Baseball Heads to Lexington to Face Kentucky on Tuesday

Tuesday, March 25

Lexington, KY

6:30 PM

Xavier University

Kentucky

Baseball Heads to Lexington to Face Kentucky on Tuesday

03.24.25 | Baseball

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Musketeers and Wildcats get underway at 6:30 p.m.

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball travels down I75 to Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, March 25, to face Kentucky, set for a 6:30 p.m. start on SEC Network+.

The Musketeers are 11-13 on the season after going 3-0 against Ball State in the home-opening series over the weekend. Xavier continues to rank in the top 5 for both RPI and Strength of Schedule in NCAA DI, with the Musketeers' SOS ranked No. 1 in the most recent rankings.

KENTUCKY

The Wildcats enter the week with a 15-7 record overall and a 2-4 record in SEC play, currently receiving votes in several polls.
UK has season sweeps of Belmont (3-0) and Hofstra (3-0), a series win against Wofford (2-1), and victories over Lipscomb, Evansville, Morehead State, EKU and Northern Illinois. The Wildcats have also picked up SEC wins over No. 3 Georgia and No. 16 Auburn.
A pair of Wildcats, Devin Burkes and Robert Hogan, earned Preseason All-SEC honors, while Kentucky was picked to finish 10th in the league.
The Wildcats went 46-16 overall last season with a 22-8 record in SEC play. The Wildcats were eliminated in the fourth round of the SEC Tournament.
UK earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, hosting the Lexington Regional and picking up wins over Western Michigan, Illinois and Indiana State to advance to the Lexington Super Regional, where they used two wins over Oregon State to move on to the College World Series.
At the MCWS, Kentucky picked up a win over NC State before being eliminated by losses to Texas A&M and Florida.
Xavier is 2-30 all-time against Kentucky, last facing the Wildcats in Lexington in 2023 after the 2024 match-up was canceled due to weather.
The first win of Billy O'Conner's head coaching tenure at Xavier came against the Wildcats, with the Musketeers taking a 3-2 victory in 10 innings against then-No. 8 Kentucky on Feb. 20, 2018, in Lexington.

XAVIER NOTES

RHP Ben Weber holds a 2.91 ERA in 34.0 innings pitched this season. Weber has tallied 18 strikeouts and allowed only eight walks. The native of St. Paul, Minnesota has a record of 2-2 and opponents are hitting for a batting average of .244 against him.
INF Jake Lambdin has started in all 24 games for the Musketeers. He leads the team in batting average with a mark of .318 and leads the team in walks with 20. Lambdin is four-for-four in stolen base attempts this season. He has notched 27 hits, including three doubles and a home run, while driving in eight RBI's and scoring as a base runner 20 times.
RHP Ryan Piech has started six games for the Musketeers this season. In 27.0 innings pitched, Piech has pitched to the tune of a 5.67 ERA while totaling 29 strikeouts and 21 walks. Piech has allowed just 21 hits and 17 earned runs thus far. Opponents are hitting for a batting average of .212 against Piech.
OF Carter Hendrickson is second on the team in batting average with a mark of .280. The senior from Farmington, Minnesota has slugged four doubles and three home runs while driving in 16 RBI's. Hendrickson has the highest on-base percentage on the team with a total of .473. He also carries the third highest slugging percentage on the team with a tally of .439.
RHP Luke Hoskins has appeared in eight games for the Musketeers this season. In 22.0 innings pitched, Hoskins has recorded an ERA of 4.91. In that time, Hoskins has racked up 27 strikeouts, compared to just nine walks. Hoskins has a record of 2-0 and is holding opposing hitters to a batting average of .230.
INF Luke Hammond is fourth on the team in batting average with a mark of .273. In 44 at-bats, Hammond has tallied 12 hits, including one double, four RBI's, and has scored as a base runner four times. Hammond possesses a slugging percentage of .295 and an on-base percentage of .304. The senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, has also notched two walks and is four-for-four on stolen base attempts this season.

UPCOMING opponents

The Musketeers will return home next weekend to open up BIG EAST play with a three-game series against UConn, starting Friday, March 28, at Hayden Field and running through Sunday, March 30.
The seven-game homestand continues on Tuesday, April 1, when the Musketeers host Wright State, set for a 3 p.m. start at Hayden Field.

VS. CANCER

Xavier Baseball is once again joining forces with Vs. Cancer to raise money in support of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, The team will be collecting donations from now until April 27 when members of the program will shave their heads in support of the cause. The head-shaving will occur following Xavier's home game against Georgetown on Sunday, April 27.
Xavier has worked with Vs. Cancer since 2014 to help support children battling cancer, helping the Vs. Cancer organization make a $100,000 gift to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. With the donation, Cincinnati Children's Hospital was assisted in being able to establish its Proton Therapy Center, one of only two such centers in the world owned by a children's hospital.

