Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics
With the spring months approaching, baseball season is in full swing. Butler is looking to strike back this year after coming off of a 20-35 overall record, going 5-16 in conference, and ending their season short of the Big East tournament.
The Dawgs started off their season with back-to-back weekend road trips. On Feb. 14 the team headed down to Stephenville, Texas to take on the Tarleton State Riders in both team’s first scheduled game of the year. The Dawgs lost their first three games of the series, losing 31 to 5 in game two. Butler bounced back in their final game of the four game series, defeating the Riders 9 to 7.
The Dawgs headed down to Goldsboro, North Carolina last weekend to play the Norfolk State Spartans in a three game series. Butler started the series off strong winning their first two games 16 to 7 and 10 to 0. The team’s final showdown was eventually cancelled due to inclement weather which put the Dawgs at 3-3 on the season.
With a new season comes a new roster for Butler, many key returners and some exciting new ones will make a difference to their season. Outfielder Jack Moroknek started his season strong making Big East Honor Roll after their trip to Texas and registering five home runs, eight RBI’s, four doubles, and a batting average of .481 on the season. Pitcher Jack Bello, a junior transfer from Air Force, is looking to have a breakout year. Bello throws a 90 mph fastball and has had a batting average of .450 in his first five games. Two young freshmen, Logan Crock and Harry Carr, offer a young spark for the Dawgs and they are showing some true potential starting in the infield on both trips.
As the Dawgs look ahead to their upcoming schedule, they will head down to Kentucky to take on the Louisville Cardinals with a quick turn around to play the Bobcats of Ohio University on their home field. Butler will have a tough stretch playing four road games in five days. As the season continues, Coach Blake Beemer and the Bulldogs will look to make a push for the Big East tournament in May.
