The Butler men’s basketball team huddles during a game this season. The team faces Providence in the first round of the Big East Tournament on March 13. Jimmy Lafakis/Collegian file photo.
CHRIS BROWN | SPORTS EDITOR | cbbrown@butler.edu
Monday, March 11
Men’s and women’s golf at Benbow Invitational
After a few weeks off from competition, the Butler men’s and women’s golf teams will travel to Jacksonville, Florida, where they’ll host the Benbow Invitational. The men are coming off a 10th-place finish among 18 teams in the Invitational at Savannah Harbor, while the women finished 33rd out of 49 teams at the Edwin Watts Kiawah Island Classic in their most recent action. At last year’s Benbow Invitational, the men finished second out of four teams while the women came in second out of ten teams. Play begins on Monday and continues into Tuesday.
Tuesday, March 12
Men’s and women’s golf at Benbow Invitational
The Butler men’s and women’s golf teams will wrap up play at the Benbow Invitational on Tuesday.
Softball vs. Army
After two of their contests at the Saluki Invitational were rained out, the Butler softball team played just three games over this past weekend, going 1-2 to move the Bulldogs to 7-10 on the season. This week, the Bulldogs travel to Tampa, Florida, to play in eight games, with the final five as part of the USF Series. The first of those five games is against Army on Tuesday. Army is 7-13 on the season following a 2-3 showing over this past weekend. Army defeated Butler 6-5 last March. First pitch for this contest is slated for 10 a.m.
Baseball at North Alabama
In just their second three-game series of the year, the Butler baseball team swept Purdue Fort Wayne over the weekend. This week, the Bulldogs will travel south for its final two games before its home opener. On Tuesday, the team will be in Florence, Alabama, to take on North Alabama. The Lions have just two wins on the season and have dropped their last eight contests to move to 2-12 overall. First pitch from Mike D. Lane Field is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Wednesday, March 13
Men’s tennis at Austin Peay
After nearly two weeks off from game action, the Butler men’s tennis team will travel to Clarksville, Tennessee, to face Austin Peay. The Bulldogs are currently on a six-game winning streak, with their most recent victory being a 7-0 shutout of Cardinal Stritch on March 1. The Governors, meanwhile, have lost three straight and four of their last five contests. Play for this contest will get underway at 10 a.m.
Softball vs. North Dakota State and Army
The softball team will continue play in Florida on Wednesday against North Dakota State and Army. The Bison enter the week with an 11-11 record and are coming off a 7-0 win over Stony Brook. For Army, it’ll be back-to-back games against the Bulldogs. The North Dakota State game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., with the Army game following at 1:30 p.m.
Baseball at Alabama A&M
The baseball team will remain in Alabama to take on Alabama A&M in Huntsville on Wednesday. Alabama A&M enters the week with a 4-12 record following a 2-1 series against Jackson State. The Alabama Bulldogs were swept this season by the Purdue Fort Wayne team that Butler recently swept. First pitch for this game is 3 p.m.
Lacrosse at Wofford
Following a 13-12 loss to Gardner-Webb on Sunday, the Butler lacrosse team will hit the road for the first time in five games to take on Wofford in South Carolina. The Bulldogs have wins in two of their last four games and sit at 2-4 on the season. After defeating Presbyterian College to open the season, the Terriers have lost four straight, most recently falling to St. Francis 18-8 on March 7. The first-ever meeting between these two teams is slated to begin at 5 p.m. at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Men’s basketball in Big East Tournament first round vs. Providence
Heading into the final day of Big East regular season play, there were still dozens of seeding possibilities for the conference tournament, meaning that it was incredibly important for the Butler men’s basketball team to pick up a win over Providence to improve their chances of getting a first-round bye. But the Bulldogs played one of their worst games of the season, falling to Providence 83-70 to finish as part of a tie for last place in the Big East. The result: Butler will play the Friars for the second time in four days in the first round of the conference tournament. The ninth-seeded Bulldogs will need to make major defensive changes if they’re going to flip the tables on eighth-seeded Providence. There’s a strong chance a loss could mark the end of the team’s season. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Madison Square Garden in New York, and the game will be broadcast on FS1.
Thursday, March 14
Men’s and women’s golf at Savannah Invitational
The men’s and women’s golf teams return to action amidst a busy week at the one-day Savannah Invitational in Georgia. Neither Butler team has competed in the event, hosted by Savannah State, in recent years. It’s the second of three competitions in a seven-day span for the teams.
