The Week Ahead: Butler continues its road swing this week with five Horizon League games, as the Bulldogs visit Wright State for a double-header on Tuesday (April 10) at 3:30 p.m. before heading to Cleveland State for a single game on Friday (April 13) at 5:00 p.m. and a twin-bill on Saturday (April 14) at 1:00 p.m.

Previewing The Bulldogs: Butler (11-17, 4-7 Horizon League) has rebounded from a season-long six-game winless skid to notch victories in three of its last four Horizon League games. The Bulldogs lead the conference with 20 home runs and 119 walks, while their .263 batting average is third in the conference. Meanwhile, Butler's 4.83 ERA is second in the league, while its 155 strikeouts are a league-high. Junior shortstop Joe Pauley has used a strong performance at the plate in the last two weeks to boost his average to a team-best .340, while senior catcher Joe Dempsey paces the squad with five homers and 22 RBI. Senior Tony Barnes and Pauley each have added three homers a piece, while seniors Dustin Bucalo and Ricky Chomicz have each swiped a team-best four steals. Junior right-hander Jon Dages leads the league with 40 strikeouts and 57.0 innings pitched and sophomore righty Ryan Kruszka boasts a team-low 2.77 ERA. Sophomore Jeff Sinkiewicz has registered a pair of saves. Head coach Steve Farley (404-445-1) is in his 16th season at the helm of the Bulldogs.

Rain, Rain, Go Away: Mother Nature has been wreaking havoc on the Bulldogs schedule this spring, as six of Butler's last 14 games have been delayed or postponed due to inclement weather. Two of those games have rendered an additional cost, as home contests against Valparaiso and IPFW will have to be made up on the road as double-headers, adding to the Bulldogs' already daunting three-week road swing.

A six-run sixth inning by Indiana State provided all the offense the Sycamores would need, as Butler fell, 6-3, on April 5. Jeff Sinkiewicz, Joe Ochs and Jamie Feldheiser combined to hold the Sycamores to just one hit in the first five innings while Butler staked itself to 1-0 lead on an RBI double by Colin Ziegel. Indiana State came roaring back in the sixth, however, as the Sycamores took advantage of a costly Bulldog error before plating six runs on four hits to put them up for good.

Jon Dages worked a strong 8.0 innings against UW-Milwaukee in helping the Bulldogs past the Panthers, 5-2, at Miller Park on Saturday (April 7). Ryan Kruszka provided a near carbon copy effort in the night-cap, but it would not be enough, as the UWM pitching staff shut down the Butler line-up for a 1-0 decision. Dages was brilliant in his second-straight Horizon League contest, scattering five hits and allowing just one run while striking-out five and walking none in garnering his third win of the year. Kruszka was just as brilliant, allowing just one run on five hits in 8.0 innings of work, but the lone tally was all the Panthers would need as Robert Michalkiewicz notched a complete-game, seven-hit shut-out.

Power Up: The Butler offense leads the Horizon League with 20 home runs this year, with eight players hitting at least one. Joe Dempsey is tied for the league lead with five bombs, while Tony Barnes is third with four homers. Meanwhile, Joe Pauley finds himself in a fourth-place tie with three long balls. Kyle Cox, Joel Matheny and Colin Ziegel have each added two home runs, while Matt Ferguson and Ricky Chomicz have collected one each.

...But Don't Forget The Arms: The Bulldogs not only have the most powerful bats in the Horizon League but they also tout the most effective arms. The Butler pitching staff currently leads the league with a 5.07 ERA and 142 strikeouts. Ryan Kruszka ranks third in the conference with a 3.19 ERA, while Jon Dages (4.22) and Bryan Bokowy (4.57) rank ninth and 10th, respectively. Additionally, Dages leads the league with 35 strikeouts.

Pauley Vaults To The Top: Joe Pauley has been one of the top hitters in the Horizon League in the past two weeks, as the junior shortstop has batted .435 (10-for-23) with two doubles, three homers and a .913 slugging percentage. His tear at the plate has moved him to the top of the Butler hitting charts with a .340 average, placing him seventh among league hitters.

What A Difference Six Makes: The Bulldog pitching staff has been one of the best in the league this year, touting a team ERA of 4.83 for the second-best in the conference. That's bodes well for Butler, as the Bulldogs are 10-2 on the year when holding its opponent to five runs or less. It's the sixth run that tends to cause problems, as Butler is only 1-15 when an opponent breaches the six-run mark.

Not Your Average Power Source: Senior catcher Joe Dempsey is a big reason why the Bulldogs lead the Horizon League with 20 home runs this year, touting a league-best five long balls. Even more impressive is his ability to hit with power without sacrificing bat control, as the team co-captain has struck out only nine times in 91 at bats, a rate of only one punch-out every 10.1 at bats.

Control Freaks: Butler opponents have not been given too much of a free ride this season. The Bulldog pitching staff has allowed only 3.26 walks per nine innings this year, the second-lowest mark in the Horizon League. Meanwhile, Butler pitchers have combined to strike-out a league-high 155 batters.

On The Road Again...And Again: After playing in the comfortable confines of Bulldog Park for nearly a month straight, the Bulldogs will find themselves on the road for 21 of the final 28 games of the regular season. Butler had spent 13 of 14 games from March 13 to April 5 at home. The remainder of the schedule will be more unkind, as the Bulldogs are currently in the midst of a nine-game road swing running from April 7 to 17 and will hit the road for a 13-game trek from April 24 through May 16. The Bulldogs' only home games during that span will be with three games against UIC (April 20-21) and four against UW-Milwaukee (May 18-19).

Totally Offensive: The Bulldogs' 18-0 drubbing of Huntington on March 13 was one of the finest offensive outputs in recent years. The 18 runs scored were the most in a single game since Butler defeated Earlham, 19-4, on April 5, 2005. The 18-run differential, meanwhile, was the largest since defeating Detroit 24-4 on May 18, 2003.

The Big 4-0-0: With the Bulldogs' 3-1 victory over Wright State on Saturday (March 17), Butler head coach Steve Farley notched his 400th victory at the helm of the Bulldogs. The 16th-year mentor touts a 404-445-1 record at Butler and a 457-492-1 mark in over 18 years as a collegiate head coach.

Major League Calling: Former Butler pitcher Pat Neshek reached baseball's highest stage last summer, as the Minnesota Twins called him up from Triple-A Rochester on July 6. He entered a game against the , he allowed just one hit in two innings of relief and became a vital part of the Twins' post-season run in the final months of the season. He finished his initial season with 37.0 innings pitched, recording a 4-2 record and a 2.19 ERA while striking out 53. This season, Neshek is already 1-0 in two appearances and 1.2 scoreless innings.