8)	Link
Conor Grammes	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (4/15)	Link
Luke Franzoni	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (4/22)	Link
Jake Shepski	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (4/29)	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.