VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova (6-25, 2-4) make their way to Indianapolis, Ind. for a BIG EAST three-game series at Butler (7-24, 0-3) starting on Friday, April 14 with first pitch at 3:00 p.m. Game two of the series will start at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and the series will conclude Sunday with a 12:00 p.m. first pitch. Fans can watch the first game on FloSports and follow the live stats.

 
Projected Starters:
Friday, April 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Villanova: Cade Udell
Butler: TBA
 
Saturday, April 15 | 2:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Villanova: Devin Rivera
Butler: Cory Bosecker
 
Sunday, April 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Live Stats
Villanova: Cole Vanderslice
Butler: Lukas Galdoni
 

Back To BIG EAST Ball: Villanova and Butler have met 24 times dating back to 2014 when Butler joined the BIG EAST conference. The Bulldogs lead the Wildcats 9-15 all-time. Villanova lost the last matchup at home against Butler on April 10, 2022, taking a 11-3 defeat at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. The Wildcats claimed the series from April 8-10, 2022, winning the first two games on the weekend. The last time the two teams competed at Butler was on April 25, 2021, when the Bulldogs bested the Wildcats in another 11-3 outcome.

Last Time Out: The Wildcats come off a 15-4 loss to Penn in the second and final head-to-head game of the season between the pair which took place on Wednesday, April 8. Penn built upon a dominant early advantage with a grand slam in the top of the sixth to secure a 10-run lead. After eight innings the game was called 15-4 in favor of the Quakers.

Stepping Up To The Plate: Freshman second baseman Michael Whooley, freshman catcher Jake Bollin and graduate shortstop Craig Larsen all make key contributions to the win over Creighton on Saturday, April 8. Whooley had a standout performance making a key contributes to the Wildcats win. Whooley had three hits and four RBI including the batting in the winning runs in the top of the tenth. In the field he had two putouts and two assists at second. Bollin had his first career start for the Wildcats as the designated hitter and ignited the Villanova offense with his first career home run in the top of the fifth. Larsen also made an impact with some much-needed runs in the top of the eighth when he hit a two RBI single to center field to tie the game up 6-6.
 
Valiant Valdez: Sophomore catcher Josue Valdez had a standout performance in the past midweek matchup with Penn on Wednesday, April 12. Valdez came in later in the game, not behind the plate, but to appear at first base in the top of the seventh. Valdez had a standout play in the bottom of the seventh with a three RBI dinger to clear the bases and keep the 'Cats from ending the game in that inning due to the 10-run differential rule.


Background On The Bulldogs

• Butler enters the series getting swept by Xavier over the past weekend and taking a loss 13-2 to Michigan on Tuesday, April 11. The Bulldogs dropped the first game to Xavier 8-3, the second 4-2 and the series finale 13-6.
• Freshman infielder Joey Urban has taken over the Butler offensive leader board in spectacular fashion. He is slashing the highest amongst his teammate with .276/.350/.504 and is the leader in hits (34), runs (21), doubles (7), triples (3) and RBI (18). Urban has hit five homers and is difficult to catch on the base path going 5-for-5 on the season so far. Along with a standout performance at the plate, Urban has started all 31 games this season and has made 69 putouts and one assist.
• Sophomore infielder Carter Dorighi and senior catcher/infielder Kollyn All have also lent a hand to the Bulldogs offense. Dorighi has started in every game on the season and is slashing .264/.341/.331 and trails Urban in most offensive categories. Dorighi has 32 hits, 13 runs, three doubles, one triple, one home run and 15 RBI on the season so far. In the field he has made 44 putouts and three assists. The veteran All, has played in 29 games with 24 starts this year. He is slashing .217/.320/.434 and leads the team in home runs with 5. All has also gone 18-for-83 with 11 runs, three doubles and 15 RBI. Behind the plate he has made 62 putouts, 33 assists and six errors.
• Senior pitchers Cory Bosecker and Lukas Galdoni will start on the rubber on Saturday and Sunday to finish out on the weekend for the Bulldogs.
• Bosecker has started eight games on the mound for Butler and owns a record of 0-6 with an ERA of 5.98 over 40.2 innings pitched. Bosecker has issued 47 strikeouts, 18 walks, eight wild pitches and allowed 39 hits and 38 runs to be scored while hitting seven by pitch. In the field he has made one putout, eight assists and one error.
• Galdoni has made eight appearances and four starts this season owning a record of 0-1 with an ERA of 6.30 over 20.0 innings pitched. He has issued 18 strikeouts, 14 walks, two wild pitches and allowed 23 hits and 17 runs to be scored.

 
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