Butler athletic team members with spring seasons are familiar with hitting the road for long trips to warmer locales.

The number of miles racked up by some squads may be surprising though.

Graph by Rachel Anderson

Seven of Butler’s athletic teams have made or will make at least two trips more than 600 miles from Butler during the 2011-12 school year.

Men’s and women’s golf coach Bill Mattingly said the Midwestern climate of Indianapolis makes scheduling far-off events necessary.

“In the spring, we go down south, and we try to do more [long trips] because of the better weather,” Mattingly said.

Both golf teams will head to Jacksonville, Fla., over spring break, where the Bulldogs will face non-conference opponents.

Mattingly said this helps the teams prepare for Horizon League play.

“We like to play against different teams in other conferences to help us get ready for our conference,” Mattingly said. “Playing better teams on tougher courses can get us ready for that.”

The Butler softball team is also accustomed to starting off the first month of the season in the South or on the West Coast.

The team is making a trip to Fresno, Calif., for this weekend’s 2012 Bayer CropScience Classic.

The Bulldogs will then travel from Fresno State to Pacific University in Oregon for two contests on March 14.

Senior outfielder Lauren McNulty said that while the trips may sometimes involve driving long distances, it is worth it to be able to leave the cold weather behind.

“I think I speak for all of my teammates when I say that we would take a 10-hour bus ride every weekend to play in nice weather,” McNulty said.

While the Butler football team plays its games in the fall, it is a member of the far-reaching Pioneer Football League.

While the longest trip made from Butler to another Horizon League member’s location is 349 miles for Youngstown State, annual cross-country flights are required in the PFL.

Teams from North Carolina, California, Florida and New York are currently part of the league.

Senior quarterback Andrew Huck said that while the trips offer some players a chance to see a new part of the country, they have to focus on the competition ahead.

“We had a lot of players who hadn’t been to California or on a plane before,” Huck said. “We have to keep in mind that we’re going on a business trip rather than a spring break vacation.”

Huck said the time change between Indiana and California can be difficult to cope with.

“We’ve had games start at 7 or 8 [p.m.] their time, which is 11 here, and we only have one day to overcome jet lag,” Huck said.

McNulty said that flying to games does not affect her play.

“I’ve never experienced jet lag or exhaustion after flying to a tournament,” McNulty said. “The most tiring trip is usually the trip home because we are physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted after a weekend of games.”

According to Huck, the long road trips that teams embark on are useful for improving the chemistry and camaraderie of a team’s members.

“I would say it brings you closer,” Huck said. “You’re removed from campus, and you’re really bonding with each other.”

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 Butler softball team dropped its first two contests of the 2012 season by one run apiece.

Led by junior pitcher Jenny Esparza, the Bulldogs (0-2) faced off against Lipscomb in the first game of the Lady Bison Round Robin on Saturday.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning when Esparza gave up a two-out, walk-off home run, allowing the Bison (3-3) to grab a 1-0 victory.

Lipscomb sophomore designated hitter Haley Elliott deposited a home run in left-center field to send the Bison home happy.

Esparza did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, recording five strikeouts and walking three batters.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

Lipscomb senior pitcher Whitney Kiihnl fired a no-hitter against Butler, striking out 11 and recording her second shutout of the season.

The Bulldogs’ offense picked up in its second game of the tournament against Samford (3-4), but it was not enough as the other Bulldogs won 4-3.

Butler had three doubles in the first inning, courtesy of junior second baseman Meaghan Sullivan, senior outfielder Lauren McNulty and senior first baseman Erin Falkenberry.

McNulty then gave Butler a 2-1 lead with a home run to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Sophomore pitcher Leah Bry had held Samford to one hit until giving up four in the top of the seventh inning, leading two three runs. This gave Samford a 4-3 lead that Butler could not overcome.

Butler finished the game with 10 hits, with Huey, McNulty, Falkenberry and sophomore third baseman Callie Dennison each recording two.

Bry had six strikeouts and three walks in the loss.

The team was scheduled to play both Samford and Lipscomb again on Sunday, but the games were cancelled due to inclement weather.

The Bulldogs will be back in action this weekend with a doubleheader against Detroit and Missouri, which will be held at Evansville.

After coming close to making history last season, the Butler softball team is looking to bounce back and make its first appearance in the NCAA tournament this season.

The team lost only three players to graduation last season and returns an impressive lineup that includes junior Jenny Esparza, the defending Horizon League Pitcher of the Year.

The Bulldogs will also have 2011 All-Horizon League First Team first baseman Erin Falkenberry and outfielder Lauren McNulty back for their senior seasons.

Butler was ranked second behind favorite Illinois-Chicago in the pre-season Horizon League poll.

