Senior Day Ceremonies: The Bulldogs will recognize their seven graduating seniors over the weekend in a ceremony held between the double-header contests on May 19. Seniors Tony Barnes, Dustin Bucalo, Matt Byzet, Ricky Chomicz, Joe Dempsey, Matt Ferguson and Brandon Tormoehlen will be honored.

How Things Stand: The Bulldogs currently find themselves in a tie with Youngstown State for fourth place and 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Cleveland State. Butler is unable to move up any higher, however, as a four-game sweep of UW-Milwaukee this weekend would still leave the Bulldogs two-games shy of the third-place Panthers.

Previewing The Bulldogs: Butler (19-29, 8-18 Horizon League) touts one of the most consistent pitching staffs in the Horizon League along with a powerful offense. The Bulldogs are third in the conference with a 4.65 ERA while boasting a 1.74 strikeouts-to-walks ratio (269 strikeouts, 155 walks), the second-best rate in the league. Junior righty Brian Deter has been one of the team's strongest starters in the last month, working at least six innings and allowing just two earned runs in each of his last four starts. Junior right-hander Jon Dages continues to be one of the most consistent workhorses for the Bulldogs with a 3.58 ERA while leading the team with 83 innings pitched and 55 strikeouts. Sophomore right-hander Ryan Kruszka leads the team and ranks third in the league with a 2.96 ERA. On the offensive end, Butler's 27 home runs rank third in the league, with senior outfielder Tony Barnes and senior catcher Joe Dempsey tied for sixth in the conference with five homers each. Senior outfielder Dustin Bucalo paces the squad with a .320 batting average, while junior infielder Joe Pauley leads the team with a .390 on base percentage and 37 runs scored. Head coach Steve Farley (412-457-1) is in his 16th season at Butler.

Butler used an early offensive surge, with eight of the team's 13 hits coming in the first three innings, while a parade of pitchers held IPFW in check as the Bulldogs notched their fourth-straight win in topping the Mastodons, 7-3. The Bulldogs scored all the runs they would need in the first three frames, while nine Butler pitchers worked an inning each in holding IPFW to just a three-run homer in the eighth.

Big innings by UIC late in the game spelled the difference, as the Flames scored four in the sixth and six in the seventh to put away the Bulldogs, 14-2, at Les Miller Field. Butler led early on, scoring runs in the first and second, but was unable to hold the Flames in check down the stretch, as three runs in the third gave UIC the lead for good before the Flames put the game away late.

Butler staked itself to early leads in both games of a twin-bill at UIC on May 12 at Les Miller Field, but the Flames rallied late to claim a sweep of the two contests, winning the opener 5-3 and the finale 4-2. Butler held a 3-1 advantage in the seventh inning of the first game before UIC plated four in the bottom of the frame to secure the win. The Bulldogs struck first again in the second game, going up 1-0 in the first inning, but UIC added a pair of runs in both the fourth and fifth to claim the series sweep.

From Alex To Ziegel: Not too many players in the Horizon League have had hotter bats in the last month than Butler's Alex Montagano and Colin Ziegel. Since opening a home series against UIC on April 20, both Bulldogs are leading the squad in batting and slugging percentage. Montagano touts a .361 average (13-for-36), a .528 slugging percentage and six RBI on a homer and three doubles, while Ziegel boasts a .417 average (15-for-36), a .556 slugging percentage and seven RBI on a triple and three doubles.

Deter Meter: The Butler pitching staff has received quite a boost from right-hander Brian Deter in the last month. In his last six appearances, the junior boasts a 2.79 ERA in 29.0 innings pitched while striking out 19 and walking just eight. In fact, Deter has allowed no more than two earned runs in each of his last four starts.

Power Up: The Butler offense ranks third in the Horizon League with 27 home runs this year, with 10 players hitting at least one. Tony Barnes and Joe Dempsey are each tied for sixth in the league with five a piece, while Joe Pauley find himself in an 10th-place tie with four long balls. Joel Matheny touts three homers, Dustin Bucalo, Ricky Chomicz, Kyle Cox and Colin Ziegel have added two home runs, while Matt Ferguson and Alex Montagano have collected one.

...But Don't Forget The Arms: The Bulldogs not only have some of the most powerful bats in the Horizon League, but they also tout some of the most effective arms. The Butler pitching staff is currently second in the league with the fewest walks, yielding just 3.37 per nine innings. Meanwhile, the team's 4.65 ERA is the third-lowest in the conference. Ryan Kruszka ranks third in the league with a 2.96 ERA, while Jon Dages (3.58) and Bryan Bokowy (4.76) rank fifth and 11th, respectively.

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 4.65 for the third-best mark in the conference. That bodes well for Butler, as the Bulldogs are 16-8 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 3-21 when an opponent breaches the six-run mark.

Not Your Average Power Source: Senior catcher Joe Dempsey is a big reason for the Bulldogs' power output this season with a team-best five home runs and 36 RBI. Even more impressive is his ability to hit with power without sacrificing bat control, as the team co-captain has struck-out only 18 times in 158 at bats, a rate of only one punch-out in nearly every nine at bats. His strikeout total is also the lowest of all of the Butler starters and the second-fewest among the top-10 home run hitters in the league.