Baseball Back at Hayden Field to Host Butler for Three-Game Series

Friday, April 4

Cincinnati, OH

10 AM

Xavier University

Butler

Baseball Back at Hayden Field to Host Butler for Three-Game Series

04.02.25 | Baseball

Live Stats Live Stream (Friday)Live Video (Saturday)Radio (Saturday)

Musketeers and Bulldogs set to play two on Friday starting at 10 AM, finale on Saturday at 10 AM

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball wraps up its seven-game homestand with a three-game series with Butler. The schedule with the Bulldogs has been adjusted, and will now start with a doubleheader on Friday, April 4, set to begin at 10:00 a.m. The series finale is scheduled for Saturday, April 5, at 10:00 a.m. If necessary, the series will continue on Sunday, April 6.

Further updates to the weekend's schedule will be posted to GoXavier.com and @XavierBASE on X.

The Musketeers are 15-14 on the season after going 2-1 against BIG EAST Preseason favorites, UConn, in the first series of conference play and taking an 11-5 win over Wright State on Tuesday. Xavier remains in the Top 15 in the RPI and currently has the No. 2 Strength of Schedule.

FLOCOLLEGE

Select home games, including Friday's games against Butler, and games broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network will again be available on FloCollege Presented by Invesco QQQ.
Sign up today via the Xavier Athletics FloSports Account for special pricing.
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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

AWRE.TV

Live video for Saturday's game and other select home games this season will be available through AWRE TV, a multi-camera video stream offering seven angles of the action.
Fans will be able to select their own view of the action throughout the game, with live stats and analytics updating on the platform as action happens.
A free radio stream will be available through GoXavier.com and the Varsity Network to sync with the action.

BUTLER

Butler enters the weekend at 10-18 overall with the series with the Musketeers opening up conference play for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs were picked eighth in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll, and outfielder Jack Moroknek earned a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
Butler went 20-35 overall last season, with a 5-16 mark in BIG EAST play, finishing in eighth place in the league standings.
Xavier moved to 71-34 all-time against the Bulldogs after the Musketeers went 3-0 in last season's series. XU has won the last 10 meetings between the two teams, a streak that goes back to 2021.

XAVIER NOTES

RHP Ben Weber has pitched a team-high 39.2 innings through 10 appearances, with a 3.63 ERA, best among Xavier's qualifying pitchers. He has 20 strikeouts to eight walks, and a team-best three wins on the season.
RHP Ryan Piech has made a team-leading seven starts, allowing 18 earned runs through 32.0 innings of work and limiting opposing batters to a team-best .190 average at the plate. Piech leads the Musketeers with 36 strikeouts.
RHP Luke Hoskins has made nine appearances, including three starts, allowing 19 earned runs 28.0 innings of work. He's allowed 27 hits and has 29 strikeouts to just 10 walks, currently with a WHIP of 1.32.
2B Nolan Tucker leads the Musketeers with a .327 average at the plate, with 17 hits on the season, including a triple and three home runs, for a .538 slugging percentage.
OF Clay Burdette has a .315 average at the plate, with 10 of his 29 hits going for extra bases for a .533 slugging percentage and has a team-best 11-game hitting streak entering the weekend. He's 6-for-6 on stolen bases, matching for team high.
OF Carter Hendrickson enters the weekend with a .291 average at the plate, with 30 hits, 21 walks and 14 hit by pitches for a .471 on-base percentage. Hendrickson leads the team in RBI (20) and runs scored (26), has a team-high matching six stolen bases (6-7) and enters the weekend with a team-best 18-game reached base streak.
SS Jake Lambdin leads the Musketeers with 31 hits and 23 walks, coming around to score 23 runs. He has reached safely in the last 10 games.
DH Isaac Wachsmann has a team-high 13 hits for extra bases, leading the team in doubles (7) and home runs (6) and driving in 19 RBI so far this season.

UPCOMING opponents

Xavier heads north to Prasco Park for the Joe Nuxhall Classic, set to begin on Tuesday, April 8, when the Musketeers face Miami (Ohio) at 2:00 p.m.
The Musketeers will return to Prasco Park on Wednesday, April 9, to face either Cincinnati or Wright State, depending on the outcome of Tuesday's games.

VS. CANCER

Xavier baseball has teamed up with the Vs. Cancer Foundation to help support the fight against pediatric cancer nationally, as well as at home in Cincinnati, by raising money in support of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
The Musketeers will be collecting donations through 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, raising over $80k to help accelerate the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation's efforts towards a future without childhood brain cancer. The Musketeers' efforts helped the Vs. Cancer organization make a $100,000 gift to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, helping to establish its Proton Therapy Center.

WEEKLY AWARDS

After going 3-1 last week, including taking two-of-three against UConn, Xavier baseball swept the BIG EAST Weekly Honor, with Ryan Piech earning BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week and Clay Burdette picking up BIG EAST Player of the Week honors.
Piech, a sophomore right-hander from Aurora, Ohio, made the start in Xavier's 8-6 win in the series opener against UConn on Friday, allowing one run on one hit in 5.0 innings of work. He finishing with a career-high matching seven strikeouts to just one walk and earned the win, his second of the season.
Burdette, who started all four games in right field, helped the Musketeers to a 3-1 week, including series win against UConn. The sophomore from Cincinnati finished with a team-best .529 average at the plate and posting multiple hits in all four games. In Xavier's 9-3 win at Kentucky, Burdette went 2-4 with a walk, scoring a pair of runs. In the series opening win against UConn, he went 2-3 driving in an RBI and scoring a run. During Saturday's doubleheader, Burdette posted a five-hit day, going 3-5 in the first game and 2-of-5 in the second game, finishing the series finale three RBI after hitting a two-run homer, his fifth of the season, and an RBI single. Burdette also went 4-of-4 on stolen bases for the week.

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