Falkenberry set the Butler single-season home run record last year with 13 while leading the team with 43 runs batted in. She said the Flames are worthy of being pre-season favorites.

“They won conference last year, and they didn’t lose that many players,” Falkenberry said. “We’re trying to redeem ourselves from last year.”

Photo by Rachel Anderson

Esparza said Horizon League opposition will be difficult this year after Butler finished as runner-up to the Flames in last season’s Horizon League tournament.

“I think it’ll be tough,” Esparza said. “There are a lot of returning players from the previous year.

“It’s always hard competition, especially since we did well last year, so we’ve got a big target on our backs.”

The Bulldogs begin the season by playing four games over two days at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 18 and 19.

In those contests, they will face the host Bison and the Samford Bulldogs in two games apiece.

Butler will face its toughest non-conference challenge when it heads to California on March 9 to participate in the 2012 Bayer CropScience Classic at Fresno State.

Among the nationally-ranked teams Butler will face are California currently No. 3 in the ESPN.com USA Softball poll and No. 11 Oregon.

McNulty, who batted .286 and was second on the team with 29 runs batted in last season, said that the two Pac-12 schools will be the Bulldogs’ toughest competition this season.

“Both teams have just had great softball programs in the past, and I know they made it to the regionals last year, so they’re very good softball schools and well respected in the softball culture,” McNulty said. “I think they’ll be our toughest opponents when we’re on the road.”

Coach Scott Hall said the high-caliber competition will give Butler the opportunity to get ready for the Horizon League portion of its schedule later in the season.

“[The non-conference schedule] prepares us and keeps us consistently finding out what we need to improve on,” Hall said. “It gives us an idea of where we’re at right now and what we need to work on.”

The team’s first home game is during a March 19 doubleheader against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne.

Hall said he hopes the team’s offseason workouts can help the Bulldogs stay focused and keep them from injuries over the course of the season.

“We’ve been doing a lot of conditioning and weight training,” Hall said. “[We are] trying to get our bodies and minds right for the long grind of the season.”

Since the creation of the Butler Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991, there have been 176 commemorative plaques added to  one of the walls in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Each plaque recognizes the achievements of a person or team that was part of Butler’s athletic program.

The Butler Athletic Hall of fame currently contains 24 females who were, at one time, involved with Butler athletics.

Barbara Skinner and Barbara Greenburg were two of the first three women inducted into the Hall in 1998.

Skinner earned 10 varsity letters in basketball, softball and tennis before graduating in 1983.

Photo by Marcy Thornsberry

Skinner played alongside her sister, Elizabeth, who was the first person to score 1,000 career points in basketball. Elizabeth was nominated for the Hall of Fame along with her sister.

“Liz and I were always together on team, and we mutually shared a good deal of success,” Skinner said in a press release during her senior season.

Skinner played in 100 games for the Bulldogs’ basketball team, compiling 1,448 points. That total was third-highest in school history at the time of her induction.

Skinner was also named the team’s Most Valuable Player after her senior season (1982-83) and was an MVP of Butler’s softball team.

“Skinner is one of the best woman basketball players I’ve ever seen,” Jim Price, a former National Basketball Association All-Star, said in a press release following the 1982-83 season. “I haven’t seen another player that can cover the entire game the way she does.”

In her senior season, Skinner led the Bulldogs to an 18-6 record and an NCAA Division II Tournament berth.

She is also part of the History of Women’s Basketball exhibit in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Greenburg, a 1964 graduate, served as the first and only softball coach at Butler until her retirement from coaching in 1994.

Greenburg earned a Special Service Award in the Hall of Fame for helping to start Butler’s softball program.

Photo by Marcy Thornsberry

In 14 seasons as coach, Greenburg led the softball squad to a 263-247-3 record.

The inaugural team posted a 25-6 record in 1981. The following season, Greenburg led the team to a second-place showing in the state tournament.

In addition, Greenburg was a coach for the Butler women’s tennis team from 1975 to 1986. Her career mark of 121-38 included 12 consecutive winning seasons and three runner-up showings in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.

Greenburg also coached field hockey and volleyball teams at Butler in addition to being a teacher in the College of Education.

The Butler baseball and softball teams inked the newest commits to their respective teams during the NCAA early signing period last month.

The baseball team added Nick Bartolone, Chris Marras, Nick Saldutti and Drew Small to their squad for the 2013 season. Each player hails from the Midwest, with all but one coming from Indiana.

Bartalone is expected to be an outfielder for the Bulldogs and is coming off back-to-back all-conference selections as he enters his senior season at Harrison High School in West Lafayette.

“He’s a left-handed hitting power guy,” coach Steve Farley said. “Nick’s going to get bigger and stronger, and he’s got a good chance to be one of our starting outfielders pretty quick.”