WEEKLY AWARDS

After leading the Musketeers with a .455 average at the plate in the 3-0 sweep of Ball State last weekend, Clay Burdette earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, the league office announced on Monday.
Burdette, a sophomore from Cincinnati who started at right field in all three games against the Cardinals, finished 3-5 at the plate with a run scored in game one, driving in the game winning RBI with a single in the ninth for the walk-off 6-5 win.
In game two, Burdette finished 1-3 with a walk, finishing with an RBI and a run scored as Xavier picked up a 9-2 win to start the Saturday doubleheader. In the series finale, he finished with an RBI and two runs scored after hitting his fourth home run of the season, with the Musketeers taking the 7-1 win.

RETURNING MUSKETEERS

Xavier returns 10 players who appeared in the lineup last season, including eight who played in at least a third of Xavier's games. The returnees accounted for 307 of the Musketeers' 531 total hits last season, including over 67 percent of Xavier's home runs (62 of 92). The returning Musketeers drove in 195 RBI last season and scored nearly 60 percent of Xavier's runs (216 of 363).
Aedan Anderson, a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection in the outfield, played in 55 games last season, starting 42 in the outfield. He batted .271 overall, with 46 hits and a team-high 44 runs scored. Among his hits were 26 for extra bases, including a BIG EAST-leading 18 home runs. He posted a .641 slugging percentage for the season, trailing only teammate Isaac Wachsmann among league players. He also led the Musketeers with 35 walks on the season.
Connor Misch, the league's selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team at designated hitter, played in 46 games last season, making 40 starts and earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST second team. He batted .268 for the season overall finishing with 41 hits and 27 runs scored. He had 19 hits for extra bases, with 11 doubles and eight home runs.
Luke Hammond, the Preseason All-BIG EAST selection at third base, started at third in all 56 games he played in last season. He batted .290 overall for 2024, collecting 64 hits and scoring 43 runs, both marks ranking second on the team. Among his 64 hits were 25 for extra bases, including 14 doubles and 11 home runs, posting a .502 slugging percentage on the season. He also had 26 walks for the season.
Isaac Wachsmann played in 28 games last season, starting in 27, despite dealing with a mid-season injury. He batted .330, the best average among Xavier's everyday players, finishing with 31 hits, including 10 home runs, drove in 20 RBI, and scored 21 runs. Wachsmann also led Xavier's everyday players in slugging percentage (.691) and on-base percentage (.434). He was picked as the 2025 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by D1Baseball.com.
Carter Hendrickson started in 42 of the 49 games he played in, collecting 50 hits, including 19 for extra bases. He drove in 18 RBI and came around to score 37 runs. His .303 batting average and .407 on-base percentage ranked second among Xavier's everyday players. Hendrickson led the team in doubles with 15 and was second on the team in stolen bases with 12, the most among the returning Musketeers.
Hayden Christiansen played in 52 games in 2024, starting in 44. He totaled 53 hits, including 15 for extra bases, drove in 34 RBI, and scored 24 runs. His .288 average at the plate was fourth best among Xavier's everyday players.
Jake Lambdin played in 21 games as a position player, collecting 11 hits, including two extra-base hits, nine RBI, and nine runs scored. He finished with nine walks and went 2-2 on stolen base attempts.
Tyler Stack started at designated hitter in 12 of the 19 games he played in last season. He finished his freshman season with nine hits, including three for extra bases, drove in six RBI and scored six runs.

XAVIER BULLPEN

The Musketeers' bullpen returns nine who made an appearance last season, including five who pitched at least 15.0 innings. Xavier also returns a pair who missed all of 2024 due to injury, graduate student Jared Gadd and sophomore Ryan Piech, who will make the start on Saturday against IU.
Jake Hooker, who is set to make the start in Xavier's season opener against Oregon State, appeared in 11 games and started in one in 2024 before an injury brought his season to an end in mid-April. He posted a 2.20 ERA through 16.1 innings pitched and tallied 16 strike outs. Hooker finished his shortened freshman season with a pair of saves.
Nick Boyle, who is set to make Monday's start against Oregon State, made 19 appearances, including eight starts in 2024. In 46.1 innings of work had a 6.02 ERA and held opposing batters to a .256 batting average, the second best among Xavier's starters. Boyle finished with 58 strikeouts, the most among returning Musketeers.
Luke Hoskins made a team-high 15 starts last season, leading the team in innings pitched with 70.1. He posted an ERA of 6.78 and finished the season with 49 strikeouts to just 15 walks, the fewest bases on balls allowed among Xavier's regular starters.
Logan Schmidt made 16 appearances for the Musketeers in 2024, starting in 11 games. He had a 7.01 ERA and collected 52 strikeouts in 68.0 innings of work, second most innings pitched on the team. He finished the season with five wins, matching the team high for 2024.
Jake Lambdin made 17 appearances on the mound in 2024, compiling a 3.43 ERA in 21.0 innings of work. He finished with 26 strikeouts and 15 walks and held opposing batters to a .171 batting average. Lambdin collected three saves and had a W-L record of 2-0.

