CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball heads north to Mason, Ohio, to take part in the 2023 BIG EAST Championship, presented by JEEP, starting on Wednesday, May 24. The Musketeers, the No. 2 seed, open play against No. 3 seed Seton Hall, set for a 6:30 p.m. start.
Every game of the tournament will be live streamed on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports.
The Musketeers are 34-22 overall and went 14-7 in BIG EAST play, finishing second in the BIG EAST standings.
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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT NOTES |
- The 2023 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 tournament opens on Wednesday, May 24 and is scheduled to run through Saturday, May 27. The opening day of the tournament has been moved up a day from previous years.
- Xavier is making its fourth-straight appearance in the conference tournament, marking the seventh time the Musketeers have made the BIG EAST Tournament in the nine years its been held since Xavier joined the conference.
- The Musketeers open play against Seton Hall, who finished third with a 13-8 record in conference play. Xavier went 1-2 against the Pirates earlier this season at Hayden Field.
- No. 1 seed UConn and No. 4 seed Georgetown will open tournament play on Wednesday, set for a 2:30 p.m. start.
- UConn finished 15-5, winning the league's regular season title. Xavier went 1-2 against the Huskies earlier this season at Hayden Field.
- Georgetown finished 10-10 in league play, earning the No. 4 seed. Xavier went 1-2 against the Hoyas earlier this season.
- The BIG EAST announced on Wednesday, May 17, that Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio will be the home of the BIG EAST Baseball Championship through 2028, extending their partnership an additional five years. The tournament has been held at Prasco Park since 2018.
- Fans can sign up now to watch Xavier Baseball on FloSports! Xavier and the BIG EAST will broadcast every regularly scheduled home baseball game.
- All broadcasts will be available for fans to watch on FloSports.
- Sign up today via the Xavier Athletics FloSports Account for special pricing!
PRICING
- $6.99 per month with a .edu email address
- $12.50 per month via the Xavier Athletics Link (fans without a .edu email address)
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HOW TO WATCH
- TV: Download the FloSports TV app on Roku, Apple TV 4, and Amazon Fire TV
- MOBILE: Download the FloSports iOS and Android apps
- WEB: Bookmark FloSports.TV in your favorite browser
- Shortstop Jack Housinger has 39 hits for the season, with 20 going for extra bases, including 11 home runs. He has 32 RBI and 45 runs scored on the season. Housinger leads the BIG EAST and is ninth in the nation with 54 walks.
- Catcher Matthew DePrey has a .290 batting average for the season, with a team-high matching 14 home runs among his 63 hits, driving in 39 RBIs and scoring 45 runs, with 119 total bases for the season.
- Left fielder Andrew Walker has a team-best .330 batting average for the season, leading Xavier with 76 hits, including a team-high 19 doubles and seven home runs. For the season, Walker has 48 RBIs, matching for the most on the team, and has scored a team-high 51 runs. Walker matches for BIG EAST high in hits (76) and doubles (19) and is second in the league in stolen bases (25).
- Tyler DeMartino returned from injury to make his first appearance against Michigan on March 15 and has started in 35 games since that point, primarily at DH. He's batting .260 with 29 RBI and 26 runs scored, and has 10 home runs on the season.
- Matt McCormick has made 54 starts for the Musketeers, with a .315 batting average for the season. Among his 62 hits are 11 doubles and 13 home runs, driving in 35 RBIs and scoring 37 runs. McCormick leads Xavier's everyday players with a .569 slugging percentage and a .433 on-base percentage.
- Carter Hendrickson has made 48 starts, primarily in the outfield, with a .250 average at the plate. Among his 40 hits are 13 for extra bases, including five home runs. Hendrickson has 23 RBI and 35 runs scored on the season.
- Second baseman Jared Cushing started in all 56 games, with a .293 batting average for the season. Among his 63 hits are 24 for extra bases, including 14 home runs, matching for team high. H
- Alex Helmin has played in 35 games, starting in 27, with .292 batting average. He has 23 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
- Garrett Schultz returned from injury for the Michigan game on May 16 has 31 starts in center field, with a .257 average at the plate. He has 16 walks for the season, has driven in 17 RBIs and has scored 16 runs.
