Baseball Opens 2020 Season with Three-Game Series at Memphis

Friday, February 14

Memphis, Tenn.

3 PM ET

Xavier University

Memphis

Baseball Opens 2020 Season with Three-Game Series at Memphis

02.13.20 | Baseball

Live Stats Video (Fri/Sun Only)Audio

Friday's season opener moved up to 3:00 PM ET

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball kicks off the 2020 season at Memphis this weekend, beginning a three-game series at FedEx Park with a 3:00 p.m. ET first pitch on Friday, February 14, moved up from the original start time of 5:00 p.m.

XU returns to the diamond on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET before finishing off the weekend with a Sunday game at 2:00 p.m. ET. Audio and video live streams are available for Friday and Sunday's games. Saturday's game will have a live audio stream available only.

SERIES HISTORY

This is the first time the Musketeers will face the Tigers.

OPPONENT NOTABLES

The Tigers finished 2019 at 27-28 overall and 10-13 in American Athletic Conference play.
Memphis played as the No. 7 seed in the AAC Championship. The Tigers were eliminated after falling to Cincinnati and UCF.
The Tigers return outfielder Hunter Goodman, a First Team All-AAC selection and the league Newcomer Position Player of the Year.
Memphis also returns redshirt senior Chris Durham (LHP), who was also an All-AAC selection, earning a spot on the conference Second Team.

PROJECTED ROTATION

Friday	Lane Flamm	2.68 ERA, 53.2 IP, 8 SV
Saturday	Nick Zwack	6.28 ERA, 53.0 IP, 43 SO
Sunday	Griffin Lanoue	6.75 ERA 45.1 IP, 25 SO

X ON THE MOUND

The Musketeers return a strong core from last season's bullpen, including sophomore Lane Flamm, a unanimous selection to the preseason All-BIG EAST squad after earning All-BIG EAST Second Team honors following his rookie season. As a freshman, the righty emerged as the Musketeers' go-to closer, appearing in 25 games as a reliever.
Flamm finished with an ERA of 2.68 overall and 1.80 in BIG EAST action, collecting eight saves in 53.2 innings of work last season, with four coming in against conference opponents. Those eight saves are the seventh most in a single season by a Musketeer, and jump Flamm to eighth all time on the Xavier career save list.
Flamm allowed just 16 earned runs with 47 strikeouts overall in 2019, with only three runs allowed in 15.0 innings of work in BIG EAST play.
The Musketeers also return a pair of starters from 2019 in Nick Zwack and Griffin Lanoue.
Nick Zwack, a lefty entering his junior season, made 20 appearances with 12 starts in 2019, finishing with a record of 4-3 and an ERA of 6.28. Zwack gave up 37 earned runs on 61 hits, struck out 43 and walked just 24 in 53.0 innings of work as a sophomore.
Griffin Lanoue made 10 starts in 13 appearances during 2019, finishing the season with a 3-3 record after allowing 34 earned runs on 54 hits, while striking out 25 in 45.1 innings of work.
Trevor Olson, who appeared in 22 games and made one start last season, is expected to work in to the starting rotation. The junior left-hander ended 2019 with an ERA of 6.19 in 36.1 innings of work, with 31 strikeouts to just 16 bases on balls.
Sam Czabala, a lefty, made 18 relief appearances in 2019, posting an ERA of 3.44 in 34.0 innings pitched with a record of 3-2. Czabala allowed just 13 earned runs on 26 hits with 27 strikeouts to his credit and just 10 walks.
Trey Schramm, appeared in 20 games in relief for the Musketeers last season. The righty went 3-2 on the season with an ERA of 5.66 in 35.0 innings of work, allowing 22 earned runs on 38 hits with 19 strikeouts. Schramm ranks 10th in Xavier's records with 10 career saves.
Xavier also returns junior relievers Henry Miller and Evan Miller, and adds an influx of talent on the mound with a deep freshman class, adding right handers Ethan Bosacker, Michael Dillon, Connor Gill, Shawn Hepler, Luke McCollough, Xander Rojahn, Bobby Spencer and Cooper Williams, as well as lefty Jack Lynch.

BEHIND THE PLATE

Returning behind the plate, senior catcher Natale Monastra earned the first preseason honors of his career following his selection to the All-BIG EAST Second Team following his junior campaign. Monastra finished the 2019 season with a fielding percentage of .997, the highest among Xavier's regular players. Monastra has just one error in 51 appearances, and has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 13 starts in BIG EAST play.
At the plate, Monastra had a .313 average in BIG EAST play and a .237 mark overall for 2019. He finished with 41 total hits, with 15 in conference action, including five doubles, three triples and four home runs. All three of Monastra's triples came against conference opponents.
Luke Stephenson, who made 28 appearances, including 12 starts at catcher, also returns as a key reserve. Stephenson batted .203 on the season and .231 in conference play. Freshman Mason McLeod also joins the Musketeers at catcher.

X IN THE OUTFIELD

Allbry Major, who started in 51 games, primarily in left field, leads the returning Musketeers in batting average from 2019, finishing .281 at the plate through 51 starts. Major collected 57 hits, including a team-high 15 doubles and brought in 34 RBI during his sophomore season.
Sophomore Luke Franzoni made 42 appearances during his rookie season, including 32 starts, mostly in center field. Franzoni hit .254 for his freshman season, hitting his stride during BIG EAST play where batted .320 in 14 appearances with a .620 slugging percentage, boosted by a team-high four homeruns against BIG EAST opponents.
Franzoni led the Musketeers with 11 homers overall for a team-best slugging percentage of .563 for the season. His 35 RBI from 2019 are the most among Xavier's returnees.
Xavier also returns reserves Andrew Sexton, who made 17 starts in 45 appearances for the Musketeers, and Andrew Walker. The Musketeers also add a trio of newcomers in Garrett Schultz, Jack Krumbach and Tyce Brown.

