Butler senior pitcher Chase Byerly is in the running for the Lowes’ Senior CLASS Award.

The award is an acronym for “Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School.” Candidates must be NCAA Division I seniors and qualify in the four C’s: community, classroom, character and competition.

Byerly is one of 30 finalists. He is among three finalists from the Atlantic 10 Conference, including Charlotte infielder Shane Basen and Rhode Island utility man Mike Le Bel.

The Senior CLASS Award was founded in 2001 in a partnership between Premiere Sports Management and Lowes’. The award is given to athletes in 10 different sports.

Byerly’s nomination follows three straight nominations for Butler basketball players.

Senior Andrew Smith is a nominee for this year’s basketball award, which will be announced during the Final Four in Atlanta. Ronald Nored was nominated last year for the Bulldogs, and Matt Howard the year before.

No Bulldog has ever won the award, but Byerly believes he has a good shot of doing so this year.

“I’m a really competitive guy, so I think I have a pretty good shot at it,” Byerly said. “I’ve done pretty well this season so far.”

Building off last season when he set the school’s single-season saves record with 10, Byerly is already off to a hot start. His ERA is 2.55 and he has with 16 strikeouts.

Byerly completed a rare feat, picking up three saves in a single series last weekend at Virginia Commonwealth University, pushing his season total to four.

Off the field, Byerly impresses in other ways. He has a 3.98 GPA as a business and finance double major.

Smith, also a business major, said he knows Byerly well and that he is a hard worker.

“I know he works extremely hard,” Smith said. “He’s a very talented individual on and off the field.”

On top of doing well in class, Byerly interned at Eli Lilly last summer and Smith said he always shows dedication.

“He’s one of the hardest-working people I know,” Smith said. “He’s always top of the class, he’s a great presenter, he’s a great speaker.

Byerly said it is tough to be involved on campus while being on the baseball team, but he does make an effort.

“It’s tough to hold a leadership position with any organization on campus, but I am involved,” Byerly said.

Byerly is a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He is also part of the Dawg Pound and various honor societies on campus.

Butler baseball coach Steve Farley said Byerly has made large strides evolving from a walk-on to a leader.

“He started as a walk-on and took on that role,” Farley said. “Now he’s possibly one of the best relief pitchers in the nation.”

Farley had Byerly convert to a side-arm release early on in his career, which has made him tough to hit.

Farley said he thinks Byerly is deserving of the nomination.

“Chase is one of the best guys I’ve ever coached,” Farley said. “He’s like another coach in the dugout. Everything is well deserved.”

The Butler baseball team opened its first and only season in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a sweep of VCU.

The Bulldogs (11-10, 3-0 A-10) won their first A-10 game on Friday 6-4.  On Saturday, Butler won the first game of a double-header 4-3 and the second game 7-4, completing a sweep of the Rams (12-8, 0-3).

Butler didn’t trail the entire weekend.

Senior infielder Lucas Calderon led the way at the plate over the weekend for the Bulldogs, going 6-for-11 with six RBIs. Sophomore Michael Fries went 6-for-15 with two RBIs.

On Friday, sophomore starter Eric Stout got the win on the mound. Senior Kyle Kramp improved his pitching record to 4-0 in game one of Saturday’s twin bill, while senior Billy Laing improved to 1-1 in game two.

Senior CLASS Award nominee Chase Byerly picked up three straight saves, pushing his total to four on the season. Byerly was named co-Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week for the rare feat.

“It’s pretty rare that a pitcher even has the opportunity to save three games in a conference series,” Byerly said. “But my arm felt great, and we kept scoring runs, and I got that opportunity.

“It was the best pitching weekend of my life.”

Weather ended up causing a delay in the team’s flight back to Indy. Its flight Sunday night was delayed, and 28 players were forced to take five separate flights throughout the day Monday. The last five players arrived in Indianapolis around midnight.

Butler coach Steve Farley said he is happy with his team’s performance against the preseason conference favorite.

“I’m proud of our guys for winning three games in a Double-A ballpark against a good team,” Farley said.

The series was played at The Diamond, home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, an Atlanta Braves affiliate.

Snow postponed yesterday’s home game against Wabash. The Bulldogs travel to St. Bonaventure (5-11, 0-3) Friday to continue conference play. The Bulldogs have yet to play a home game this season.