Marras joins the Bulldogs after a successful high school career in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills. Along with being selected team MVP and named team captain at VHHS, Marras also played summer ball with Top Tier, a premier summer team that also claims several current Bulldogs as alumni.

“We looked at a lot of different catchers and felt like he was a good fit for us,” Farley said. “Catcher is an important position, he’s got a good, strong arm, and he reminds me of some of the better players we’ve had in the past.”

Saldutti hails from Westfield, a northern Indianapolis suburb, and plays first base while batting as a powerful left-hander. Saldutti hit .471 over the summer playing for the Indiana NorthStars.

“He started to really stand out as one of the better first basemen over the summer, and he really likes Butler,” Farley said.

Small will join the Bulldogs as a versatile all-purpose player.

Small earned all-state honorable mention status last year and looks to contribute to his Zionsville High School  baseball team, which is coached by former Butler coach John Zangrilli, during his senior season.

“He’s a really good athlete and comes from a good family,” Farley said.  “He’s a good leadoff man type of guy, a really good team player.”

On the other diamond, the softball team added five players at the early signing deadline. Four players are from Indiana and one is from Colorado.

Alex Kotter, Chelsea Conover, Audrey East, Taylor Lockwood and Kristin Gutierrez will join the Bulldogs starting in 2013.

Kotter is a first team all-state selection out of Vincennes Lincoln High School and holds a career batting average of .615.

“She’s a very talented hitter,” coach Scott Hall said.  “She’s a very good athlete, and she’s very fluid with everything.”

Conover hails from Brownsburg and will give the Bulldogs a boost in the speed department.  She led her team in stolen bases last year, along with on-base percentage and runs scored.

“She fits what we are looking for, and speed doesn’t take a day off,” Hall said.

East will provide some power to the Butler attack next year. She led New Palestine high school in home runs, doubles and walks while helping lead the team to a state title in 2009.

“With us graduating two catchers this year, we needed someone to fill those shoes,” Hall said.

Lockwood rounds out the local recruits and will bring depth to the Bulldog pitching attack. A 2011 Indianapolis Star Super Team honoree, Lockwood went 17-4 on the mound for Southport High School last season.

“She’s a kid who can increase her strength, movement and velocity in the circle, and she can definitely be a factor for us pitching,” Hall said.

Gutierrez will come to Butler from Colorado, and she will provide a left-handed pitching presence for the Bulldogs.  She led her conference not only in strikeouts but also in hitting.

“She gives us another option as a left-handed pitcher,” Hall said.  “She fits the Butler Way motto, and we are really excited to have her.”

After coming close last season, the Butler softball team looks to take the next step and win a Horizon League tournament title this season.

That mission started over the weekend when the Bulldogs began an eight-game autumn schedule.

Even with the tournament almost eight months away, senior catcher Mallory Winters said the team is ready to start preparing.

“We came so close last year, and we really want it bad this year,” she said. “Right now, we’re trying to work the new players in and find a spot for everyone.”

Finding everyone a role on this year’s squad will be no small task. Butler added a group of seven freshman and one transfer player during the offseason.

“That class of eight works out perfectly because we have seven seniors this season,” Winters said.

To open their autumn slate of games this past weekend, the Bulldogs visited IUPUI to play four games.

The trip proved to be prosperous for Butler, as they swept the four games. Two of the contests pitted the

Bulldogs against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and Marian and resulted in 10-0 and 7-2 victories, respectively.

This weekend, Butler will host four games against Ball State, Lake Land, Anderson and St. Joseph’s.

“We’re excited to host those four games,” senior outfielder Lauren McNulty said. “It gives us a chance to get warmed up without going far from home.”

With such a challenging schedule ahead of them in the regular season, the Bulldogs know this preparation is valuable.

“We are playing some good schools [this season],” McNulty said. “We go to Fresno and play Oregon, Arkansas and Lipscomb.”

After winning 14 conference games last season, Assistant coach Meaghan Slack said she knows it will be difficult to achieve the success it experienced last season.

“It will definitely be hard [to repeat last season’s success],” Slack said. “Our goal is still to win the conference, so we need to take advantage of this time together now and get ready for January.”

The short autumn season wraps up on Oct. 14, after which the Bulldogs will be in the offseason until January.

“We are all ready to start the season now,” Winters said, “but this time right now is valuable to us. We will be ready to go in January and February.”

The Butler softball team recovered from a pair of losses against IPFW, sweeping a three-game series against Horizon League opponent Detroit.

The Bulldogs (16-11, 4-1 HL) outscored the Titans (4-18, 0-6 HL) 28-7 during the three game series and dispatched Detroit, 11-1, in five innings in the second game of a doubleheader and the final game of the series.

“It was good to see us get the sweep,” head coach Scott Hall said. “The pitching staff did a good job and allowed us to get the offense going.”

