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.

Their names do not usually make headlines, and they do not get credit for wins. In fact, they go completely unnoticed most of the time.

They are the ones behind the masks—the catchers for the Butler baseball and softball teams.

The baseball team has four players who have manned the position this season: seniors Nick Hladek and Brian Padove, junior Radley Haddad and sophomore Ryan Wojciechowski.

The softball team has used a rotation of three catchers: seniors Mallory Winters and Alyssa Coleman and freshman Maria Leichty.

The catching position is a unique one and has been argued to be one of the most vital across all sports.

“To me, catcher is one of the most important positions on the team,” Butler baseball coach Steve Farley said.  “Major league scouts say that the quickest way to get to the big leagues is to be a catcher—every team wants a solid player at that position.”

In Little League play, catcher is often one of the least-desired positions.

Winters, however, has been catching since she was 12 years old.

The best of the softball team’s catchers in fielding percentage, Winters started her softball career as a pitcher. She said she decided to try catching one day and “really liked it.”

Hladek also started catching at a young age.

“When you’re little, no one wants to catch because you’re getting beat up, and it’s hot in all the gear,” Hladek said. “I liked it because I got to be in on every play.”

Pitchers and catchers are the only players that touch the ball every single play, but softball coach Scott Hall said it requires an immense amount of focus.

“They’re the only player than can see everything that’s going on,” Hall said. “Everyone else has a sort of blind spot, so [catchers] have to know what’s going on.”

Catchers do not typically get the same kind of recognition that other players on the field do, but they say they are OK with that.

“I think of it as the middle-child syndrome,” Winters said. “You’re not the star. You’re overlooked in the family and on the field, but you have a duty—whether that is catering to the pitcher or getting yelled at for the day.”

Haddad, who leads the team in doubles and has the third-highest batting average among the Bulldogs, said that catchers are not supposed to be noticed.

“I was told once that if you’re a catcher and no one notices you, you did a great job,” Haddad said. “You’re just supposed to do the things you’re supposed to do, do them right, and you’ll do a good job.”

Senior pitcher Brad Schnitzer described catchers as field generals, while sophomore pitcher Leah Bry said she thinks of them as queens and kings of the field.

“You have to be a leader when you’re a catcher,” Bry said. “Everyone’s looking at the pitchers, but they’re really ruling what’s going on.”

Farley said that it takes a certain kind of person to be able to work with different pitchers and be the leader on the field.

“Each catcher has his own personality, and each guy needs to know how to push the buttons of the various pitchers they work with,” Farley said. “You have to know when to pat a pitcher on the back and when to kind of kick him in the butt.”

Catchers take a lot of blame for when things go wrong, whether they are actually at fault or not.

“We don’t expect a lot of high fives,” Coleman said. “Most of the time we’re getting yelled at, but it’s worth it knowing that we’re a part of it.”

Despite the negative aspects of the job, Butler’s catchers said they love what they do.

“It takes a lot to be a catcher,” Haddad said. “It’s tough. It’s mentally and physically taxing—you’re getting beat up back there. It’s a warrior position.

“It’s a beautiful thing to succeed, but I love knowing that, no matter what, I get to come back out and play again tomorrow.”

The Butler baseball team came from behind to beat Dayton in the team’s home opener Tuesday, winning 8-5.

The Flyers (2-8) scored four runs over the first four innings of play, taking a 4-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs (4-7) scored their first run of the game on an RBI double by junior catcher Nick Hladek in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Photo by Taylor Cox

In the next inning, Butler scored four runs to take its first lead of the day.

Senior outfielder Mike Hoscheit walked with the bases loaded, and senior Griffin Richeson was hit by a pitch in the following at-bat to bring another run home.

Junior outfielder Jack Dillon and freshman shortstop Austin Miller then recorded back-to-back singles with the bases loaded to give the Bulldogs their first lead.

“I’d say Dayton helped us out,” Butler coach Steve Farley said. “They brought in some new guys to pitch and committed some errors.”

Dayton was able to tie the game in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly, but a double by Dillon in the bottom of the inning drove in a pair of runs and gave Butler the lead for good.

The Bulldogs were able to battle back from an early deficit to take the victory three days after doing the same against Belmont.

“We’ve done that a few times this year,” Farley said. “We did that against Fresno State and in Tennessee against Belmont, and I’m impressed.

“The guys don’t quit, even in these tough games where we’re behind.”

Last weekend, the Bulldogs fell in the final game of a three-game series to Belmont, losing 8-2.

Down 2-0 after two innings, Butler junior third baseman Lucas Calderon had a run-scoring sacrifice groundout to cut the lead in half.

Butler was unable to handle the offensive attack of the Bruins (6-5) the rest of the way though.

Butler came from behind twice to beat Belmont 8-7 in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The Bulldogs were down 5-1 when their bats came to life in the sixth inning.

Butler junior first baseman Jimmy Risi drove in three runs on a bases-loaded double before Hoscheit brought Risi home with a double of his own.

Junior catcher Radley Haddad singled to drive in the team’s fifth run of the inning, giving the Bulldogs a 6-5 lead.

Belmont regained a 7-6 lead with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Butler responded again in the eighth inning and secured the victory when Hoscheit hit a game-winning, two-run home run.

Butler lost to Belmont 12-4 in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The Bruins held a 12-0 lead before the Bulldogs tallied four runs in the top of the ninth inning.

Butler begins a four-game series at home against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday.

Butler baseball coach Steve Farley has aspirations of his team “being in the top three in the Horizon League” this season.

There is just one problem: injuries.

The Bulldogs prepared for their opening day tilt against Fresno State on Friday by taking a day off for rest on Monday.

“Getting people healthy [is important],” Farley said. “This is our earliest starting date since I’ve been here.”

Among the hurt Bulldogs are sophomore third baseman Patrick Guinane (ankle), whom Farley called “our best hitter last season,” and junior first baseman Jim Risi (hamstring), a transfer student who Farley said “could be our best hitter this season.”

Also out is senior pitcher Dom Silvestri, who underwent surgery during the offseason.

Despite Silvestri’s absence, Farley said one of the team’s big strengths is pitching depth.

This is good news for a team that was fifth of seven conference teams in earned run average and had the second most wild pitches in the league.

“There’s not a secret to stopping wild pitches,” junior catcher Nick Hladek said. “We have to work on throwing strikes and improve from last year.”

One area where the Bulldogs were better last season was on offense.

The team was second in the Horizon League in batting average and runs  scored and was third in on base percentage.

Still, Farley said this season’s team is a better hitting team on paper than last season’s.

“Last season, BBCOR [Bat Standard] deadened the bats and lowered offensive output,” Farley said. “It took our hitters a long time to get used to it.”

In addition to Guinane and Risi, Butler returns senior infielder Griffin Richeson and senior outfielder Mike Hoscheit to fuel the offense.

Richeson has the second-highest batting average and on base percentage of all returning Bulldogs, behind Guinane.

Hoscheit has the third-highest batting average and second-highest slugging percentage of the team’s returning players.

Upperclassmen will likely be relied upon this season, as 22 of the team’s 32 players are a junior or senior.

“We have a lot of leadership collectively,” Hladek said. “There won’t be one guy who we’ll have to rely upon.”

Two of those leaders will be Silvestri and senior pitcher Mike Hernandez, who were named two of the league’s three top pitchers in a recent poll of the league’s coaches.

That same poll had Wright State as the team to beat this season, a team that Farley said Butler “tries to be like.”

“Some people might overlook us, but we’re going to make some noise in the league,” Hladek said.”