Switching positions in sports is not always the easiest thing to do.

An individual switching the way he or she plays a sport is even more difficult.

Collegian file photo

Butler junior pitcher Chase Byerly has done the latter for the baseball team this season by changing his throwing motion.

During Byerly’s freshman season, Butler coach Steve Farley asked him to switch from his traditional overhand pitching style to the “submarine” style.

This style of throwing has a pitcher drop his arm and release the ball underhand and just above the ground.

“That just opened up a lot of doors for me and gave me some good opportunities to come in and make an impact right away as a freshman,” Byerly said.

Byerly has handled both the switch in mechanics and the pressure-packed role of closer well with the Bulldogs.

This was put on display when he broke two Butler saves records this year.

Byerly broke the school’s previous single-season record of eight earlier this month with his ninth save of the season in a win against Ball State on April 10.

He also surpassed the previous Butler career-high saves record of 12 and currently sits at 13.

With this unique pitching style, Byerly said he pitches for contact and relies on his infielders to make the plays.

“This submarine-style delivery causes batters to hit a lot of ground balls,” Farley said. “Chase throws a lot of strikes, and he is very tough to hit.”

Byerly said he traded velocity for movement with his new delivery. In high school, he said he used to overpower hitters and record many strikeouts, but now he pitches for contact.

His opponents have a .280 batting average against him, and he has not allowed any home runs.

Byerly said the change initially took a toll on his elbow and hips, but he was able to adjust to it.

“It’s been really effective,” Byerly said, “and I’ve been really thankful and grateful to coach Farley for giving me that chance.”

Last summer, Byerly played for the Sliders, a Prospect League team out of Slippery Rock, Pa. He won the relief pitcher of the year award in the league.

“That’s really where my closing development kind of picked up,” Byerly said.

Byerly was teammates with Butler junior catcher Radley Haddad in the league, and he said it was important in developing their relationship at the collegiate level.

“I need to be a little more focused, because the ball is coming from a different place,” Byerly said.

Byerly and Haddad were roommates while playing for the Sliders, and Haddad said they “literally spent every hour of the summer together.”

Haddad calls Byerly “not your typical closer,” because he doesn’t throw hard and over the top, making him much more difficult for opponents to get a hit off of.

“Not only is it physically tough to hit that pitch, but it’s mentally tough too,” Haddad said.

Byerly will look to add to his climbing saves total during the remainder of the Bulldogs’ eight-game road trip.

He will get his first shot at grabbing his 14th career save against the University of Indianapolis today.

“I’m really proud of him,” Haddad said of Byerly holding the saves record. “It couldn’t have happened to a better dude.”

The Butler baseball team put together one of its best strings of pitching so far this season.

But Valparaiso threw even better and came away with a three-game series sweep over the weekend.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs (19-21, 7-11) saw the Crusaders (18-20, 12-6) tally two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to come away with a 3-2 victory.

The contest was the second game of a doubleheader.

“The cold, windy conditions made it very challenging for both teams,” Butler coach Steve Farley said.

Valparaiso freshman shortstop Spencer Mahoney drove in the game-winning run on a bases-loaded walk.

Junior third baseman Elliott Martin drove in the Crusaders’ first ninth-inning run with a single.

Junior pitcher Chase Byerly allowed both runs, which were unearned, and suffered the loss. Butler got out to an early lead with an RBI single from junior first baseman Jimmy Risi.

Freshman pitcher Eric Stout started for the Bulldogs and gave up one run over five innings, tallying three strikeouts.

Stout was able to get out of a fifth-inning bases loaded jam without any damage done before turning things over to Byerly.

The Bulldogs added another run in the fifth inning on a home run by sophomore centerfielder Marcos Calderon.

Mahoney, Martin and senior catcher Billy Cribbs led the Crusaders, putting up one RBI apiece in the nightcap.

The day’s first game saw another pitchers’ duel, with Valparaiso winning 1-0.

Butler senior pitcher Brad Schnitzer pitched all eight innings for the Bulldogs, allowing one earned run, five hits and one walk.

The run came on a second-inning RBI single by senior right fielder Steven Scoby.

Junior designated hitter Pat Gelwicks led Butler with three of the team’s four hits. Gelwicks also found himself in scoring position three times, but the Bulldogs could not capitalize.

