Senior Butler softball player Devin Dearing waited at the plate during the eighth inning of Sunday’s second game of a doubleheader against Fordham.

“Hit Me Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears rang through the stadium speakers as pinch runner Devin Brierly jogged to second base.

On the first pitch of the at-bat, Dearing hit a double to drive in Brierly for the walk-off win.

Dearing is just one of many Butler players who uses their walk-up song to gain extra confidence.

“It helps in not realizing the pressure of the situation,” Dearing said.

Many players have different takes on the idea of walk-up songs. Dearing said her song reflects her relaxed personality, which helps her get in the zone at the plate.

Walk-up songs are also used to get hitters excited for their at-bat, said senior first baseman Jimmy Risi.

“You have to find a song that pumps you up but also keeps you relaxed and not too amped up,” Risi said.

Risi uses the song “Pretty Handsome Awkward” by The Used to get him ready. Risi said his is one of the more serious songs of all the players.

“Mine is a little more serious and gets me pumped,” Risi said. “But there are some guys who have some goofy songs.”

Junior Marcos Calderon uses the hip-hop song “Goodies” by female artist Ciara.

“Walk-up songs match your personality, and I’m not the most serious guy,” Calderon said.

“It’s important to play relaxed and have a good time when you’re playing. You have to be serious, but you have to enjoy it.”

Calderon, the leadoff hitter, said “Goodies” helps the team relax at the beginning of the game because it brings them back to their middle school days when the song first came out.

“It brings you back to when baseball was easy, school was easy and everything was easy, and it just kind of brings a smile to your face,” Calderon said.

Freshman softball player Riley Carter uses a hip-hop remix of “O Canada.”

Carter, from Uxbridge, Ontario, said a friend from home told her to use something that says “Canada” in it, and she remembered how they used to listen to the song when they were younger.

“When I hear it I get kind of pumped,” Carter said. “It reminds me of home, and I feel good.”

Senior Jenny Esparza organized the girls’ walk-up songs and said she had her teammates pick songs that help them get ready at the plate.

“It can either be what the words mean that actually pump them up or just the beat,” Esparza said.

Senior baseball catcher Radley Haddad said walk-up songs can be approached in two different ways. Some players like to have fun and put on a song that gets the crowd going, like Calderon, Haddad said.

“Marcos is just trying to get in a relaxed mood,” Haddad said. “Last year he used a Gloria Estefan song.”

Haddad said his approach is to be a little more serious and focus in with a song that gets him pumped up. He uses the song “Breaking a Sweat” by Skrillex, a mash-up of an old Doors song.

“I heard it at a Reds game last summer, and I liked it and thought it could be a song for me,” Haddad said. “Players are always thinking about what their next walk-up will be.”

Haddad said no matter what approach hitters take, walk-up songs are a fun aspect of the game.

The Butler softball team went 3-1 in conference play last weekend.

The Bulldogs (17-19, 6-4) split a double-header with Fordham Sunday.

In the first game, Rams (25-16, 9-5) senior Jamie LaBovick hit a home run over the left field wall to start the game.

Fordham scored two more runs in the second inning before being shut out by junior Leah Bry. But it was enough.

Rams sophomore pitcher Michele Daubman blanked the Bulldogs, finishing with three strikeouts and no walks.

In game two, Butler struck first, scoring a run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a double by junior Krista Hakola.

Fordham countered in the top of the sixth with another home run from LaBovick.

In the top of the eighth LaBovick scored on a fielder’s choice to take a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, sophomore Kristen Boros reached on an infield single. Boros scored on a single by freshman Audrey East.

Senior Devin Brierly came in to pinch-run and scored the winning run off a hit from senior Devin Dearing.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs swept conference opponent La Salle in a doubleheader. The final scores were 15-1 and 2-0.

The team is at home this weekend with doubleheaders against St. Joseph’s and Temple.

The Butler softball team lost 11-2 at Ball State (24-11) yesterday.

Junior infielder Krista Hakola went 2-for-2 at the plate and drove in a run for the Bulldogs.

