VILLANOVA– Villanova will travel to Cincinnati for their final series of the season. The team will face Xavier for a three-game series starting on Thursday, May 16th. Game one's first pitch is set for 3:00pm followed by a 2:00 pm start on Friday. Villanova's final game of the season will come on Saturday at 10:00 am for the series finale.
Thursday, May 16 | 3:00 p.m. EST
Villanova: Luke McCollough
Xavier: TBD
Friday, May 17 | 2:00 p.m. EST
Villanova: Devin Rivera
Xavier: TBD
Saturday, May 18 | 10:00 a.m. EST
Villanova: Jake Francis
Xavier: TBD
Last Time Out: Villanova dropped their midweek matchup on the road at Saint Joseph's on Tuesday. The game was a back-and-forth affair that saw The Wildcats come from behind to take the lead 5-4 after the fifth inning. However, they were outlasted by a hungry Saint Joseph's team, falling 8-6.
Final BIG EAST Series: This series will wrap up the 2024 regular season for both teams. Villanova sits in a tie for sixth place in the BIG EAST with a 6-12 record. Xavier holds onto the final postseason spot, sitting in fourth place with an 11-7 record. Xavier holds the series over Villanova with a 18-9 record and has won three straight.
Hassert Stays Consistent: Over the past month, Cam Hassert has been on a tear. Going from the bottom of the lineup to a leadoff hitter, over the past month has recorded 19 hits, five home runs and 16 RBI in the last month. The senior is currently on a three-game hitting streak with two hits in all three.
McCollough On The Mound: Senior, Luke McCollough will lead off the series for The Wildcats on the mound. ON the year, McCollough has a 5.49 ERA in 16 appearances and 11 games started with 59 innings pitched. His last start came against Butler where he pitched 7 innings allowing only five hits, one run and striking out three.
Analyzing Xavier
- Xavier is 28-23 on the season and is set to make an appearance in the BIG EAST playoffs. The team is coming off taking two of three games on the road against Georgetown. With a playoff spot secured Xavier still has the chance to go from the fourth spot to the third in the standings.
- As a team, The Musketeers have excelled at the plate. In the BIG EAST they rank first in home runs, third in hits, fourth in on base percentage and fifth in runs.
- A big part of their success has come from the BIG EAST leader in home runs, Aedan Anderson. The junior is batting .264 with a .640 slugging percentage. Anderson has 40 hits and 16 home runs.
- The projected starter for game one on Thursday is Jonathan Kelly. Kelly's last outing came against Georgetown on May 10th where he pitched 5.2 innings where he allowed seven runs and six hits.
