The baseball team strives for its first winning season since 2018. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.
OWEN PRISCOTT | STAFF REPORTER | opriscott@butler.edu
After a 2025 season characterized by peaks and valleys, the baseball team enters February with a clearly articulated identity: a team that competes and wins through competitiveness and discipline.
The Bulldogs return just 17 of 42 players from last year’s roster and lost a significant portion of their offensive production.
Star outfielder Jack Moroknek — who set the school record for total bases in a single season in 2025 — was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 11th round of the 2025 MLB draft. Two-way left-handed pitcher and first baseman Jack Bello transferred to Minnesota, while productive outfielder — and leadoff hitter — Ryan Drumm found a new home at Liberty.
Replacing a high level of production is never straightforward, and Butler is not attempting to do so through one-for-one replacements. Instead, head coach Blake Beemer has emphasized continuity in philosophy and growth in process.
Entering his fourth season at Butler and as a head coach, Beemer believes the foundation of the program is firmly in place.
“I think we’re growing every day,” Beemer said. “At the core, the philosophy is the same. We want to play clean baseball. We want to play good defense, throw strikes and have timely hitting. That hasn’t changed, but the process and how you go about it evolves, and I think you’re always looking for ways to get better.”
In order for the team’s philosophy to evolve, it is imperative that its veterans buy in.
Junior utility man David Ayers, who has spent all three years of his college career at Butler, is committed to making sure he and his teammates stay level-headed as leaders.
“Being someone who played a lot last year, I’m expecting myself to develop into a role where I can bring people up with me and do the best I can for the team, and especially improve from last year,” Ayers said. “[I am] just making sure to communicate with everyone on the team, seeing how everyone is doing — good or bad — and relaying that to the coaches.”
In Beemer’s eyes, that investment from veterans and newcomers alike is essential as Butler continues to find what it wants to be on the diamond.
The phrase Beemer repeatedly returned to is one he believes encapsulates the program’s direction.
“We’ve got to be junkyard dawgs,” Beemer said. “We’ve got to be gritty. We’ve got to be okay having a chip on our shoulder and finding a way to get better in 18-degree weather right now. If that means a 5 a.m. practice, [or] if that means they’re practicing at 11:30 p.m., whatever it takes.”
Butler had a prolific offense in 2025, posting a .285 batting average as a team. One area where the Dawgs will need to be tougher is on the mound. As a staff, Butler finished bottom-five in the country in team ERA, and bottom-10 in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
To improve in that area, Beemer knew he needed a right-hand man to get his pitchers to the place they needed to be.
In July 2025, Beemer got his guy. Butler hired decorated pitching coach Ty Neal, who brings almost 20 years of coaching experience.
“[I am] really excited for our program,” Beemer said. “To be able to bring an assistant coach who was at the University of Michigan, who has had head coaching experience, to come in here and help our pitchers and help our team. [I’m] really excited about what Coach Neal has done.”
Beemer believes the underlying growth in his pitchers has already begun to show.
“I think you’re going to see jumps,” Beemer said. “We’ve been preaching location, movement, then velocity. I think you’re going to see a renewed sense of attacking the strike zone for [our] pitchers.”
That philosophy has manifested most in pitchers who returned with tangible offseason development. Among them is senior right-handed pitcher (RHP) Alex Kanipe, who according to Beemer has taken a step forward in both arsenal and confidence after leading the team in appearances in 2025.
“Kanipe is a pitcher who came back really locked in,” Beemer said. “He has developed a little bit better arsenal. His stuff has ticked up. He has shown the ability to get some swings and misses with a changeup and breaking ball as well.”
Additionally, first-year RHP Grayson Bradberry’s success in the fall led him to be named Preseason Big East Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball and Perfect Game, an early sign of confidence in Butler’s arms by the media. D1Baseball specifically noted Bradberry as a pitcher who has “some of the best stuff on the staff.”
It is important for there to be improvement from within, but in today’s age of college sports, it is a matter of life and death to find production in the transfer portal.
To pair with internal growth, Butler turned to the portal in search of experienced arms capable of contributing immediately. The most notable addition is senior RHP Brock Buckley, a transfer from Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) who arrives in Indianapolis after three seasons at the NAIA level.
In 2025 with IWU, Buckley made a name for himself, pitching to a 3.45 ERA with 104 strikeouts. This consistency led him to be recognized on the 2025 All-Crossroads League 1st Team, alongside the likes of sixth-round MLB draft pick Gabel Pentecost.
While Buckley’s numbers at the NAIA level speak for themselves, the transition to Division I presents a large set of demands — particularly within a pitching staff that is prioritizing strike throwing, efficiency and toughness.
For Buckley, the adjustment has been as much mental as it has been physical, especially as he pushes toward a weekend rotation spot.
“The hitters are definitely a lot better,” Buckley said. “I’ve had ups and downs throughout the fall and this winter, but I’m excited to pitch against really good competition and just see where my experience takes me at this level.”
Just like Beemer, Buckley was looking for someone like Neal to nurture his success on the mound.
“[Neal] was a big reason why I came here, just his experience and his knowledge,” Buckley said. “I was really excited to develop a relationship with him, get to know him, and have him develop me as well. It’s been really good to work with him, and he’s made me better. I’m excited for the season to start.”
Butler opens the season with a non-conference slate designed to challenge them immediately.
The Dawgs start the season on the road for their first 11 contests, with the first pitch being in Tennessee against UT Martin on Feb. 13. Then after a one-game stop at Illinois, the Bulldogs will face College World Series participants from a year ago — Murray State — before rounding out their early-season road trip against Marshall. Butler will have to wait until March 6 to play on its home field, when the team will take on Morehead State at Bulldog Park.
For Beemer, the early road slate and cold February conditions are obstacles, but opportunities to test the tenacity he believes defines his program. Being a “junkyard dawg” is about consistency, but more about toughness. In his view, his team will be competitive regardless of the day.
“I want to be competitive, determined, disciplined and resilient,” Beemer said. “I think when you mold those together, it’s tough. I hope you leave [the ballpark] thinking: ‘Man, that is a tough team.’”