Butler split a two-game series against Atlantic 10 foe George Washington last weekend.

In the first game, the two teams were deadlocked until the seventh inning when senior Devin Brierly came in to pinch run for a walked batter. She was eventually able to score on a sacrifice fly by junior Callie Dennison.

Senior Jenny Esparza and freshman Kristin Gutierrez combined to pitch a no-hitter for the 1-0 win.

The Colonials (12-17) won the second game 4-1.

The team has a non-conference double-header against Morehead State today at 3 p.m.

The Butler athletics department is still waiting to hear whether it is compliant with Title IX.

Title IX is legislation that is meant to ensure equal opportunity in athletics for women.

Last May, the university entered into a resolution agreement with the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education to become Title IX compliant.

Butler had a Sept. 1 deadline to provide documentation that it was in compliance and treating all athletes equally.

Beth Goetz, associate athletic director for administration, said the report has been submitted, and the athletics department is now waiting for a decision from the Office for Civil Rights.

“We believe that we are in compliance,” Goetz said. “But if they find we aren’t, we are going to take the necessary steps to correct it.”

The Office for Civil Rights considers the situation an open case with the documents still in review. As a result, the office cannot discuss the specifics of the case or any findings to this point, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Education.

The Office for Civil Rights requested information about participation numbers and financial aid.

During the 2010-11 school year, women made up 59.6 percent of Butler’s full-time undergraduate students and only 36.5 percent of athletes.

At the same time, women athletes received 53.4 percent of the department’s financial aid.

Title IX requires that the ratio of women in sports is substantially proportionate to the undergraduate enrollment.

In a situation where these numbers are not proportionate, the university can demonstrate compliance in other ways.

“Those numbers demonstrate we are not meeting the standard,” Goetz said. “But we believe our non-discriminatory factors, when considered, deem us as compliant.”

The athletics department evaluates gender equality on a regular basis. Multiple internal reviews and an outside study by Ice Miller have been conducted to validate the findings.

“We believe we offer every sport in which there is an interest and ability on campus,” Goetz said.

She said that this is the reason the department believes the Office for Civil Rights will determine that Butler is Title IX compliant.

Regardless of the numbers, Erik Fromm, junior men’s basketball player and member of the student athlete advisory council, said that the treatment of the athletes has always been equal.

“I’m just one person, and I don’t know all the numbers,” Fromm said, “but it’s never been a question of equality, not in athletics and not in academics.”

In her four years of experience, Devin Brierly, graduate student and basketball and softball player, said there was no indication of unfair treatment between males and females because of gender.

“We have always been treated very fair when it came to everything, whether it was trips and equipment or something else,” Brierly said. “It was going to be different with men’s basketball, but that’s because of what they accomplished, not anything else.”

In the 2011 fiscal year, the Office for Civil Rights received a total of 7,841 complaints about Title IX violations across the country, according to a U.S. Department of Education spokesman.

Only six of those complaints found an institution to be in violation of Title IX.

The athletics department asked why it was under review, and Goetz said it was told it was random review.

The Office for Civil Rights confirmed this and said it is trying to be proactive in guaranteeing equality for all athletes by initiating compliance reviews.

There is no official timeline for a decision from the Office for Civil Rights regarding Butler’s compliance, but Goetz said the department will continue to take the matter seriously.

“We want to provide every opportunity for every student-athlete that we can,” Goetz said. “Even without Title IX, we want to make sure everyone is treated equally and fairly.”

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 women’s basketball team was unable to advance past the first round of the Horizon League Tournament, falling to Illinois-Chicago 66-53.

Poor shooting from the field in the first half sunk the Bulldogs (13-17). Butler shot 20.7 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes while the Flames (18-13) shot 44.8 percent.

UIC had four players with more than 10 points. The Flames were led by senior forwards Kiara Strickland  (17 points and eight rebounds) and Jasmine Bailey (15 points and 13 rebounds).

The Bulldogs received 15 points apiece from senior guard Devin Brierly and sophomore guard Mandy McDivitt.