Friday, March 15
Men’s tennis vs. Wright State and Grand Valley State
Following its road contest against Austin Peay, the men’s tennis team will return home to the Butler Bubble to host Wright State and Grand Valley State on Friday. Wright State enters the week with a 7-8 record, including a 1-4 mark on the road. Grand Valley State enters with a 1-1 road record and 8-3 overall mark. First serve for the Wright State contest is slated for noon while the Grand Valley State contest will begin at 5 p.m.
Softball at USF Series vs. Minnesota and South Florida
On Friday, the softball team begins play in the USF Series in Tampa with games against Minnesota and South Florida. The Golden Gophers have won five of their last six games and enter with a 14-7 record on the season. The Bulldogs last played South Florida in 2017, winning 5-1. The Bulls enter the week with a 17-10 record following a 3-1 weekend which included victories over Wisconsin and St. John’s. The Minnesota game will get underway at 11:45 a.m. while the South Florida contest is slated for 4:45 p.m.
Lacrosse at Furman
After its game at Wofford, the lacrosse team will travel to Greenville, South Carolina, to face Furman on Friday afternoon. The Paladins are 2-5 on the season and coming off a 14-10 loss to Liberty on March 9. Like with Wofford, this game will be the first time these two teams have ever played each other. This game is scheduled to begin at Paladin Stadium at 3 p.m.
Baseball vs. Western Michigan
After its two games in Alabama, the baseball team will return to Indianapolis to play their first home games of the season. The Bulldogs will face off against Western Michigan in a three-game weekend series starting on Friday. Last year, Butler took two of three games from the Broncos in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This year, Western Michigan is off to a 2-10 start to the season, with all ten of those losses coming on the road. First pitch from Bulldog Park is slated for 4 p.m. and the game will be streamed on the Butler Athletics Facebook page.
Saturday, March 16
Men’s and women’s track at Stan Lyons Invitational
The Butler men’s and women’s track teams begin outdoor competition on Saturday when they host the Stan Lyons Invitational. The men are coming off a fourth-place finish out of seven teams in the Big East Indoor Championships, while the women finished fifth out of eight teams in the competition. Last year, the men won every head-to-head matchup at the Stan Lyons Invitational. Only three teams won matchups in dual meets against the women.
Softball at USF Series vs. Princeton and North Florida
The softball team will continue its busy week on Saturday with morning games against Princeton and North Florida. After a win to begin the season, the Tigers have lost eight consecutive games, including five at the Arizona State Tournament in early March. North Florida enters the week with an 11-8 overall mark. The Bulldogs faced the Ospreys twice last year, winning the first game 2-0 before dropping the second 1-0 in extra innings. The Princeton contest begins at 9 a.m. while the game against North Florida will follow at 11:30 a.m.
Women’s tennis at Hanover College
Following a nearly two-week break from game action, the Butler women’s tennis team will travel south to take on Hanover. The Panthers are 12-4 on the season but have dropped their last four contests, including to Saint Mary’s (Minn.) and Davenport. Play is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
Baseball vs. Western Michigan
The baseball team will continue its three-game series against Western Michigan on Saturday, with this game taking place at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana, at 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 17
Men’s and women’s golf at Bobby Nichols Invitational
In their third competition in seven days, the men’s and women’s golf teams will travel to Sevierville, Tennessee, to compete in the Bobby Nichols Invitational. The event starts on Sunday and continues through Tuesday. Both teams will have at least 12 days off before their next competition.
Softball at USF Series vs. La Salle
The softball team will wrap up its eight-game week with a Sunday morning contest against the La Salle Explorers. The Explorers enter the week with a four-game losing streak. Butler last played La Salle in 2017, falling 10-2 in six innings. First pitch is slated for 9 a.m.
Baseball vs. Western Michigan
The baseball team will return to Butler’s campus for the final game of a three-game series against Western Michigan at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Butler Athletics Facebook page.
Women’s tennis at IU-Southeast
Following their contest at Hanover, the women’s tennis team will travel to New Albany, Indiana, to face IU-Southeast. The Grenadiers enter the week with a 1-6 record and face Midway University on Friday prior to their matchup with the Bulldogs. Play is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
