Xavier Baseball Heads to Nashville to Face Lipscomb

Friday, February 23

Nashville, Tenn.

4:00 PM ET

Xavier University

Lipscomb

Xavier Baseball Heads to Nashville to Face Lipscomb

02.22.24 | Baseball

Live Stream (Friday)Live Stats

Musketeers and Bisons set to play three, starting on Friday at 4 PM ET

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball heads out on the road this weekend, traveling to Nashville, Tenn., to play a three-game series with the Lipscomb Bisons. Game one is set for Friday, February 23, with a 4:00 p.m. ET first pitch on WatchESPN.com.

Game two with the Bisons is set for Saturday, February 24, at 3:00 p.m. ET, and the series finale is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET

Xavier enters the series at 1-3 after taking a 9-1 win at Louisville on Wednesday afternoon.

SERIES STARTERS

Friday - RHP Luke Hoskins vs. RHP Alex Brewer
Saturday - LHP Nolan Hughes vs. RHP Jake Poindexter
Sunday - RHP Nick Boyle vs. LHP Michael Dunkelberger

LIPSCOMB NOTABLES

Lipscomb enters the game at 1-3 after opening the season with a three-game series against Ohio, going 1-2 against the Bobcats, and then falling to Western Kentucky in a mid-week match up.
The Bisons, who were picked to win the ASUN Championship in the league's preseason poll, went 36-26 overall last season with a 23-7 mark in ASUN play to earn the league's top seed.
After opening the ASUN Tournament with a pair of losses, the Bison won three-straight to claim the league tournament title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
LU went to the Clemson Regional, falling to the host Tigers and Charlotte.
Xavier is 4-8 all-time against Lipscomb, last facing the Bison in 2019 when the Musketeers swept a three-game series in Nashville.

XAVIER STARTING ROTATION

Luke Hoskins, the projected Friday starter, made his first start of the season in the season-opener at Clemson, going 2.0 innings with seven runs allowed on nine hits, striking out a pair.
Hoskins was a preseason All-BIG EAST pick after making 20 appearances, including 15 starts, in 2023. Hoskins finished with a 7-2 record after posting a 4.48 ERA through 78.1 innings pitched, allowing just 39 earned runs on 79 hits, finishing with 53 strikeouts to 18 walks for a WHIP of 1.24, and limited opposing batters to a .267 average at the plate.
Nolan Hughes is set to start Saturday's game after making his first appearance as a Musketeer in the Saturday game at Clemson. Hughes allowed four runs, three earned, in 3.1 innings of work, collecting six strikeouts in his first start of the season.
Hughes is a junior transfer from Fordham who split time between the weekend rotation and bullpen in 2023, making 17 appearances including six starts. He collected a pair of wins and finished with an 8.12 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched.
Nick Boyle is set to make his second start of the season on Sunday after going 3.2 innings in last Sunday's match-up at Clemson. Boyle allowed four earned runs on six hits and seven walks, finishing with a pair of strikeouts.
Boyle made 13 appearances, including five starts, in 2023, finishing the season with a 7.36 ERA through 18.1 innings pitched. He allowed 15 earned runs on 16 hits, with 17 strikeouts to 23 walks.

THE BULLPEN

Freshman Eli Bridenthal made his collegiate debut in in Friday's game at Clemson, coming in for the fifth inning and posting a 0.00 ERA through 2.0 innings after not allowing a hit or a run. He finished with two strikeouts to one walk.
Tyler Sausville, a sophomore lefty who transferred from New Haven, made his second appearance of the season in Xavier's 9-1 win at Louisville. He currently has a 0.00 ERA through 3.1 innings of work after not allowing a run in either appearance, giving up just two hits. He has two strikeouts to four walks for the season.
Sophomore Jack Niedringhaus entered with one out and the bases loaded in the eighth in Friday's game at Clemson, getting the Musketeers out of the inning with a 6-4-3 double play. Last season, he made 11 appearances, including one start, for the Musketeers as a freshman. He posted an ERA of 3.71 through 17.0 innings pitched, allowing seven earned runs on 16 hits, striking out 10 while walking eight.
Freshman Ashton Chronister came in for the seventh inning of Friday's game with the Tigers, pitching 1.0 scoreless inning in his collegiate debut, not allowing a hit or a walk, and picking up a strikeout.
Grad student Jonathan Kelly made his first appearance of the season on Sunday at Clemson, going the final 1.2 innings for the Musketeers, allowing one run, unearned, on three hits. Last season he tied the school single-season record with 32 appearances, and now has the eighth-most career appearances in Xavier's records with 75 (School Record: 101 - Trey Schramm). Kelly posted an ERA of 4.66 in 56.0 innings pitched in 2024, allowing 29 earned runs on 59 hits. He finished with 42 strikeouts to 16 walks for a WHIP of 1.34.
Logan Schmidt, a right-handed junior transfer from St. John's River, made his second appearance as a Musketeer in Wednesday's win over Louisville, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings on the way to picking up the win, moving to 1-0 on the season. Through 5.0 innings pitched, Schmidt has allowed three earned runs on five hits and four walks, with three strikeouts for a 5.40 ERA.
Connor Bailey made his first start of the season against Louisville, allowing just one run in 2.2 innings on three hits and a walk, striking out one. In two appearances this season, he has a 5.40 ERA through 3.1 innings pitched, allowing two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts to one walk.
Graduate transfer Alex Vera made his second appearance as a Musketeer against Louisville, finishing the outing 7.71 ERA through 2.1 innings pitched for the season, allowing two earned runs on four hits with two strike outs to two walks.
Jake Hooker came in from the bullpen in Xavier's win at Louisville, his second appearance of his freshman season. He's pitched 2.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits for a 7.71 ERA. He has two strikeouts and two walks on the season.
Graduate transfer Terry Murray made his first appearance as a Musketeer on Friday, entering in the third and going 2.0 innings, allowing five runs on four hits, walking three and striking out two.
Eric Podgorny made his collegiate debut in Friday's game at Clemson, entering in the eighth inning, allowing two runs on one hit and a pair of walks in 0.1 inning.
Righty Jared Gadd returns for the Musketeers after sitting out last season due to injury. In his last season with the Musketeers (2022), he made 23 appearances, including two starts, finishing with a record of 5-4 with three saves. He posted an ERA of 4.20 with a WHIP of 1.38 through 49.1 innings pitched, finishing with 38 strikeouts on the season while only giving up 13 walks.
Last season, Nathan Stahl made five appearances in his first season with the Musketeers in 2023, posting a 9.00 ERA through 5.0 innings pitched. Stahl allowed four earned runs on four hits, finishing with four strikeouts and four walks.

