As the spring sports season begins to wind down, many teams are already beginning to prepare for their next season.

The football team had its annual blue and white scrimmage, the men’s soccer team had its spring exhibition matches, and five teams have announced additions to their rosters for next year.

Let’s take a look forward and see how some of Butler’s teams will be changing for the 2012-13 school year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The men’s basketball team finished the 2011-12 season with a 22-15 record, averaging 40.8 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were ranked eighth and 10th in the Horizon League in those categories, respectively.

The team has a chance to improve with the additions of senior guard and transfer Rotnei Clarke and incoming freshman guard Kellen Dunham.

In three seasons at Arkansas, Clarke averaged more than 15 points per game and shot nearly 44 percent from 3-point range.

Dunham averaged more than 29 points during his senior season at Pendleton Heights High School.

The Bulldogs will also be adding guard Devontae Morgan from Tampa, Fla., and guard Chris Harrison-Docks from Okemos, Mich.

Morgan led his high school team to a state championship last season, averaging more than 15 points and six rebounds per game.

Harrison-Docks averaged 21 points and five steals per game in his senior season.

The team will lose only two players—guard Ronald Nored and forward Garrett Butcher.

Butler will have to make up for the loss of Nored’s defensive prowess, as well as the experience and leadership provided by the pair.

Clarke and seniors Emerson Kampen, Chase Stigall and Andrew Smith will likely be asked to step up and fill those roles.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The women’s basketball team concluded its 2011-12 season with a 13-17 record and said goodbye to two senior guards—Devin Brierly and Kaley May.

Brierly was the only Bulldog to start in all 30 of the team’s games. She recorded more than 32 minutes of playing time per game, averaging 11 points per game.

Sophomore center Sarah Hamm is the only returning player to average more than 10 points per game last season.

Hamm will be joined by sophomore guard Jenna Cobb, freshman forward Hayley Howard and freshman guard Hannah Douglas, who all played key roles on the team last season.

Butler will also be adding four incoming freshman—forward Katie Brewer from Indianapolis, guard Blaire Langlois from Carmel, guard Lexus Murry from Indianapolis and forward-center Olivia Wrencher from West Chester, Ohio.

Brewer is a versatile player who has the ability to knock down three-pointers and battle down low.

Langlois has deep range on her jump shot but also has the ability to make plays with her passing.

Murry averaged more than 22 points per game during her senior season and can also be effective on the defensive end, where she averaged 3.5 steals per game.

Wrencher will bring size to the Bulldogs that will complement the play of Hamm and Howard under the basket.

SOFTBALL

The softball team will lose seven seniors at the conclusion of its current season, including four-year starting outfielder and third baseman Lauren McNulty, Butler’s home run record-holding first baseman Erin Falkenberry and catcher Mallory Winters.

Despite this, coach Scott Hall has five incoming players who could make an immediate impact on the program.

Alex Kotter, a shortstop from Vincennes Lincoln High School, had a .615 career batting average and was an Indiana first team All-State pick.

Chelsea Conover, an outfielder from Brownsburg, led her high school team in stolen bases, runs scored and on-base percentage for three years.

Audrey East is a utility player from New Palestine High School. East is one of the best power hitters in Indiana and boasted a .902 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 47 RBIs last season.

Taylor Lockwood, a pitcher from Southport High School, has good control and will be a solid addition to the pitching staff.

The same could be said for Kristin Gutierrez, a left-handed power pitcher from Highlands Ranch High School in Colorado.

Gutierrez, a 2011 Triple Crown All-American honoree, is a dual threat with her pitching and hitting. She led her conference with 127 strikeouts and recorded a .542 batting average.

The success of the pitching recruits could be key with the loss of senior pitcher Breanna Fisher and injuries to junior pitcher Jenny Esparza this season.

BASEBALL

The baseball team will add four players who could have an immediate impact next season.

Nick Bartolone is a left-handed outfielder from Harrison High School. Coach Steve Farley said he expects Bartolone to compete for position in the outfield next year.

Chris Marras, a catcher from Vernon Hills, Ill., will get the chance to work with two fifth-year senior catchers, Radley Haddad and Nick Hladek.

Nick Saldutti is a power-hitting first baseman from Westfield High School. He hit .477 with a .571 on-base percentage in his junior season.

Drew Small is a utility player from Zionsville. He was an All-State honorable mention.

His versatility and speed will help him compete for a spot in the outfield, especially with the loss of senior outfielder Mike Hoscheit.

The Bulldogs will also lose pitchers Dom Silvestri, Mike Hernandez, Brad Schnitzer, Brian Padove and Ryan Salvino, as well as senior infielder Griffin Richeson.

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team is returning eight players who played in at least 50 sets last year and lost only one senior in Maureen Bamiro.

Bamiro, a former middle blocker, finished with the second-best attack percentage in Butler history and sixth all-time in kills and kills per set.

Last season, she was voted All-Horizon League.

