#BIGEASTbase Minute – Weekend Preview
NEW YORK – The top two teams are on the road this weekend, while third place St. John’s is playing their non-conference weekend at No. 6 Louisville. As we round the turn on league play, Creighton is in first with a 5-1 record, Seton Hall sits at second at 4-2. The Bluejays are on the road at Villanova this weekend, who is tied for sixth at 3-6. The Pirates are at Georgetown who is fifth in the league standings at 4-5. Xavier (3-3 in league action) travels to Butler (3-6 BIG EAST) with Friday afternoon’s game on BEDN and Saturday afternoon’s game on FCS.
Last weekend, three league games went into extra innings, two in the Villanova- Seton Hall series.
Why We’re Watching
Xavier at Butler (4/29-5/1)
If the season ended today, halfway through BIG EAST play, Xavier would be the fourth team into the tournament with a 3-3 record. Both Xavier and Butler earned series wins last weekend. The Musketeers took two from St. John’s, while the Bulldogs went 2-1 against Georgetown, winning game one in extra innings (13), then cruising to a victory on Sunday to win the series. Both teams played at home last weekend. Xavier’s Andre Jernigan is second in the league in RBI with 32 and leagues the league in home runs with 12. Butler’s Jordan Lucio leads the BIG EAST in doubles with 13. The BIG EAST and FOX will feature two of the three games in the series this weekend as Friday’s opener is on BEDN with Mark Minner and Nick Gardner; while Saturday’s middle game will air on FCS. Bob Brainerd and Chase Byerly have the call. April 15 at Georgetown, Xavier head coach Scott Googins, in his 11th year at XU, surpassed former coach John Morrey for most wins in school history (291).
Creighton at Villanova (4/29-5/1)
This weekend will be just the third series meeting between Creighton and Villanova. The Bluejays hold a 6-1 record. Prior to playing each other as league foes, in 1984, Creighton won 5-4 in a game played in Miami Florida. Creighton comes into the weekend winning seven of its last nine games, 11 of their last 14. Villanova is looking to get back on track after losing six of their last seven games. Last weekend Creighton played non-conference action, but Villanova was swept by Seton Hall in league play. Two of the losses to the Pirates came in extra-innings, 4-3 (11) on Friday and 7-6 (10) on Sunday. The Wildcats are 3-6 in BIG EAST action, Creighton is 5-1. Creighton is just one of eight teams in the country with less than 10 losses this season, joining Florida (36-6), Bryant (29-7), South Carolina (33-8), Texas A&M (33-8), Miami (30-8), Louisville (31-9) and BYU (28-9).
Seton Hall at Georgetown (4/29-5/1)
Seton Hall has won five-straight games including a sweep of Villanova last weekend. The Pirates walked off with extra-inning wins twice in the series against the Wildcats. SHU is currently second in the league with a 4-2 record. Georgetown is fifth with a 4-5 record, but has played one more league series than the Pirates. In the series history, Seton Hall has won 79 of their 104 meetings, the Pirates won three of four outings in 2015. The last time these two teams met, Seton Hall eliminated Georgetown from the BIG EAST Championship with a 5-1 victory in Omaha. Georgetown lost two games at Butler last weekend, but won two of three at Xavier the weekend before. Both the Pirates and Hoyas boast the BIG EAST Players of the Week. Hoya Pitcher Simon Mathews earned his second BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week honor; while Seton Hall’s Zack Weigel was named Player of the Week. The Hoyas are coming off a doubleheader split against Maryland Eastern Shore, W, 7-5; L, 9-4. Seton Hall is coming off an 8-1 win over Saint Peter’s.
St. John’s at No. 6 Louisville (4/29-4/30)
Due to weather, SJU will now play at doubleheader at Louisville on Friday, with the series closer on Saturday at 1 p.m. St. John’s and Louisville have met 25 times in a series that dates back to 2007. St. John’s leads the series 15-10, including a 4-5 mark on the road. Louisville is 32-9 this year with a 14-7 mark in ACC play. The pitching staff has a 2.95 ERA and allows just a .216 opponent average, while striking out 349 batters in 363.2 innings. St. John’s is coming off a 17-7 home win over LIU Brooklyn, the sixth time this year SJU scored 15 or more runs this year. The former BIG EAST foes have not met since 2013, when St. John’s won two of three games at home against the No. 8 Cardinals.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, April 29
XAVIER at BUTLER (BEDN) at 3 p.m.
SETON HALL at GEORGETOWN at 3 p.m.
ST. JOHN’S at No. 6 Louisville at 3 p.m. (DH)
CREIGHTON at VILLANOVA at 3:45 p.m.
Saturday, April 30
SETON HALL at GEORGETOWN at 12 p.m. (DH)
XAVIER at BUTLER (FCS) at 1 p.m.
ST. JOHN’S at No. 6 Louisville at 1 p.m.
CREIGHTON at VILLANOVA at 2:15 p.m.
Sunday, May 1
XAVIER at BUTLER at 1 p.m.
CREIGHTON at VILLANOVA at 1:15 p.m.
Latest Results
Wednesday, April 27
ST. JOHN’S 17, LIU Brooklyn 7
RUTGERS 6, Villanova 4
SETON HALL 8, Saint Peter’s 1
Tuesday, April 26
GEORGETOWN 7, Maryland Eastern Shore 5
Maryland Eastern Shore 9, GEORGETOWN 4
Sunday, April 24
BUTLER 12, GEORGETOWN 6
XAVIER 1, ST. JOHN’S 0
SETON HALL 7, VILLANOVA 6 (10 inn.)
Saturday, April 23
GEORGETOWN 3, BUTLER 1
ST. JOHN’S 4, XAVIER 2
XAVIER 11, ST. JOHN’S 8
SETON HALL 13, VILLANOVA 8
CREIGHTON 10, Bringham Young 2
CREIGHTON 8, Bringham Young 5
Friday, April 22
SETON HALL 4, VILLANOVA 3 (11 inn.)
BUTLER 3, GEORGETOWN 2 (13 inn.)
Bringham Young 13, CREIGHTON 4