The loss ended Butler’s season and sent UIC to the semifinal round of the tournament. The Flames eventually fell to tournament champion Green Bay.

It was a freshman who led the Butler women’s basketball team to a win on Saturday’s Senior Day, but senior guards Devin Brierly and Kaley May were still in the spotlight.

Freshman guard Hannah Douglas had a season-high 31 points in the effort as the Bulldogs (13-16, 9-9) defeated Wright State 81-66.

Douglas was 12-for-20 shooting on the day, including four 3-point baskets.

Still, the day was really about the two Butler seniors, who participated in their final regular season game.

Photo by Reid Bruner

“We really just wanted today to be special for Devin and Kaley,” coach Beth Couture said.

May scored the first and last baskets of the game for Butler on her way to a career-high eight points.

“It was definitely an emotional day, being the last game on Hinkle’s floor,” May said. “[The first basket] got the team excited, and it was just a good moment for the entire team.”

Brierly had a solid afternoon as well, adding 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

The Bulldogs, following the ejection of Wright State coach Mike Bradbury after receiving his second technical foul and throwing his suit jacket into the crowd, led 35-30 at halftime.

“That could have been a big momentum shift, but we’ve handled a lot of adversity this season,” May said. “Coach just calmed us down, and we came together as a team like we have all season.”

Butler kept its composure in the second half, even as the Raiders (19-11, 12-6) kept the game close.

Leading 69-62 with just over four minutes left to play, the Bulldogs went on a 12-4 run, which was capped by a 3-pointer from May.

“I couldn’t have scripted it any better in my mind,” May said. “It was kind of like a storybook ending for me.”

The win followed a 57-52 loss to Detroit in Hinkle Fieldhouse last Thursday.

The Bulldogs were led by freshman forward Haley Howard, who scored a career-high 23 points.

Sophomore guard Jenna Cobb added 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

Butler begins Horizon League tournament play tonight against Illinois-Chicago in quarterfinal round of the tournament.

The Bulldogs earned the No. 5 seed, while the Flames (17-12, 10-8) hold the No. 4 seed.

The Butler women’s basketball team scored a 51-48 home victory over Illinois-Chicago on Saturday.

The game was quite a reversal for the Bulldogs (12-13, 8-6), who fell to the Flames (16-10, 9-6) 77-42 on Jan. 19.

With the victory, Butler has now won five of its last six games.

“For me, I think the game was won by toughness,” coach Beth Couture said. “[At UIC], we did not match their toughness, and I thought we did here.”

The first half of the contest with UIC saw the teams exchange the lead six times before a 3-point basket by Butler sophomore guard Mandy McDivitt put the Bulldogs up 25-23 with 47 seconds left.

The Bulldogs ended the half with 20 rebounds to the Flames’ 19.

“I am just so proud of our girls because I felt like, offensively, we never really got in sync,” Couture said. “We really got after [the Flames] defensively, and I thought that was one of the best defensive efforts we have had.”

Photo by Taylor Cox

Butler opened the second half on a 9-2 run, which was fueled by a 3-point basket from senior guard Devin Brierly and four points from junior forward Becca Bornhorst.

After the game, Bornhorst said the team’s 72-59 loss to Valparaiso on Feb. 11 pushed Butler to work hard to win contests.

“We were so disappointed after losing to Valpo,” Bornhorst said. “We should not have lost to them. It benefited us because you can see we worked harder and we played tougher and we wanted it more.”

UIC eventually closed the gap to 49-48 following a 3-point basket by sophomore guard Kobel with 15 seconds left in the game.

The Bulldogs were able to hold on for the win, though, after Brierly successfully converted two free throw opportunities.

Following the victory over UIC, sophomore center Sarah Hamm was named Horizon League Player of the Week.

Hamm tallied a combined 39 points against UIC and Loyola of Chicago, Butler’s opponent on Thursday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The game against the Flames proved to be much tighter than the Bulldogs’ 72-46 victory over the Ramblers (11-15, 6-9).