THE LINEUP

Center fielder Garrett Schultz has led off all four games this season, is batting .250 with three walks, and has a team-high matching four runs scored this season.
Catcher Matthew DePrey has hit second in the lineup in all four games, with a .250 average at the plate. DePrey, who has reached safely in all four games, leads the team with five walks and matches Schultz for team-high in runs scored at four.
Matt McCormick started all four games at first base, and has a .286 average batting third in the lineup. He has four walks to go with his four hits, reaching safely in every game this season, and has driven in three RBI and scored two runs.
Right fielder Tyler DeMartino has a .308 average the plate batting in the clean-up spot, getting a hit in every game so far this season. Among his hits are pair of doubles, and he's driven in two RBI.
Jared Cushing started all four games at second base, batting fifth in the lineup. He has two hits on the season, driving in two RBI and scoring a run.
Donavan Canterberry has played in all four games this season, making three starts at shortstop. He has a walk and a run scored on the season.
Connor Misch started a pair of games at DH, batting sixth in the order. During the opening weekend of the season he had a walk and drove in an RBI.
Hayden Christiansen made his second start at DH at Louisville, hitting his first home run of the season. He's batting .286 through seven at-bats and has driven in three RBI.
Luke Hammond has made three starts at third base, and is batting .462 through 13 at-bats. Four of his six hits have gone for extra bases, including three home runs, for a 1.231 slugging percentage. He's driven in three RBI and scored three runs.
Grant Stephenson made his first collegiate start at shortstop in Wednesday's win at Louisville. He's appeared in three games, starting at two, and is batting .200, with an RBI and a run scored.
Aedan Anderson reached base safely in all four games this season, with a .500 average at the plate. Among his hits are a home run and a bases-clearing double at UofL that drove in three of his team-high four RBI.
Carter Hendrickson has made a pair of starts at left field, and is batting .286 with a pair of hits and a pair of walks, scoring two runs.
Isaac Wachsmann also has made a start at left field.