2025 schedule

The Musketeers face teams from 10 conferences outside of BIG EAST play, as well as Pac-12 member Oregon State, which is competing as an independent in baseball this season.
Nine of the teams on Xavier's schedule played in last season's NCAA Tournament, including four teams that advanced to Super Regionals and two teams that took part in the College World Series, including defending National Champions Tennessee.
The Musketeers played the first 21 games of the season on the road, traveling to six different states before hosting Ball State at Hayden Field on March 21.
Six of Xavier's non-conference opponents are ranked in Preseason Polls, including four squads that earned top 15 rankings from NCBWA: No. 2 Tennessee, No. 4 LSU, No. 7 Oregon State and No. 14 Vanderbilt.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST SELECTIONS

Three Musketeers, Luke Hammond, Connor Misch and Aedan Anderson, where selected to the 2025 Preseason Baseball All-BIG EAST Team, as voted on by the coaches.
Luke Hammond, a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, was picked to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team at third base. Hammond started at third in all 56 games he played in last season. He batted .290 overall for 2024, collecting 64 hits and scoring 43 runs, both marks ranking second on the team. Among his 64 hits were 25 for extra bases, including 14 doubles and 11 home runs, posting a .502 slugging percentage on the season. He also had 26 walks for the season.
In BIG EAST play, Hammond batted .292 through 21 games, finishing with 26 hits and a team-high matching 18 runs scored against league opponents. He drove in 15 of his 36 RBI in conference action. Hammond was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team following the season.
Connor Misch, a junior from Dyer, Ind., was the league's selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team at DH. He played in 46 games last season, making 40 starts. He batted .268 for the season overall finishing with 41 hits and 27 runs scored. He had 19 hits for extra bases, with 11 doubles and eight home runs.
In 19 games played in BIG EAST play, Misch had a .315 average at the plate with 23 hits and 16 runs scored. Eleven of his extra base hits came against league opponents, including six home runs, third most among league players. Of his 23 RBI on the season, 14 came in BIG EAST action. Misch was named to the 2024 All-BIG EAST Second Team following the regular season.
Aedan Anderson, a senior from Laguna Niguel, Calif., was named a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection in the outfield. Anderson played in 55 games last season, starting 42 in the outfield. He batted .271 overall, with 46 hits and a team-high 44 runs scored. Among his hits were 26 for extra bases, including a BIG EAST-leading 18 home runs. He posted a .641 slugging percentage for the season, trailing only teammate Isaac Wachsmann among league players. He also led the Musketeers with 35 walks on the season.
Anderson made 20 starts in BIG EAST play, finishing with a .267 average at the plate. Thirteen of his 20 hits in conference play went for extra bases including a team-high eight home runs against league foes. He led the Musketeers in conference play with 17 walks and matched Hammond for team-high with 18 runs scored. He also led the Musketeers with 22 runs batted in during league play, third most among BIG EAST players. His 17 walks in conference play led the league.

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

Xavier is coming off a 2024 season where the Musketeers posted 30 wins for a third-straight year, going 30-27 overall with a 12-9 record in BIG EAST play to earn the No. 4 seed the BIG EAST Tournament. Xavier opened the league tournament with a win over No. 1 seed UConn before falling to St. John's and Georgetown.
The Musketeers have made the four-team BIG EAST Tournament eight times since joining the conference in 2013, including every season the event has been held since 2019.
Xavier has advanced to the conference championship series seven times in the Musketeers' eight 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.

XU TO HOST THE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT

The 2025 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 21, 2025 and is scheduled to run through Saturday, May 24, 2025.
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.

BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL

Preseason Player of the Year
Maddix Dalena, 1B, Jr., UConn

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Ian Cooke, RHP, Sr., UConn ^

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team*
C – Owen Carapellotti, Georgetown
1B – Maddix Dalena, UConn
2B – Kyle Hess, Creighton
3B – Tyler Minick, UConn
3B – Luke Hammond, Xavier
SS – Bryan Padilla, UConn
SS – Luke Orbon, St. John's
DH – Connor Misch, Xavier
OF – Jack Moroknek, Butler
OF – Caleb Shpur, UConn
OF – Nolan Sailors, Creighton ^
OF – Kavi Caster, Georgetown
OF – Jackson Tucker, St. John's
OF – Aedan Anderson, Xavier
SP – Ian Cooke, UConn ^
SP – Dominic Cancellieri, Creighton
SP – Andrew Williams, Georgetown
SP – Evan Chaffee, St. John's
SP – Ryan Reich, Seton Hall ^
RP – Brady Afthim, UConn
RP – Louis Marinaro, St. John's

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

BIG EAST Baseball Preseason Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. UConn (7) – 49
2. Xavier – 38
3. St. John's (1) – 37
4. Creighton – 30
5. Georgetown – 25
6. Seton Hall – 24
7. Villanova – 12
8. Butler – 9