The Bulldogs will return sophomore middle blocker Maggie Harbison, who will likely be a key contributor after being voted All-Horizon League last season.

Butler will also add two transfer students.

Freshman Erica Stahl, a transfer from Cincinnati, will be an addition to the middle blocker position.

Stahl only has four sets of collegiate experience under her belt but was named among the top high school volleyball players by the Under Armour Watch list in 2010.

Sophomore Morgan Peterson, a setter from Middle Tennessee State, will have two years of eligibility with the Bulldogs.

She averaged 8.58 assists and 1.41 digs per set last season.

The Butler softball team split the first two games of its three-game series against Horizon League rival Wright State yesterday.

Photo by Josh Morris

In the first game of the series, the Bulldogs (17-26, 7-7) grabbed a 5-1 victory.

Butler got on the board early with a two-out RBI double from senior catcher Mallory Winters.

Then, with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning, senior Alyssa Coleman recorded a pinch hit, three-run double to pad Butler’s lead.

The Bulldogs added one more run in the sixth inning.

In the second game, Butler started out strong again.

Freshman third baseman Callie Dennison scored on a single by junior Meaghan Sullivan in the bottom of the first inning.

The Raiders (18-24, 6-8) tied it up in the second inning before the Bulldogs added an unearned run in the third inning.

Errors would plague Butler the rest of game.

The Raiders added two runs in fifth—both unearned—as a result of Butler fielding errors.

The Bulldogs tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, but mistakes on the base paths prevented them from scoring.

“It came down to four errors and some critical base-running mistakes,” coach Scott Hall said. “We have to be able to execute.”

The bright spot for Butler were  solid pitching performances from sophomore Leah Bry in both games.

“Leah was awesome today,” Hall said. “We just have to do a better job of playing defense and backing her up.”

Last weekend, the Bulldogs won one game in a three-game series against conference opponent Green Bay.

Butler lost the first game 4-1, not getting a hit until the seventh inning.

Bry took the loss for the Bulldogs.

The second game was a different story, with the Bulldogs recording a season-high 17 hits and winning by a 9-8 margin.

Butler got out of the gate quickly, scoring four runs in the first inning.

Three of the runs came from a swing of the bat, as senior outfielder Lauren McNulty cracked a three-run home run.

The Phoenix (15-17, 4-5) answered back and took a 7-4 lead into the sixth inning.

In the top of that inning, freshman infielder Kristen Boros hit a solo home run to cut the lead to two.

Butler then tied the game with two runs in the seventh inning.

McNulty broke the 7-7 deadlock in the 10th inning with a solo shot to center field.

It was her sixth long ball of the season.

The Bulldogs added an insurance run with a double from freshman Maria Leichty and an RBI single from Winters, giving the Bulldogs the 9-8 win.

Senior pitcher Breanna Fisher picked up her fourth win of the season.

In the final game of the series, the Phoenix recorded 13 hits and scored 11 runs in just four innings.

Photo by Josh Morris

Butler had only four hits and three runs in the 11-3 loss.

The Bulldogs did pick up a non-conference win last Thursday against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Butler had five hits and a shut-out performance from Bry on the way to 4-0 victory.

The Bulldogs will finish the three-game series against Wright State today.

Butler will then close out its six-game homestand with a three-game series against Detroit this weekend.

The Butler softball team was one inning away from sweeping its three-game homestand against Loyola of Chicago last weekend.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

The Bulldogs (9-21, 3-3) were unable to accomplish the feat, though, and finished the weekend with two victories.

In the first game against the Ramblers (10-14, 3-3), junior pitcher Jenny Esparza made her first start at home and led Butler to a 2-0 win.

Esparza, who was later named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week, fired a three-hit shutout, finishing with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Butler recorded only four hits in the contest, but they proved to be enough. Junior first baseman Meaghan Sullivan had two hits, and RBI were recorded by senior centerfielder Lauren McNulty and shortstop Kayla Gray.

In the second game of the series, Loyola staged a fifth-inning comeback to defeat Butler 5-4.

McNulty hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage.

Butler increased its lead in the bottom of the third inning with a run-scoring double by Sullivan, who later scored on a sacrifice bunt by McNulty.

Errors cost the Bulldogs though.

Two defensive miscues in the top of the fifth inning led to a two-out grand slam by Loyola sophomore first baseman Lauren Zaworski.

Butler sophomore pitcher Leah Bry took the loss for the Bulldogs despite not allowing an earned run in five innings of work.

In the rubber game of the series, Butler defeated Loyola 4-0.

The Bulldogs took advantage of a fielding error and two walks to get on the board in the bottom of the first inning.

They extended their lead with an RBI double by Gray in the bottom of the fourth inning and a two-run double by senior right fielder Jessica Huey in the fifth inning.

Esparza started the game for Butler and recorded another victory. She finished with five strikeouts and allowed two hits in four innings of work.

Senior pitcher Breanna Fisher came on in relief of Esparza and scored a save.

The conference games against Loyola followed an 8-1 victory over Michigan State last Thursday.

Esparza pitched four innings and earned what would be the first of three consecutive victories.

Butler is taking on Indiana State in a doubleheader today and will host Illinois-Chicago for three games this weekend.

The Butler softball team continued to struggle, picking up only one win in a seven-game, six-day stretch.

Last night, the Bulldogs (6-20, 1-2) took Eastern Illinois into extra innings in the first game of a doubleheader.

Butler capitalized on an error by the Panthers (13-13) in the top of the ninth to grab a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the frame, the Bulldogs allowed a game-winning, two-run single and fell 2-1.

The result of the second game was not available at press time.

The Bulldogs started Horizon League play over the weekend, winning one of three games against Youngstown State.

Butler snapped its 12-game losing streak by rallying from a 4-2 deficit and recording a 5-4 win against the Penguins (16-6-1, 2-1-0).

A two-out, run-scoring single from senior catcher Mallory Winters in the seventh inning put the Bulldogs over the Penguins.

Senior pitcher Breanna Fisher picked up the win for Butler, allowing two hits and striking out five in three innings of work.

Butler dropped the next two games to the Penguins.

In the second game the Bulldogs started with a 5-1 lead but couldn’t hold off Youngstown State, eventually losing the game 6-5 through 10 innings.

The Bulldogs dropped a 4-1 decision in the final game of the three-game series.

Last week, the Bulldogs dropped two more games at home to Miami of Ohio.

The Redhawks (17-11) won the first game by a 5-1 score. They took a one-run lead in the fourth inning and added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning.

Senior first baseman Erin Falkenberry got her first home run of the season, accounting for the Bulldogs’ only run of the day.

In the second game, two Miami pitchers combined to toss a shutout. The Redhawks finished the game in five innings, winning 9-0.

Butler will take on Michigan State tomorrow before hosting a three-game series against Loyola of Chicago this weekend.

Photo by Reid Bruner

The Butler softball team placed second at the Woo Pig Classic on Sunday after a 6-5 loss to host Arkansas in the championship game.

The Bulldogs (3-5) sent the game into extra innings with a run in the top of the seventh inning and took the lead, 5-3, in the top of the eighth inning after a two-run home run by senior catcher Mallory Winters.

But the Razorbacks (16-2) staged a comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring three runs to defeat the Bulldogs.

“We felt we played well in the last game of the tournament, but we aren’t satisfied with placing second,” sophomore infielder Krista Hakola said. “We know we have the potential to do better so we want to continue working hard to get better and use this as a learning experience.”

Butler’s second victory of the tournament was a 3-0 win over Drake (6-11) earlier in the day.

Butler senior Breanna Fisher and sophomore Leah Bry combined to pitch a three-hit shutout in the contest.

“We worked on keeping up our intensity and focus throughout games and maintaining pressure on the other teams so as to not let them think they had a chance to make a comeback against us,” Hakola said.

The Bulldogs lost to Arkansas 3-1 in their second game of the tournament after Razorbacks’ sophomore infielder Chloe Oprzedeck hit a walk-off home run.

The Bulldogs started the Classic with a 5-1 win against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on Saturday.

“We won our first game but definitely came out knowing we had areas to improve on,” Hakola said. “We knew we had to keep the intensity we had in the first couple innings throughout the entire game and not let up.”

The Bulldogs will continue their season in the Bayer CropScience Classic Friday through Sunday. They will face off against San Diego State, Oregon, California and host Fresno State in the event.

The Butler softball team grabbed two wins in a four-game series against three teams in Evansville last weekend.

The Bulldogs (2-4) took control early in their final game of the weekend, defeating host Evansville 3-2.

Butler tallied two runs in the first inning and added another in the third inning to capture the victory.

Junior pitcher Jenny Esparza recorded 12 strikeouts and senior third baseman Lauren McNulty and senior catcher Mallory Winters each had two hits in the game.

On Sunday Butler played its second game against Missouri-Kansas City but lost 1-0 in eight innings.

Senior pitchers Leah Bry and Breanna Fisher combined to hold the Kangaroos (6-4) to four hits on the day, but UMKC scored the only run of the game after a throwing error by the Bulldogs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In the first game between the teams, two Kangaroo pitchers combined to hold the Bulldogs scoreless on five hits in a 2-0 win for UMKC.

Esparza took the tough-luck loss for Butler, allowing five hits and three walks while striking out nine.

The Bulldogs started the weekend strong with a decisive 8-0 win over Detroit.

Bry recorded a one-hit shutout and was supported by 10 hits.

The Bulldogs will travel to Arkansas to play in the Woo Pig Classic this weekend.

The Bulldogs outlasted Cleveland State in 16 innings Sunday to win the longest game in Butler softball history. Click the tabs for coverage.

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Video

Video by Elyssa Garfinkle

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Photos by Ryan Love