Crusaders senior pitcher Kevin Wild tossed a complete game shutout, allowing three walks and striking out five in addition to the four hits allowed.

On Friday, Butler senior pitcher Dom Silvestri gave up four earned runs in the first inning. It proved to be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome, as Valparaiso walked away with a 4-2 win. Silvestri silenced the Crusaders for the next six innings, but Butler could only manage two runs on four hits.

Silvestri struck out four, walked two and gave up six hits in his seven innings of work.

Butler will face the University of Indianapolis this afternoon before three games against Horizon League-leading Wright State this weekend.

“A lot of people feel outside of the league like Wright State is so much better and that they’re just going to run through the conference tournament,” Byerly said. “We want to send them a message this weekend and let them know that’s not the case.”

A late rally propelled the Butler baseball team to a 9-8 victory over Illinois-Chicago Sunday afternoon.

The contest was the second of the day and the finale of a three-game series between the two squads.

Photo by Reid Bruner

The win earned the Bulldogs (19-17, 7-8) a split of the day’s doubleheader and allowed the team to avoid a three-game sweep.

The Bulldogs trailed the Flames (14-19, 8-7) 8-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning and captured the win with four runs.

Freshman second baseman Austin Miller hit a one-out single that sent junior first baseman Jimmy Risi home and sealed the walk-off victory.

“Any win is good, but a walk-off win is something special,” Butler coach Steve Farley said. “The player who gets the game-winning hit usually remembers that day for a long time.”

Miller said his teammates gave him the opportunity to come up big in a clutch situation.

“I wouldn’t have been in that situation if not for everyone before me,” Miller said.

Miller finished the game with three RBIs, and Risi went 2 for 4 with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Senior pitcher Dom Silvestri started for the Bulldogs and gave up four earned runs over six innings.

Senior pitcher Mike Hernandez got the win, allowing two earned runs over the last two innings of the game.

“Our comeback in the second game on Sunday was one of the best I’ve seen at Bulldog Park,” Farley said.

The win was a quick bounce back for the Bulldogs after losing the first game 7-5 in 13 innings.

“Players probably spent 10 hours at the ballpark on Sunday,” Farley said. “It’s a physical and mental challenge.”

Butler led UIC 5-3 after the third inning before the Flames tied it in the seventh inning and scored a pair of runs in the 13th inning.

Junior Chase Byerly pitched 6 2/3 innings in relief and took the loss.

Earlier in the week, Byerly set the record for most saves in Butler history.

UIC took the lead in the 13^th inning on an RBI single by redshirt junior centerfielder Nick Addison and added one more run on a single off the bat of sophomore shortstop Alex Lee.

Butler’s leadoff hitter reached base in the bottom of the inning before a double play stifled any Bulldog scoring opportunity.

The game was Butler’s longest of the season.

Lee led the Flames on offense, going 4 for 7 and driving in one run.

Junior catcher Radley Haddad went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and a double for the Bulldogs.

On Friday, Butler rallied late but came up short in a 14-9 loss to UIC.

The Bulldogs scored seven runs over the last three innings and were propelled by a two-run home by Risi and four RBIs from Miller.

Freshman pitcher Eric Stout gave up five earned runs in the first three innings and suffered the loss.

The Bulldogs host non-conference rival Xavier this afternoon at Bulldog Park before heading to Valparaiso this weekend.

It will be the second three-game series of the season between the teams.

The downtown digs of the Indianapolis Indians became the home of Butler baseball yesterday as the Bulldogs (18-15, 6-6) faced Ball State at Victory Field.

Two eighth-inning home runs gave Butler an 8-6 comeback win over the Cardinals (7-22, 3-6).

After grabbing an early 1-0 lead, the Bulldogs gave up six runs in the third inning.

Senior pitcher Dom Silvestri was charged with all six of Ball State’s runs.

The first two Cardinal batters of the inning walked and singled, setting up four consecutive run-scoring at-bats.

Butler whittled away at the lead by scoring two runs in the fifth inning and another one in the sixth, cutting the score to 6-4.

Junior designated hitter Pat Gelwicks struck a two-run home run to tie the game at six in the eighth inning.

Two batters later, junior first baseman Jimmy Risi hit a go-ahead two-run home run to give the Bulldogs an 8-6 advantage.