Butler put several good swings on the ball against Detroit freshman Erin Huddleston, earning all 11 runs off the pitcher in as many hits.

Junior first baseman Erin Falkenberry, who recently earned the Horizon League Co-Player of the Week honors, nearly hit for the home run cycle, blasting a solo home run in the third inning, a two-run homer in the fourth inning and a three-run shot in the fifth.

“I was seeing the ball well,” Falkenberry said. “I’d been struggling the past few games so I would’ve been happy with any hits.”

Falkenberry went 3-for-3 in the contest with four runs and six RBIs. Junior right-fielder Jessica Huey also had a strong showing at the plate, going 2-for-4, turning in a run and two RBIs.

Sophomore Jenny Esparza allowed one run on one hit in a complete game performance for the Bulldogs.

In the opening game of the doubleheader, Butler tallied a pair of runs in each of the first three innings and survived a comeback bid from Detroit to top the Titans, 8-6.

Falkenberry opened the scoring for the Bulldogs with a two-run home run in the first inning. In the second inning, junior catcher Alyssa Coleman led off with a solo home run. Redshirt sophomore Kayla Gray scored the other run in that frame, coming home on a fielder’s choice hit by senior center fielder Erin Jackson.

Senior third baseman Lauren Ott singled home a pair of Butler players in the third inning to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 advantage.

The Titans didn’t go away, scoring single runs in the fourth and sixth innings and posting four runs in the fifth inning.

However, Butler scored a run in both the fourth and sixth innings to stave off the Detroit rally.

Falkenberry topped the scoring sheet again for the Bulldogs, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, three runs and three RBIs. For the Titans, freshman right-fielder Alyssa Gietl had a grand slam to drive home four of Detroit’s six runs.

In the series opener, Butler used the pitching tandem of senior Jennifer Chasteen and freshman Leah Bry to shut out the Titans, 9-0.

Chasteen started the game and got all of the support she needed, courtesy of a four-run second inning.

“I was just trying to throw hard and keep them off balance,” Chasteen said.

Chasteen allowed two hits over five scoreless frames while striking out five. Bry pitched the final inning of the game and allowed one hit with a strikeout.

“Jen was on,” Bry said. “She was doing well and they weren’t hitting anything.”

Falkenberry and junior left-fielder Lauren McNulty both had a pair of RBIs in the victory. Huey also had a good day at the plate, going 2-for-3, with two runs and an RBI.

“We work hard at hitting,” Hall said. “It would be scary to get our 3-4-5 hitters going together.”

On March 30, the Bulldogs lost 10-7 and 3-1 in a doubleheader against IPFW.

The Bulldogs will face four teams in 10 games throughout the upcoming week, starting with games at Dayton today and Notre Dame tomorrow. Butler will then head home to face off against conference foes Cleveland State and Valparaiso.

The Butler softball team picked up its fifth win in two days by defeating Bucknell and Hartford yesterday at the Rebel Games in Orlando, Fla.

After starting the season 1-5, the Bulldogs (7-4) have won six of their last eight games.

Sophomore pitcher Jenny Esparza picked up the win for the Bulldogs against Bucknell (3-13), striking out 13 in five innings of work.

Her teammates gave her some early run support, scoring four runs in the first two innings.

In the first inning, Butler sophomore second baseman Meaghan Sullivan stole home to give the Bulldogs an early advantage. A few moments later, junior rightfielder Jessica Huey connected had a double to bring in junior first baseman Erin Falkenberry.

The Bulldogs offensive production continued the next inning and Butler led, 4-0, heading into the third.

Bucknell, the defending Patriot League champions, scored in the third inning to cut the deficit to three runs, but it would be the only run

Esparza would allow. Senior Jennifer Chasteen, who pitched a complete game Sunday in a win

against Colgate, closed out the game for the Bulldogs, sealing a 5-1 victory.

Esparza struck out 12 batters in Butler’s other Sunday victory, a 3-2 win against Manhattan. Her season record is currently 2-3.

Later Tuesday, the Bulldogs beat Hartford, 5-4, in eight innings.

Butler built a lead off a Falkenberry two-run shot in the third inning, but the Hawks tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. But in the top of the eighth, redshirt sophomore Kayla Gray drove in what would eventually be the game-winning run.

With senior outfielder Erin Jackson on second, senior third baseman Lauren Ott sacrifice bunted the runner to third. Gray then singled to left field, yielding the final 5-4 score.

Sullivan extended her strong Spring Break showing with three hits against the Hawks.

The Bulldogs have no games today but will play a pair on both Thursday (Akron; St. Peter’s) and Friday (Siena; Rider).

Following the conclusion of the Rebel Games, Butler will travel to Bloomington, Ind., Tuesday for a double-header with the Indiana Hoosiers (12-12).