RETURNING MUSKETEERS

The Musketeers, who received votes in the NCBWA Preseason Poll, return seven every-day players from the 2023 roster that won the program's fourth BIG EAST Championship and made the program's fifth NCAA appearance. The Musketeers took part in the 2023 Nashville Regional, advancing to the Regional Finals before wrapping up the season at 39-25, tying the school record for wins (Also set in 2009).
Matthew DePrey, the 2023 All-BIG EAST First Team selection at catcher, started all 64 games behind the plate for the Musketeers, tying the Xavier single-season record for appearances. He batted .278, primarily hitting No. 2 in the order, with 10 doubles and a team-high matching 14 home runs among his 73 hits, finishing the season with a .475 slugging percentage. DePrey, who drove in 42 RBI and scored 50 runs last season, was named to D1Baseball's Preseason Top 50 Catchers list.
Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Matt McCormick was a second-team all-conference pick last season after starting in 62 games, mostly at first base. McCormick batted primarily in the five-hole, finishing with a .309 average for the season. He had 12 doubles and team-high matching 14 home runs among his 69 hits for a .552 slugging percentage, best among Xavier's everyday players, driving in in 44 RBI and scoring 40 runs. He also had 32 walks on the season, leading Xavier's starters with a .421 on-base percentage. McCormick was named to D1Baseball's Preseason Top 50 list for first basemen.
Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Jared Cushing was the All-BIG EAST Second Team pick at second base in 2023, after starting in a school-record matching 64 games. He batted .284, finishing the season with 71 hits, including 10 doubles, a triple and a team-high matching 14 home runs for a .500 slugging percentage, driving in 50 RBI and scoring 43 runs. Cushing, who was named to D1Baseball's Preseason Top 50 list for second basemen, posted a .980 fielding percentage and helped the Musketeers turn 35 double plays.
The league's preseason pick at third base, Grant Stephenson, was a 2023 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection after batting .236 on the season, with a .313 average at the plate in BIG EAST play. He finished with 10 doubles and three home runs among his 48 hits, driving in 29 RBI and scoring 27 runs.
Outfielder Garrett Schultz, was a 2024 Preseason All-BIG EAST Selection after starting in 39 games at center field last season. Schultz, who dealt with a mid-season injury in 2023, batted .278 with 40 hits, including six doubles and three home runs. He drove in 23 RBI and scored 17 runs.
Carter Hendrickson played in 58 games last season, starting in 55, splitting time between right and center field. The junior batted .250 for the season, collecting 46 hits, including eight doubles, a triple and five home runs, and drove in 23 RBI and scored 39 runs. He finished with an on-base percentage of .398, taking 31 walks on the season. He was hit by pitches 15 times, second most in a single season in Xavier's records. During the BIG EAST Tournament, he batted .308 through four games, going 4-of-13 with two walks and scoring four runs to earn All-BIG EAST Tournament Team honors.
After dealing with an early-season injury, Tyler DeMartino started in 43 games for the Musketeers, including 41 at DH, batting .255 primarily in the cleanup spot. He finished the season with 40 hits, including five doubles, a triple and 10 home runs, driving in 32 RBI and scoring 28 runs. DeMartino was named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team after batting .308 through the four games of the tournament, finishing 4-of-13 at the plate with three walks and three hit-by-pitches, driving in three RBI.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Xavier opens the home schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 28, hosting Cincinnati at Hayden Field, set for a 2:00 p.m. first pitch.
Following the game with the Bearcats, Xavier heads south for an eight-game road trip to the Gulf Coast, starting with three games against Florida Gulf Coast, running from Friday, March 1 through Sunday March 3.
The Musketeers then head to Louisiana to face La Tech for a pair of games, on March 5 and 6, and the head to defending National Champions LSU for a three-game series, running March 8-10.
Xavier is scheduled to face are nine programs that played in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, including four teams that advanced to a Super Regional and a pair of teams that competed in the College World Series.

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

In 2023, Xavier finished second in the BIG EAST regular season and won the BIG EAST Tournament Championship to earn a bid to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2017. Xavier, the No. 2 seed in the league tournament, beat the No. 3 seed Seton Hall in the opening game and No. 1 seed UConn in the winner's bracket to advance to the Championships series. UConn took game one of the series, forcing a deciding game seven of the tournament, where the Musketeers posted a five-run ninth inning to come from behind and take the 7-3 win and clinch the title.
The 2023 championship was the program's fourth tournament title in the nine times the league has held the event since Xavier joined the conference for the 2013-14 season.
The Musketeers have made the four-team BIG EAST Tournaments seven times since joining the conference, including every season the event has been held since 2019.
Xavier has advanced to the conference championship series in each of its seven trips to the league tournament, claiming the tournament championship four times (2014, 2016, 2017, 2023) and finishing runners up three times (2019, 2021, 2022). Xavier also won the regular season title in 2016.

PRESEASON PICKS

Xavier, coming off the 2023 BIG EAST Tournament Championship, was picked to finish second in the league, earning a pair of first place votes in the coaches' poll.
Four Musketeers earned Preseason All-BIG EAST honors, as voted on by the league's coaches, including a trio of infielders, Matt McCormick, Jared Cushing and Grant Stephenson, as well as right-handed pitcher Luke Hoskins.

Preseason Player of the Year
Jake Studley, OF, UConn

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Stephen Quigley, SP, UConn

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team*
C – Owen Carapellotti, Georgetown
1B – Matt McCormick, Xavier ^
2B – Jared Cushing, Xavier
3B – Grant Stephenson, Xavier ^
SS – Max Viera, Seton Hall
DH – Jack Grace, Creighton
OF – Joey Urban, Butler
OF – Jake Studley, UConn ^
OF – Devin Hack, Seton Hall
SP – Garrett Coe, UConn
SP – Stephen Quigley, UConn ^
SP – Dominic Cancellieri, Creighton
SP – Cody Bowker, Georgetown
SP – Luke Hoskins, Xavier
RP – Ryan Reich, Seton Hall

^ - denotes unanimous selection
* due to a tie in voting, there is an extra member on the preseason all-conference team.

BIG EAST Baseball Preseason Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. UConn (6) – 48
2. Xavier (2) – 44
3. Seton Hall – 35
4. Creighton – 29
4. Georgetown – 29
6. St. John's – 17
7. Butler – 14
8. Villanova – 8

XU TO HOST THE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT

The 2024 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 four-team tournament opens on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 and is scheduled to run through Saturday, May 25, 2024.
The BIG EAST announced in 2023 that Prasco Park would extend the partnership, which began in 2018, with Xavier remaining the co-host of the annual postseason tournament through 2028.