With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning, junior pitcher Chase Byerly held off the Ball State rally by striking out sophomore shortstop T.J. Weir and forcing a groundout from sophomore first baseman Cody Campbell.

Prior to the contest, junior catcher Radley Haddad said playing in a professional ballpark like Victory Field is the dream for many players.

“All of us as college baseball players have the goal to play at the next level,” Haddad said. “Playing in a bigger stadium, getting our name out there and putting Butler on the map is pretty cool.”

Junior infielder Lucas Calderon said he was also excited to play at Victory Field.

“Ever since you’re a little kid, you want to play on a professional field and in one of the nicest minor league ballparks,” Calderon said.

Calderon’s family in Florida was also able to watch the game since it was televised.

“[I’m looking forward to] the chance to play in a televised game because that means my family back home in Miami will be able to watch me,” Calderon said before the game.

Prior to taking on the Cardinals, the Bulldogs visited Horizon League opponent Milwaukee for a three-game series.

Butler fell to the Panthers (11-17, 6-6) in the rubber game Saturday, losing 16-4. The Bulldogs committed four errors that helped the Panthers score five unearned runs.

Butler junior centerfielder Jack Dillon picked up two hits and an RBI in the loss.

Butler picked up a 3-2 win in Friday’s game at Milwaukee thanks to an odd first inning inside-the-park home run in the first inning by senior right fielder Mike Hoscheit.

With runners on first and second, Hoscheit hit a fly ball to right field, and the foot of Milwaukee sophomore right fielder Ryan Solberg became stuck in the fence as he was fielding the ball.

With Solberg unable to break free from the fence to make the play, Hoscheit, Gelwicks and Risi scored the Bulldogs’ only runs of the game.

Butler lost the series opener Thursday in a 14-2 loss to Milwaukee.

The Bulldogs will host Illinois-Chicago for a three-game series starting Friday.

The Butler men’s baseball team picked up its second consecutive victory last night, defeating IPFW, 8-3.

Senior third baseman Grant Fillipitch went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for the Bulldogs (2-3), while senior second baseman Luke Duncan added two RBIs.

Butler got the offense going early against the Mastadons (0-1), scoring three runs  in both the second and third innings.

Junior Mike Hernandez picked up the win for the Bulldogs, who had eight pitchers see action in the game.

The Bulldogs picked up their first win of the season against South Carolina-Upstate on Sunday, topping the Spartans (4-4), 10-9.

Fillipitch finished the day a triple short of hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.

Senior designated hitter Kyle Waggoner also had a strong day, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. He was named Horizon League Player of the Week for hitting .412 and tallying seven RBIs during the road trip.

“Our hitters really broke out today and did a nice job,” head coach Steve Farley said. “After losing a tough game to Gardner-Webb, I wasn’t sure how the guys would bounce back.”

With the game tied at 8 going into the ninth, Butler played some small ball to produce the go-ahead run.

Freshman Zach Sizemore walked to open the frame and, after a sacrifice bunt and a passed ball, scored on a sacrifice fly from Waggoner to put the Bulldogs up, 9-8.

Butler added another run before the inning ended courtesy of an RBI single by junior shortstop Griffin Richeson.

Sophomore Chase Byerly held off a comeback by Upstate in the bottom of the inning and picked up his first save of the season.

Sophomore Joel Leichty picked up the win in relief for Butler.

The day before the win, Butler dropped both ends of a doubleheader against Gardner-Webb.

The second of the two games was a close affair, and, although the Bulldogs led for six innings, the Runnin’ Bulldogs (6-3) pulled out a 6-5 victory.

Butler used a strong second inning to take an early 4-0 lead.

Down 5-1 in the seventh, Gardner-Webb tied the contest, led by junior rightfielder Adam McFarland’s two RBIs.

In the bottom of the ninth, freshman third baseman Scott Coleman scored the game-winning run for the Runnin’ Bulldogs on a wild pitch.

The first game of the doubleheader wasn’t as competitive, as Butler fell behind early and dropped an 11-4 decision.

The Bulldogs opened their season on Friday with a 10-2 loss to Wofford (6-2).

Butler now heads to Oakland to take on the Golden Grizzlies (0-3) in back-to-back doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday.