DePaul University
Butler
Blue Demons Open Home Slate with Butler Series
3/18/2022 6:30:00 PM | SOFTBALL
DePaul faces Bulldogs for three-game series across Saturday and Sunday
CHICAGO — DePaul softball will open the home portion of its schedule at Cacciatore Stadium March 19-20 with a weekend series against BIG EAST foe Butler.
The Bulldogs and Blue Demons will face off for a single-game on Saturday at 1 p.m. before playing a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.
All three games will stream live on FloSports with a subscription required to view. Live Stats are also available by visiting the softball schedule page.
Noting the Blue Demons
DePaul returns home battle tested with a 10-12 mark on the season. The Blue Demons opened the season 4-0 at the DePaul Dome Tournament in Rosemont before hitting the road for the following four weekends.
The Blue Demons are outscoring their opponents 97-90 through 22 games and are led by junior first baseman Brooke Johnson. Johnson leads the way in almost every offensive category including average (.373), slugging (.716), on-base (.468), runs (19), hits (25), and RBI (22). Maranda Gutierrez is putting together a bright fifth-year campaign batting .343 and butting together 23 hits including six for an extra base. Nicole Sullivan, Anna Wohlers, Tori Meyer and Skylor Hilger have connected on 15 or more hits on the season with Wohlers leading the way with five doubles and Sullivan drawing a team-best 10 walks.
In the circle, DePaul has utilized a three-pitcher rotation with Erin Hocker, Sarah Lehman and Natalie Halvorson throwing the innings. Hocker owns a 3.02 ERA in nine appearances while holding opponents to a .255 average. Lehman and Halvorson have earned four wins apiece with Halvorson totaling a staff-best 40 strikeouts in 49.2 innings of work.
Head coach Tracie Adix-Zins is in her fourth season at the helm of her alma mater. The all-American pitcher is 78-51 in her return to Lincoln Park and has led the Blue Demons to a BIG EAST Tournament title alongside a conference regular season title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Scouting Butler
Butler enters the weekend with a 14-7 record including a 2-0 mark in BIG EAST play after taking a pair of games from conference preseason favorite, Villanova, last weekend. The Bulldogs are led by a trio of experienced pitchers in Karli Ricketts, Mackenzie Griman, and Alyssa Graves. Ricketts owns a 1.17 ERA and 8-1 mark in the circle with 58 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched. Veterans Bri Avery and Lauren Fey lead the Bulldogs behind the plate with 20 and 23 hits, respectively. Freshman Ellie Boyer has totaled a team-high 13 RBI while Monique Hoosen has sent four balls out of the park. Butler coach Scott Hall is in his 12th season at the helm of the program. Hall needs four victories to become the program's all-time winningest coach at 264.
Series History
DePaul holds an 18-7 edge in the head-to-head series with the Bulldogs. In 2021, the Blue Demons swept the series in Indianapolis en route to claiming the regular season title. Butler got the final say in the BIG EAST Tournament with an 8-1 victory in Storrs, Conn. in game one or the two-game tournament for DePaul.
Home Sweet Home
The Blue Demons went a perfect 10-0 from Cacciatore Stadium in 2021 and will look to continue that success with its home-opening series against Butler. The 1,000-seat stadium tucked just under the CTA 'L' tracks in Lincoln Park provides a unique experience for Blue Demon softball fans.
RPI Update
DePaul enters the weekend with an RPI of 81 which ranks second in the conference behind UConn at 71. The Blue Demons lead the conference in strength of schedule at 32 after facing a daunting non-conference slate including a win over RV Stanford and a pair of loses to then-No. 4 Florida and No. 8 Oklahoma State.
Up Next
Following the weekend series with the Bulldogs, DePaul will make the short trip to South Bend, Ind. to face Notre Dame on Wednesday, March 23. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. CT.
