#BIGEASTbase Weekly Honors Awarded To Creighton’s Rogalla; Butler’s Parker
NEW YORK – BIG EAST pitching was on display over the league series openers over the weekend as many of the starters went deep into their games with double digit strikeouts and few runs scored. The BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week went Creighton’s Keith Rogalla who helped the Bluejays get a series-tying victory against the ranked Red Storm. BIG EAST Player of the Week honors went to Butler’s Gehrig Parker who led the Bulldog offense in a 2-1 series victory at Seton Hall.
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Gehrig Parker, Butler, Jr., OF (Park Ridge, Ill.)
Junior Gehrig Parker helped Butler get off to a 2-1 start in the BIG EAST Conference with a series win at Seton Hall. Parker led the Bulldogs’ offensive efforts with a .455 average on five hits on 11 at bats. Parker scored three times with a .500 on-base percentage. He boasted a .727 slugging percentage with a double and a triple. Parker also plated two RBI. The junior hit safely in all three games against Seton Hall, with a multi-hit effort in Saturday’s loss and Sunday’s series-clincher. Two of his runs were scored in Sunday’s 4-1 win for Butler.
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Keith Rogalla, Creighton, Jr., RHP/Starter (Oak Park, Ill.)
Junior righty Keith Rogalla tossed a career-high nine innings to give the Bluejays a series win over No. 14 St. John’s during the BIG EAST opening weekend. Rogalla allowed just one run on five hits in his second career complete game, tossing 121 pitches. He did not walk a batter and struck out eight, posting five 1-2-3 frames during the victory. Rogalla’s win came on Saturday to even the series against St. John’s, which Creighton eventually won.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Jeff Schank, Butler, Sr., LHP/Starter (Naperville, Ill.)
Schank went 8.0 innings at Seton Hall allowing just one run on four hits with nine strikeouts. He walked four, but allowed no extra-base hits to get the win in an eventual 6-2 series opener against the Pirates.
Jack Cushing, Georgetown, So., RHP/Starter (Flower Mound, Texas)
Cushing struck out a career-best nine with no walks in 7.0 innings with no runs scored in non-conference action against NYIT as he lowered his ERA a full point to 4.57 on the year.
Jesse Berardi, St. John’s, Jr., SS/2B (Commack, N.Y.)
Berardi batted. 444 (8-for-18), tallying a team-best three extra-base hits (two doubles and a triple) and driving in two runs in St. John’s 2-1 series loss at Creighton.
Hunter Schryver, Villanova, Sr., (Mechanicsburg, Pa.)
Schryver tossed 6.0 innings of no-hit baseball getting the 1-0 victory on Saturday for the Wildcats against Xavier. XU hit just four off Schryver who posted a career-best 11 strikeouts, taking down six straight Xavier batters. Schryver also walked four.
Zac Lowther, Xavier, Jr., LHP/Starter (Brooklyn Heights, Ohio)
Lowther posted eight innings of perfect baseball with a career-high 16 strikeouts in a no decision for the pitcher against Villanova. Surrendered a leadoff walk in the ninth inning, exited with 119 pitches. Did not allow a hit. Xavier eventually lost, 3-2.