MUSKETEER INFIELD

Sophomore Jack Housinger earned the preseason all-conference nod at shortstop after earning Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and All-BIG EAST Second Team honors following last season. He made 55 appearances for the Musketeers in 2019, including 50 starts, primarily at third base. As a freshman, he batted .275 on the season, with 47 hits and a team-high matching 36 walks for an on-base percentage of .407. Housinger had 12 doubles on the season, with five coming in BIG EAST play. Housinger finished his freshman year with fielding percentage of .974 with only four errors in his rookie season, with just one of those coming during conference play.
Junior infielder Ryan Altenberger was the league's preseason selection at second base after a sophomore campaign where he hit .259 in 158 plate appearances, scoring 32 runs on 41 hits and 27 walks. He finished 2019 with a slugging percentage of .443, finishing with 12 doubles a triple and five home runs, collecting multiple hits in 11 games last year. The junior also collected eight stolen bases in 14 attempts last season. Altenberger started in 45 games, making 38 starts at second base, in 2019, finishing the season with a fielding percentage of .974.
The Xavier infield also returns sophomore infielder Kody Darcy, who appeared in Xavier's starting line-up 26 times, including 10 conference match-ups during his freshman season, primarily at third base. Darcy batted .170 overall but had a mark of .206 in 11 BIG EAST appearances, scoring seven runs on seven hits. Reserves Eddie Rivero and Jackson Kaplowitz also return in 2020.
Xavier adds junior college transfer Sam Olson to the infield. Olson made 51 appearances, primarily at shortstop, for Heartland Community College in 2019, batting .294 with 52 hits, 48 runs scored and 28 RBI. The Musketeers also added a pair of freshmen infielders in Jonathan Kelly and Jared Gadd to the squad.

ROAD WARRIORS

Xavier opens the season on the road, playing 19 away games before opening the home portion of the schedule on Wed., March 18 against Cincinnati at 3:00 p.m.
Overall, Xavier will play 36 games on the road, including a seven-game swing in Southern California.

X CAN PICK IT

Xavier posted a program-best fielding percentage of .982 in 2019, a mark that ranked fourth in NCAA DI
Last year's marked continued a streak of posting a fielding percentage of .973 or better that dates back to the 2016 season. Each of the last four seasons ranks among the top five in Xavier's records.

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

Xavier, coming off a second-place finish in the BIG EAST, looks to build on a strong 2019 campaign where the Musketeers challenged for the BIG EAST regular season and tournament championships.
Xavier finished 2019 at 27-31 overall, playing against the 19^th toughest non-conference schedule in the nation.
The Musketeers went 12-4 in a conference schedule abbreviated by two rain-outs, earning the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, and advanced to the BIG EAST Championship series.

MUSKETEERS IN THE DRAFT

Xavier had pair of selections in the 2019 MLB Draft, with Conor Grammes going in the fifth round to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chris Givin selected in the 19th round by the San Diego Padres. The pair's selection marked the third time in four years multiple Musketeers were taken.
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.
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 has had at least one player drafted in 12 of the last 15 years.
19 total XU players have been drafted since 1999.

PRESEASON PICKS

Ahead of the 2020 season, Xavier baseball was picked in a three-way tie for second place in the BIG EAST by the league coaches.The Musketeers collected 28 points in the preseason poll, including one first place vote, to match Seton Hall and St. John's for second. Creighton was picked first with 29 points.
Xavier is coming off a second-place finish in the BIG EAST, going 12-4 in conference play and advancing to the BIG EAST Championship series.
The Musketeers added a deep freshman class to its returning core which includes four preseason All-BIG EAST selections in Natale Monastra, Ryan Altenberger, Jack Housinger and Lane Flamm. Xavier's four preseason selection are the second most honorees since joining the conference in 2013.

Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. Creighton (2) – 29 pts.
T2. Seton Hall (3) – 28
T2. St. John's (1) – 28
T2. Xavier (1) – 28
5. Butler – 14
6. Villanova – 11
7. Georgetown – 9

2020 SCHEDULE

Xavier's 2020 schedule features 24 different opponents, including six NCAA Tournament squads from 2019.
The Musketeers schedule features three teams featured in various preseason Top 25s, including consensus top-two Louisville as well as Ole Miss and Ohio State.
The Musketeers' schedule is highlighted by 10-day trip to Southern California to face a trio of west coach schools in March before starting the home schedule on March 18.
BIG EAST play gets underway on April 9 against Georgetown.
Xavier will once again co-host the BIG EAST Championship at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio over Memorial Day Weekend.

XU TO HOST LEAGUE TOURNEY

The 2020 BIG EAST Baseball Championship presented by Jeep will be co-hosted by Xavier baseball at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio during Memorial Day Weekend.
The BIG EAST announced last spring that Prasco Park would serve as host through 2022, extending the partnership, which began in 2018, through five years. Xavier will remain the co-host of the annual postseason tournament.
The Championship series of the 2020 BIG EAST Championship will air on FS2. All other games will be available to stream on the BIG EAST Digital Network.