
Baseball Set for Pair of Midweek Games, Hosting Cincinnati and Traveling to Wright State
04.21.25 | Baseball
Musketeers face UC at 3 PM Tuesday at Hayden Field; Travel to Wright State on Wednesday for 3 PM start
CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball is set to play a pair of midweek games, hosting Cincinnati on Tuesday, April 22, set for a 3:00 p.m. start at Hayden Field. The Musketeers then travel up the road to Fairborn, Ohio to face Wright State, with first pitch set for 3:00 p.m. The game against the Bearcats will be live streamed on FloCollege while the match-up with the Raiders will be available on ESPN+.
The Musketeers are 23-18 overall after going 4-0 last week, picking up a midweek win at Cincinnati and sweeping a three-game series at Villanova. Xavier is ranked in the top 25 of the most recent RPI and currently has the No. 10 ranked Strength of Schedule.
- Cincinnati enters the week at 21-18 overall with an 8-10 record in Big 12 play. In 2025, the Bearcats have series wins over Duke (2-1), Canisius (4-0), UCF (3-0), Texas Tech (2-1) and Arizona State (2-1) and split a four-game series with UNLV. UC also picked up a pair of wins over Miami (Ohio) as well wins over UC San Diego, Toledo and Louisville.
- Xavier moved to 54-73 all-time against UC all time after taking a 7-6 win at UC Baseball Stadium on April 15.
- Three Bearcats earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big 12 team, Kerrington Cross, Christian Mitchelle and Nathan Taylor. UC was picked to finish 10th in the league's preseason poll.
- UC went 32-25 overall last season with an 18-8 mark in the Bearcats' first season in the Big 12. Cincinnati fell to UCF in the opening game of the league tournament and picked up a win over Texas before being eliminated by Texas Tech.
- The Raiders are 24-14 on the season and 16-2 in Horizon League play, taking series wins over Longwood (2-0), Miami (Ohio) (2-0), Oakland (3-0), Milwaukee (2-1), Youngstown State (3-0), NKU (2-1) Purdue Fort Wayne (3-0) and Oakland (3-0) as well as wins against Kent State, Toledo, Cincinnati and Xavier.
- Xavier is 36-41 all-time against Wright State after taking an 11-5 win at Hayden Field in March and falling 10-8 in the Joe Nuxhall Classic Championship at Prasco Park on April 9.
- WSU was picked to finish first in the Horizon League in the conference's preseason coaches poll, returning 23 players from last season, including All-Horizon League Second Team members Cam Allen, Patrick Fultz, and Boston Smith, and All-Freshman Team members Allen and Chet Lax.
- The Raiders went 32-24 last season with a 20-10 record in Horizon League play. WSU picked up a win over Youngstown State in the opening game of the Horizon League Championship before being eliminated with losses to NKU and YSU.
- RHP Ben Weber has pitched a team-high 58.1 innings through 13 appearances, with a 3.55 ERA and a WHIP of 1.36. He has 28 strikeouts to 13 walks, and a team high four wins on the season.
- RHP Jack Nobe has made 14 appearances with a 3.86 ERA through 34.1 innings pitched, best among Xavier's qualifying pitchers, allowing 15 earned runs. He has 22 strikeouts to 21 walks and 31 hits, with a WHIP of 1.46.
- RHP Ryan Piech has made a team-leading nine starts, allowing 22 earned runs through 40.2 innings of work and limiting opposing batters to a team-best .182 average at the plate with a WHIP of 1.46. Piech has a team-high 40 strikeouts.
- RHP Luke Hoskins has made 12 appearances, including five starts with 36.1 innings of work. He currently has 38 strikeouts to just 14 walks, with a WHIP of 1.57.
- 2B Nolan Tucker leads the Musketeers with a .354 average at the plate, with 35 hits on the season, including five doubles, two triples and three home runs, for a .535 slugging percentage.
- 1B Connor Misch has 12 hits for extra bases among his 41 hits for the season, driving in a team-high matching 30 RBI. He also has 30 walks and 15 hit-by-pitches, for a .473 on-base percentage, scoring 23 runs. Misch has reached base in 21-straight games.
- OF Carter Hendrickson has 42 hits on the season to go with 28 walks and 15 hit-by-pitches, scoring a team-high 37 runs and driving in 27 RBI.
- SS Jake Lambdin has 41 hits to go with a team-best 37 walks, coming around to score 36 runs.
- OF Clay Burdette has 17 hits for extra bases on the season, including a team-high matching nine home runs among his 38 hits for a .544 slugging percentage. He's driven in 29 RBI and scored 29 runs for the season.
- DH Isaac Wachsmann has a team-high 19 hits for extra bases, matching for team-high in doubles (10) and home runs (9), as well as matching team-high with 30 RBI for the season.
- Xavier has 49 stolen bases on the season, led by Carter Hendrickson (10-11) and OF Aedan Anderson (9-9).
- The Musketeers return to Hayden Field to host Georgetown for a three-game series, starting Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27.
- Xavier remains at home to host Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday, April 30, set for a 3 PM start.
- The Musketeers wrap up the home portion of the regular season with a three-game series against Seton Hall, running May 2-4.
- 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.
- A pair of Musketeers earned honors from the BIG EAST offices after a 4-0 week for Xavier, with right-handed pitcher Ben Weber earning BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week honors, and designated hitter Isaac Wachsmann earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
- Weber, a junior from St. Paul, Minn., matched his season-long outing in game two at Villanova, going 7.0 innings without allowing a run. Weber allowed just six hits and walked a pair, finishing with two strikeouts. Weber picked up the win, his fourth of the season as Xavier took the 10-2 victory to secure the series win.
- Wachsmann, a junior from Centennial, Colo., batted .462/.563/.846 through Xavier's 4-0 week, including posting six hits and a .545 average in Xavier's three-game sweep at Villanova. Wachsmann capped off his week by going 2-of-4 at the plate in the series finale with the Wildcats, hitting his team-high matching ninth home run of the season to give Xavier the lead in the ninth inning. He finished with three RBI and two runs scored as Xavier took the 5-2 win to complete the sweep of the series.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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