Baseball Hosts Huntington, League-Rival Wright State This Week

March 12, 2007

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The Week Ahead: Butler begins its nearly month-long home stand this week when it welcomes NAIA foe Huntington to Bulldog Park on Tuesday (March 13) for a 3:00 p.m. game. The Bulldogs then open up the Horizon League campaign against 2006 tournament champion Wright State, taking on the Raiders in a single game on Friday (March 16) at 3:00 p.m. and a double-header on Saturday (March 17) starting at 12:00 noon.

Championship Rematch: The Bulldogs' series against Wright State from March 16-17 will serve as a rematch of the 2006 Horizon League Championship game. Butler advanced through the tournament to the title contest against the host Raiders, who held off Butler for the league's automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament with a 4-1 decision.

The Big 4-0-0: Butler head coach Steve Farley, already the Bulldogs' all-time winningest head coach, is nearing a milestone victory. With a 398-435-1 record as head mentor at Butler, Farley needs only two victories for his 400th win with the Bulldogs.

Previewing The Bulldogs: Butler (5-7) sits in second place in the Horizon League standings as it opens a 15-game home stand this week. Junior infielder Joe Pauley leads the team with a .333 batting average, while senior outfielder Dustin Bucalo paces the squad with eight runs scored and four steals. Senior catcher Joe Dempsey, senior outfielder Tony Barnes and sophomore infielder Kyle Cox have provided much of the team's power with a pair of home runs each, while Dempsey leads the squad with 10 RBI. Junior righty Jon Dages and junior southpaw Bryan Bokowy have been the team's top starting pitchers, with Dages touting a 3.50 ERA in 18.0 innings and Bokowy sporting a 4.26 ERA in 19.0 frames. Sophomore Jeff Sinkiewicz has registered a pair of saves. Head coach Steve Farley (398-435-1) is in his 16th season at the helm of the Bulldogs.

Last Week's Results:
March 6 - Butler 6, IU-Southeast 5 (Bulldog Park)
A bases-loaded single by Jason Jamerson capped a late-innings rally by the Bulldogs in their home opener, as Butler plated three runs in the final frame to oust IU-Southeast.

March 7 - Indiana 6, Butler 0 (Bloomington, Ind.)
A strong effort by the Butler pitching staff was not enough against the Hoosiers, as Indiana held the Bulldogs scoreless for the first time this season with a 6-0 decision at Sembower Field.

March 10 - Ohio 7, Butler 5 (Athens, Ohio)
Butler rallied from a 5-0 deficit against Ohio with a five-run fifth, but the Bobcats struck for two in the eighth to come away with a 7-5 decision at Bob Wren Stadium.

March 11 - Butler 7-3, Ohio 5-9 (Athens, Ohio)
Butler southpaw Bryan Bokowy pitched a strong 6.0 innings and the Bulldogs used 10 hits and a flawless defensive effort to help them to a 7-5 victory over Ohio in the first game of a double-header at Bob Wren Stadium. Butler fell in the night-cap, however, as Ohio plated three in the first and six in the third for a 9-3 seven-inning decision.

Head Coach Steve Farley: The Bulldogs have developed into a consistent winner during the tenure of head coach Steve Farley, now in his 16th season. Butler has had five winning seasons in the past nine years and have averaged nearly 30 wins per year during that stretch. Teams under his guidance have broken Butler's school record for victories three times. The Horizon League's longest-tenured active coach, Farley owns the eight-highest single-season win totals in Butler baseball history, and is Butler's all-time winningest coach with 398 career victories. He's had 60 players earn all-conference honors, and 21 of his former players have signed professional baseball contracts.

Home Sweet Home: Talk about home stands: the Bulldogs will play 15 of 16 games from March 13 to April 4 at Bulldog Park on the Butler campus, with a single-game at Dayton on March 21 as the lone road trip during that span. The remainder of the schedule is much less kind, however, as Butler will play only six of their final 26 games in Indianapolis. The Bulldogs host league-foe UIC in a three-game series from April 20-21 and close out the regular season with a three-game set against UW-Milwaukee from May 18-19.

Dempsey's Fair Share: Joe Dempsey was a force to be reckoned with in the series finale against Morehead State on Feb. 25. The senior catcher drove in seven of the Bulldogs' 21 runs in the game to finish only one shy of the school record of eight, which was accomplished twice. Paul Beck was the last to reach the total, doing so against Bradley on March 8, 2003.

Flexing Their Muscles: Butler's five home runs against Morehead State on Feb. 25 was also just one short of the all-time school mark of six. Ironically enough, the Bulldogs set the standard against Morehead State as well, doing so on Feb. 21, 1998.

Team Captains: Seniors Joe Dempsey and Tony Barnes were elected team captains for the 2007 season. Both players were named to the 2006 All-Horizon League Second Team.

Arms Race: Pitching will be key for the Bulldogs in the 2007 season. Butler's returning arms combined for nearly 80 percent of the team's innings pitched (388.1 of 498.1) and recorded 14 of its 21 victories. Junior Brian Deter led the team with five wins last season, while Bryan Bokowy, Jon Dages and Ryan Kruszka each tallied three. Senior Matt Byzet, back for his second stint with the Bulldogs after playing at Kentucky last year, went 6-1 his freshman season at Butler.

Major League Calling: Former Butler pitcher Pat Neshek reached baseball's highest stage last summer, as the Minnesota Twins called him up from Triple-A Rochester on July 6. He entered a game against the , he allowed just one hit in two innings of relief and became a vital part of the Twins' post-season run in the final months of the season. He finished his initial season with 37.0 innings pitched, recording a 4-2 record and a 2.19 ERA while striking out 53.

Next Up: The Bulldogs host cross-town NAIA rival Marian College on Tuesday (March 20) before hitting the road for the only time during their month-long home stand, heading to Dayton on Wednesday (March 21) for a 2:00 p.m. contest against the Flyers. The week concludes at Bulldog Park with a three-game set against Youngstown State (March 23-24).