The Bulldogs recorded 23 steals and were led by sophomore guard Jenna Cobb, whose 12 steals allowed her to break the school record and tie the Horizon League record for most steals in a game.

“It is definitely exciting, but a lot of it was our whole team pressuring the ball and allowing me to get those steals,” Cobb said.

Brierly led the Bulldogs in scoring with 21 points.

The Bulldogs will continue their season at Milwaukee-Wisconsin tomorrow before facing off against No. 11 Green Bay on Saturday.

The Butler women’s basketball team’s three-game winning streak was snapped by a 72-58 loss to Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon.

It was the first win for the Crusaders (7-16, 3-9) at Hinkle Fieldhouse since 1983.

The Bulldogs (10-13, 6-6) led by one point at halftime but were outscored by 14 points in the second half.

Senior guard Devin Brierly put up a team-high 20 points, and Butler’s bench tallied 14 points, but the team was done in by 33.3 percent shooting from the field.

The Bulldogs also shot 63.6 percent from the free throw line, a stark contrast to Valparaiso’s 78.9 percent performance.

Crusaders senior guard Ashley Timmerman put up 10 points in the first three minutes of the second half to put Valparaiso on top.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

The Bulldogs never regained momentum, committing six turnovers while shooting just 27 percent in the half.

Butler was down 52-48 with just over eight minutes left, but Valparaiso pulled away, converting six free throw attempts in the last 45 seconds of the contest.

Freshman guard Hannah Douglas was the only other Bulldog in double figures, recording 14 points.

Timmerman finished with 13 points for the Crusaders, while sophomore forward Tabitha Gerardot tallied a game-high 26 points.

The Bulldogs will host conference foe Loyola of Chicago at Hinkle tomorrow at 7 p.m. before welcoming Illinois-Chicago to Indianapolis on Saturday.

Butler came away with a 60-57 win over the Ramblers (11-13, 6-7) in the first meeting between the team’s this season.

The result of an earlier contest against the Flames (15-9, 8-5) was far different, with UIC grabbing a 77-42 win.

The Butler women’s basketball team suffered another setback yesterday, falling 49-46 at Indiana State.

The game marked the sixth straight loss for the Bulldogs (1-7). Of those six losses, five have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

The Sycamores (5-3) got off to a quick start, taking an 8-1 lead after the first five minutes.

However, Butler freshman forward Haley Howard and junior forward Becca Bornhorst accounted for the Bulldogs’ next 13 points, pulling Butler within two.

Howard scored a game-high 17 points.

Photo by Maria Porter

Bornhorst, in her third game back after an injury, posted 14 points in 22 minutes of work, including a 3-pointer before halftime to cut the Bulldogs’ deficit to just one.

“We’ve made progress in areas we’ve been working on,” Bornhorst said, “such as boxing out and having ball pressure on defense. We just have yet to play a full 40 minutes being completely focused on the little things.”

Butler focused on those little things in the second half and appeared primed to snap its losing streak, leading 44-43 with 2:31 remaining.

But, four straight Indiana State free throws gave the Sycamores a three-point lead.

Trailing 49-46 with just four seconds remaining, senior guard Devin Brierly misfired on the front end of a one-and-one. Bornhorst’s ensuing 3-pointer fell off the mark, allowing the Sycamores to pick up their third consecutive win.

“You certainly don’t want to be [1-7], but when you look on the tape and on the floor, I feel like our players are getting better,” coach Beth Couture said. “Our kids are playing really hard right now, but we’re just making a lot of mistakes.”

Three days earlier, the Bulldogs fell to the Bowling Green Falcons 71-61. Butler trailed by just five at halftime, but the Falcons (5-2) pulled away, leading by as many as 17 points in the second half.

Freshman guard Hannah Douglas led Butler with a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Douglas also pulled down a team-best five rebounds.

“We asked Hannah to be more aggressive and look to score,” Couture said. “She and all of our freshmen are bright spots. It’s just a matter of getting them all on the same page at the same time.”

The Bulldogs will host Ball State this Friday at 7 p.m. in Hinkle Fieldhouse.