- Third baseman Grant Stephenson has played in 53 games, starting in 50, with a .254 average at the plate for the season. Among his 45 hits are nine doubles and three home runs. He's driven in 28 RBIs and scored 25 runs on the season.
- Teddy Deters has played in 17 games this season, starting in seven, with 12 hits on the season, four for extra bases, has scored 11 runs and driven in 10 RBIs.
- Connor Misch has played in 28 games, starting in seven posting a .265 batting average with 13 hits, 13 RBIs and nin runs scored.
- Luke Hammond has played in 24 games, making six starts, with a .290 average the plate. He has three RBI and six runs scored.
- Aedan Anderson has played in 24 games, has four hits and five walks on the season and has come around to score six times.
- Xavier's offense has 87 home runs this season, a number that leads the BIG EAST and ranks No. 37 in NCAA DI.
- Ethan Bosacker has made 14 starts this season, with a 3.98 ERA, fifth best in the conference among qualified pitchers, through 81.1 innings pitched on the season. He has a team-high 90 strikeouts for the season, second most in the BIG EAST, and has walked 25, for a 3.60 strikeout to walk ratio, third best in the league. For the season, Bosacker is top five in the league in WHIP (1.16), hits allowed per nine innings (7.64) and wins (7).
- Brant Alazaus has made 14 starts this season with an ERA of 3.84, fourth best in the BIG EAST, though 86.2 innings pitched, with 87 strikeouts to just eight walks for the season. Alazaus leads the BIG EAST with eight wins on the season, including a complete-game shutout against Creighton. Alazaus leads the nation in walks allowed at 0.83, leads the BIG EAST and is second in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.88), and leads the BIG EAST and is No. 5 in the country WHIP (0.92).
- Luke Hoskins has made 18 appearances, including 13 starts, and has a 4.63 ERA through 68.0 innings pitched. He's allowed 35 earned runs on 68 hits, with 47 Ks to 14 walks and has a record of 6-2 on the season.
- Justin Loer has made 26 appearances, including one start, with a 1.94 ERA through 51.0 innings pitched, best among Xavier's pitchers who have pitched at least 30 innings this season. His season ERA also ranks in the top five in the BIG EAST among pitchers who have pitched at least 5.0 innings this season. Loer has 57 strikeouts on the the season, has limited opposing batters to a .184 average at the plate and has a record of 5-3 with five saves.
- Luke Bell has made 15 appearances, including seven starts, with a 7.31 ERA in 48.0 innings pitched with 39 Ks to 19 walks.
- Jonathan Kelly has a 4.67 ERA in 52.0 innings pitched, making a team-high 28 appearances including one start. Kelly has 37 strikeouts to 14 walks.
- Nick Boyle has made 11 appearances, including four starts, with a 8.10 ERA in 16.2 innings pitched, allowing 15 runs on 16 hits with 17 strikeouts to 17 walks.
- Jack Niedringhaus has made 10 appearances, including making his first collegiate start against EKU. He has a 3.31 ERA through 16.1 innings pitched, with six earned runs allowed on 15 hits and 10 strikeouts to six walks issued. He picked up the win at Michigan to move to 2-0 on the season.
- Connor Bailey has 14 appearances on the season, including one start with a 6.50 ERA through 18.0 innings pitched, allowing 13 earned runs on 17 hits, with 10 strikeouts to 12 walks.
- Clay Schwaner has made 18 appearances out of the bullpen, with a 6.26 ERA through 27.1 innings pitched, and has five saves on the season.
- Creighton Hansen has a 4.32 ERA through 8.1 IP in 10 appearances, allowing four earned run on three hits, and has nine strikeouts to 14 walks.
- Jake Zicka (3.0 IP) has an ERA of 6.00 after making his third appearance of the season, allowing two runs on two hits with three strikeouts to four walks.
- Nathan Stahl has a 9.00 ERA through 4.0 innings of work across five appearances, with four Ks to four walks.
- Ryan Rumsey made his first appearance of the season against UC, allowing three earned runs on four hits and a walk in 1.0 IP.
- Carter Hendrickson made his first appearance on the mound during the NIU series, allowing two runs on three hits with a pair of strikeouts in 1.0 inning of work.
- Xavier's pitching staff leads the BIG EAST with a team WHIP of 1.29, the 10th best mark in the country. Xavier also leads the conference in hits allowed per nine innings (8.24), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.36), and walks allowed per nine innings (3.38) all top-50 marks in NCAA DI.
- Eight Musketeers earned All-BIG EAST honors, as voted on by the league coaches. Three Musketeers, Brant Alazaus, Matthew DePrey and Andrew Walker, earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors.
- Additionally, Ethan Bosacker, Justin Loer, Matt McCormick, Jared Cushing and Grant Stephenson earned BIG EAST Second Team honors. Xavier's eight honorees were the most among all BIG EAST schools.
- Left-handed pitcher Brant Alazaus earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team as a starting pitcher. Alazaus, a graduate student from Alliance, Ohio, has made 14 starts this season with an ERA of 3.84, fourth best in the BIG EAST, though 86.2 innings pitched, with 87 strikeouts to just eight walks for the season.
- In BIG EAST play, Alazaus made seven starts with an ERA of 2.72 and an opposing batting average of .206 through a league-leading 46.1 innings pitched. During conference play, Alazaus had 44 strikeouts, second most among BIG EAST pitchers, and only gave up one walk.
- Alazaus leads the BIG EAST with eight wins on the season, including a complete-game shutout against Creighton. Alazaus leads the nation in walks allowed at 0.83, leads the BIG EAST and is second in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.88), and leads the BIG EAST and is No. 5 in the country WHIP (0.92).
- Matthew DePrey earned the All-BIG EAST First Team nod at catcher, making all 56 starts for the Musketeers behind the plate. DePrey, a junior from Sun Prairie, Wis., has a .290 batting average for the season, with a team-high matching 14 home runs among his 63 hits, driving in 39 RBIs and scoring 45 runs, with 119 total bases for the season.
- In BIG EAST play, DePrey had 25 hits, including six home runs, 16 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
- In the field, DePrey has a .991 fielding percentage and has thrown out 17 stolen base attempts, second most in the league, including five in BIG EAST play. He also ranks in the top three among everyday catchers in the BIG EAST in fewest passed balls.
- Left fielder Andrew Walker earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team after starting in all 56 games for the Musketeers. Walker, a graduate student from Pittsburgh, Pa., has a team-best .330 batting average for the season, leading Xavier with 76 hits, including a team-high 19 doubles and seven home runs. For the season, Walker has 48 RBIs, matching for the most on the team, and has scored a team-high 51 runs.
- In BIG EAST play, Walker had a .325 average at the plate, with seven doubles and four home runs among his 26 hits in league play, ranking fifth in the league with a .588 slugging percentage in conference play. His 21 runs scored in conference action leads the Musketeers and is tied for third in the league. He has 32 walks on the season, with 18 coming in BIG EAST play, third most in the league.
- Walker matches for BIG EAST high in hits (76) and doubles (19) and is second in the league in stolen bases (25).
- In the field, Walker has a .990 fielding percentage for the season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in BIG EAST games.
- This is the second post-season honor of Walker's career, also earning BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2021.
- Right-handed pitcher Ethan Bosacker, a senior from Monticello, Minn., earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors as a starting pitcher. Bosacker has made 14 starts this season, with a 3.98 ERA, fifth best in the conference among qualified pitchers, through 81.1 innings pitched on the season. He has a team-high 90 strikeouts for the season, second most in the BIG EAST, and has walked 25, for a 3.60 strikeout to walk ratio, third best in the league.
- In BIG EAST play, Bosacker made seven starts with a 5.23 ERA in 41.1 innings pitched, picking up three wins. He has 42 strikeouts against conference opponents, third most in the league, and limited opposing batters to a .232 average at the plate, top five among qualified pitchers in BIG EAST play.
- For the season, Bosacker is top five in the league in WHIP (1.16), hits allowed per nine innings (7.64) and wins (7).
- Left-handed pitcher Justin Loer, a sophomore from Lakeville, Minn., earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team as a relief pitcher. Loer has made 26 appearances, including one start, with a 1.94 ERA through 51.0 innings pitched, best among Xavier's pitchers who have pitched at least 30 innings this season. His season ERA also ranks in the top five in the BIG EAST among pitchers who have pitched at least 5.0 innings this season.
- Loer has 57 strikeouts on the the season, has limited opposing batters to a .184 average at the plate and has a record of 5-3 with five saves.
- In BIG EAST play, Loer made nine appearances, posting a 3.12 ERA through 17.1 innings pitched, picking up a win and three saves. Against conference opponents, Loer only allowed six runs, and had 21 strikeouts to just seven walks.
- First baseman Matt McCormick, a senior from Chicago, Ill., earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors. McCormick has made 54 starts for the Musketeers, with a .315 batting average for the season. Among his 62 hits are 11 doubles and 13 home runs, driving in 35 RBIs and scoring 37 runs. McCormick leads Xavier's everyday players with a .569 slugging percentage and a .433 on-base percentage.
- In BIG EAST play, McCormick had a .312 average at the plate, with 11 of his 24 hits going for extra bases including seven home runs, which led the team and ranked second among league players in conference play. He finished conference action with a .636 slugging percentage and had 49 total bases, with both marks ranking third in the league. McCormick also took 13 of his 27 walks during conference play.
- On defense, McCormick has a .986 fielding percentage, with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in BIG EAST play.
- Second baseman Jared Cushing, a senior from Naperville, Ill., earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team. Cushing started in all 56 games, with a .293 batting average for the season. Among his 63 hits are 24 for extra bases, including 14 home runs, matching for team high. He also matched for team high in RBIs, driving in 48 on the season, and has scored 40 runs.
- In BIG EAST play, Cushing led Xavier's everyday players with a .351 average, third best among league players, drove in a team-high 22 RBIs and scored 16 runs. He also took 11 of his 19 walks for the season in conference play.
- Cushing has a .977 fielding percentage for the season, with a 1.000 fielding percentage in BIG EAST play.
- This is Cushing's second post-season award from the BIG EAST, earning All-BIG EAST First Team in 2022.
- Third baseman Grant Stephenson, a junior from Algonac, Mich., picked up All-BIG EAST Second Team honors. Stephenson has played in 53 games, starting in 50, with a .254 average at the plate for the season. Among his 45 hits are nine doubles and three home runs. He's driven in 28 RBIs and scored 25 runs on the season.
- In conference action, Stephenson played in all 21 games, making 20 starts, and had a .313 batting average, with three doubles and a pair of home runs among his 20 hits. He drove in 18 RBIs, second most on the team in league play, and scored 13 runs. Seven of Stephenson's 13 walks came during BIG EAST play.
- Defensively, Stephenson has a .960 fielding percentage for the season, with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in BIG EAST play.
- Sophomore LHP Justin Loer was named to the 2023 Pitcher of the Year semifinalist list released by the College Baseball Foundation on May 17.
- Loer has made 26 appearances, including one start, with a 1.94 ERA through 51.0 innings pitched, best among Xavier's pitchers who have pitched at least 30 innings this season.
- His season ERA also ranks in the top five in the BIG EAST among pitchers who have pitched at least 5.0 innings this season.
- Loer has 57 strikeouts on the the season, has limited opposing batters to a .184 average at the plate and has a record of 5-3 with five saves.
- Loer was one of 25 semifinalists on the list, and was the only semifinalist from a BIG EAST school.
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DEPREY ON POSEY WATCH LIST |
- Xavier junior catcher Matthew DePrey was listed on the most recent Watch List for the 2023 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year award, released by the Wichita Sports Commission on May 10. DePrey is one of three from the BIG EAST, joined by Tate Ballestero of St. John's and Owen Carapellotti of Georgetown.
- The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, announced on May 22, 2023. Ballots will be sent to the national voting committee at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 6, 2023.
- A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All finalists will be brought to Wichita and the winner will be announced on June 29, 2023.
- After helping Xavier rewrite several records last season, BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year shortstop Jack Housinger is positioned to make moves in the Xavier career record books.
- Housinger currently stands at 236 games played, the most all time by a Musketeer. Housinger broke the previous school record of 225 during the Creighton series.
- Last season, Housinger moved into Xavier's top five for career doubles, with 52 for his time as a Musketeer, second most in program history, and just 10 shy of matching the school record of 62.
- After setting the single season school record of 68 runs scored last season, Housinger has 45 runs scored this season and now has a career total of 186, second-most in program history. The current school record is 211.
- Housinger had 47 walks on the season for 2022, the sixth most in a single season in program history. Housinger has 54 walks for 2023, third most walks in a single season, with his current career total standing at 186, second most career walks for a Musketeer. The current school record is 188.
- With 838 career at-bats, Housinger set a new school record, breaking the previous school record of 833 during the Georgetown series.
- Xavier opened the season on the road, playing 18 away games before opening the home portion of the schedule on Wednesday, March 15 against Michigan.
- Overall, Xavier will play 36 games on the road, playing games in 11 different states and facing opponents from 12 different conferences, including the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC.
- Among Xavier's 25 scheduled opponents are six teams that competed in last season's NCAA Tournament.
- The Musketeers return a strong core from last season's bullpen which posted a new school record of 482 strikeouts.
- RHP Ethan Bosacker returns to the rotation after sitting out last season due to injury. Prior to 2023, Bosacker was last in action in 2021, making 12 appearance, including 10 starts, with an ERA of 3.34 through 62.0 innings pitched and 53 strikeouts.
- Lefty Brant Alazaus, a transfer from Walsh University, started in 12 games last season at Walsh, pitching a total of 78.1 innings in 15 appearances. He finished had 2.88 ERA, had 100 strikeouts and only seven walks, and finished with a 6-1 record.
- Justin Loer made 15 appearances, including three starts, in 2022 finishing with an ERA of 3.55 through 25.1 innings pitched and a record of 2-0, with 18 strikeouts.
- Among the returners, Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Luke Bell's 59 strikeouts from last season leads the way. Bell made 25 appearances for the Musketeers, including a team-high 10 starts, posting a 4-0 record. He had a 4.31 ERA through 56.1 innings pitched.
- Bryce Barnett (40), Jared Gadd (38) and Jonathan Kelly (32), key contributors to last season's strikeout record, also return for Xavier.
- Xavier also returns contributors from last season Conner Bailey and Luke Hoskins, as well as letterwinners Ryan Rumsey, Jake Zicka. Nick Boyle and Carter Hendrickson
- Off the transfer portal, Xavier added righties Clay Schwaner (Wofford), Creighton Hansen (Wichita State) and Nathan Stahl (Indiana).
- The Musketeers also added freshman Jack Niedringhaus (LHP) to the bullpen.
- The Musketeers bring back seven every-day position players and eight contributors from last season's school-record breaking offensive lineup. Xavier is coming off a season where they drove in a school record 425 RBI, score a program-best 450 runs, and had 100 home run season, crushing the previous school record of 68.
- Among the returners, Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and the league's Preseason All-BIG EAST selection at shortstop, Jack Housinger, led the way with 16 home runs last season. The mark tied the previous school record and trails only Luke Franzoni's 29 home run season in 2022 in Xavier's single season records. last season, Housinger started at shortstop in all 60 games, batting .311 for the season, with 30 of his 71 hits going for extra bases for a .588 slugging percentage.
- Garrett Schultz joined Housinger on the Preseason All-BIG EAST squad. Last season he played in 58 games, starting in 56, primarily in center field, batting .322, with 66 hits, including 14 for extra bases, and took 23 walks. Schultz drove in 33 RBI and came around to score 28 times.
- Andrew Walker played in 57 games in 2022, starting in 56, all in left field. Walker batted .309 for the season, with hits 23 going for extra bases for a .505 slugging percentage. Among the extra base hits, he had 15 doubles and five home runs. He took 35 bases on balls, and finished with a career-best .437 on-base percentage.
- Tyler DeMartino appeared in 57 games last season, making 55 starts, including 44 at center field and 11 at DH. DeMartino batted .309 for the season, driving in 47 RBI and scoring 40 runs on 63 hits. He had a .564 slugging percentage, collecting 27 hits for extra bases, including 14 doubles and 12 home runs.
- Jared Cushing appeared in 58 games, starting in 54, making 34 starts at third base and 20 starts at second base. He Batted .290 for the season knocking in 31 RBI and scoring 33 runs on 60 hits. Of those hits, 20 went for extra bases including 10 home runs.
- Matthew DePrey appeared in 42 games, starting in 26 last season, making 20 starts at catcher and six at DH. DePrey batted .266 with 29 hits, scoring 20 runs and driving in 16 RBI.
- Alex Helmin appeared in 39 games in 2022, making 16 starts, primarily in right and center field. He finished with a .253 average at the plate, with 19 hits, including three doubles, and seven walks.
- Grant Stephenson appeared in 27 games last season, starting in 26, all at third base, batting .310 for the season, with 27 hits, driving in 19 RBI and coming around to score 14 runs.
- The Musketeers have made the four-team BIG EAST Tournaments six times since joining the conference for the 2013-14 season.
- Xavier has advanced to the conference championship series in each of it's six trips to the league tournament, claiming the tournament championship three times (2014, 2016, 2017), as well as winning the regular season title in 2016.
- The Musketeers have advanced to the championship series and finished runners-up in each of the last three tournaments held (2019, 2021, 2022).
- A pair of Musketeers were selected in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft, with junior Jack Lynch going to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 18th round, and senior Luke Franzoni selected in the 19th round by the Los Angeles Angels.
- The two selections in 2022 makes it 20 total Musketeers selected in the MLB Draft since 2005.
- At least one Xavier player has been selected in seven of the last nine years, and the 2022 draft marked the fourth time in that period that multiple Musketeers were picked.
- Ahead of the 2023 season, Xavier was picked the finish third in BIG EAST by the league coaches
- Graduate student Jack Housinger was named the Preseason Player of the Year, and was the coaches' preseason All-League pick at shortstop.
- Senior outfielder Garrett Schultz and Senior RHP Luke Bell were also selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
2023 Preseason Baseball All-BIG EAST Team and Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Jack Housinger, Gr., SS, Xavier
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Ian Cooke, So., RHP, UConn
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team*
C – Owen Carapellotti, So.., Georgetown
1B – Ben Huber, Gr., UConn
2B – Andrew Meggs, Sr., Creighton
3B – Kevin Michaels, RJr., St. John's
SS – Jack Housinger, Gr., Xavier
DH – Jack Grace, Sr., Creighton
OF – Korey Morton, Jr., UConn
OF – David Glancy, RJr., St. John's
OF – Will Gale, RJr., Seton Hall
OF – Garrett Schultz, Sr., Xavier
SP – Ian Cooke, So., UConn ^
SP – Cade Lommel, Jr., Creighton
SP – Dominic Cancellieri, Jr., Creighton
SP – Luke Bell, Sr., Xavier
RP – Tommy Steier, Gr., Creighton
^ - denotes unanimous selection
* due to a tie in voting, there is an extra member on the preseason all-conference team.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. UConn (7) – 49
2. Creighton (1) – 43
3. Xavier – 36
4. Georgetown – 30
5. Seton Hall – 23
6. St. John's – 21
7. Villanova – 15
8. Butler – 7
