Butler Bulldogs softball

The Butler Bulldogs softball team represents Butler University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team was founded during the 1980–1981 academic school year, and is a member of the Big East Conference (Big East). The Bulldogs play their home games at the Butler Softball Field on campus in Indianapolis, IN.

Butler Bulldogs softball
2023 Butler Bulldog softball team
University	Butler University
Athletic director	Barry Collier
Head coach	Scott Hall (13th season)
Conference	Big East
Location	Indianapolis, IN
Home stadium	Butler Softball Field (Capacity: 500)
Nickname	Bulldogs
Colors	Blue and white[1]
NCAA Tournament appearances
2016
Conference Tournament championships
Big East: 2016

During their tenure in the Big East Conference, the Bulldogs have claimed 1 Big East Conference softball tournament title.

History

The Bulldogs first fielded a varsity softball team in 1981 and have been a member of five (5) athletic conferences during their existence which includes the North Star Conference, Midwestern Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCC), Horizon League, Atlantic 10 and, as of 2014, the Big East Conference.

The Butler softball team has been led by Scott Hall for the last 12 seasons and is the 8th head coach in program history. Hall led the Bulldogs to a team record 4 tournament game wins in 2011 as well as a team record 16 conference wins in a single season in 2022. Hall also guided the Bulldogs to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016 after capturing the programs first conference tournament championship.

Butler Softball Field

The Butler softball team calls the Butler Softball Field home, located adjacent to the Holcomb Gardens across the Inland Waterway Canal. The field is a part of a larger athletic field complex that features Varsity Field (the alternate field for both the men's and women's soccer teams), the outdoor tennis courts and intramural softball and soccer fields.

The facility underwent major renovations during the summer and fall of 2010. A new press box was built along with new bleachers and walkways. Also, the actual playing field was replaced and is now one of the best surfaces in the region. In 2010, the facility received a new infield surface with a natural sand and clay mix.

The field features brick dugouts for both the home and visiting benches, a bullpen area and batting cages located down the first base line out of play and spectator seating for up to 500 people. The field's outfield dimensions extend to 200 feet from foul pole to foul pole.^[2]

Head coaching history

Coach Years Record Win Pct. Barb Greenburg 1981 - 1994 263-226-4 .533 Jeryl Neff 1995 - 1997 48-88-1 .350 Tiffany Strnad 1998 - 1999 37-68-1 .349 Dirk Welch 2000 - 2002 49-84 .368 Tom Spencer 2003 - 2005 55-103-1 .346 Angie Nicholson 2006 17-30-1 .354 Jeanne Rayman 2007 - 2010 105-100 .512 Scott Hall 2011 – Present 295-329-1 .472 All-Time (41 years) 1981 – Present 869-1,028-8 .456

Conference affiliation

On March 20, 2013, the Butler administration announced that the school would join the reconfigured Big East, and moved to the new conference on July 1, 2013.

Years Conference 1981 - 1986 North Star Conference 1987 - 2001 Midwestern Collegiate Athletic Conference 2002 - 2012 Horizon League 2013 Atlantic 10 Conference 2014 – Present Big East Conference NCAA tournament results Season Overall Record Conference Record NCAA Regional Location NCAA Tournament Results NCAA Tournament Bid Final RPI Ranking 2016 28-24 9-7 Lexington Regional L, 1-6 vs. No 9 Kentucky L, 1–2 vs. Illinois Automatic 131st[3] Season-by-season results Statistics overview Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason Butler Bulldogs (North Star Conference) (1981–1986) 1981 Barb Greenburg 25-6 1982 Barb Greenburg 26-9 1983 Barb Greenburg 18-7 1984 Barb Greenburg 6-13 1985 Barb Greenburg 16-14 1986 Barb Greenburg 14-22 Butler Bulldogs (Midwestern Collegiate Conference) (1987–2001) 1987 Barb Greenburg 23-20 N/A N/A 1988 Barb Greenburg 20-16-1 N/A N/A 1989 Barb Greenburg 16-21 N/A N/A 1990 Barb Greenburg 21-23 4-6 6th 1991 Barb Greenburg 25-21 6-4 3rd 1992 Barb Greenburg 12-24 5-5 5th 1993 Barb Greenburg 19-23 6-6 5th 1994 Barb Greenburg 22-28-3 4-6 4th 1995 Jeryl Neff 17-31 3-15 10th 1996 Jeryl Neff 13-29 5-9 6th 1997 Jeryl Neff 18-28-1 6-8 4th 1998 Tiffany Strnad 24-25-1 10-2 2nd 1999 Tiffany Strnad / Jamie Turner 32–24 13–7 4th 2000 Dirk Welch 13-36 3-9 6th 2001 Dirk Welch 21-25 3-9 T-6th Butler Bulldogs (Horizon League) (2002–2012) 2002 Dirk Welch 15-23 5-9 6th 2003 Tom Spencer 18-31 8-13 5th 2004 Tom Spencer 18-39-1 10-10 5th 2005 Tom Spencer 19-33 7-12 6th 2006 Angie Nicholson 17-30-1 4-16 8th 2007 Jeanne Rayman 26-24 7-8 6th 2008 Jeanne Rayman 17-29 5-12 7th 2009 Jeanne Rayman 26-28 12-11 5th 2010 Jeanne Rayman 36-19 11-11 T-5th 2011 Scott Hall 32-24 14-8 3rd 2012 Scott Hall 25-32 13-11 5th Butler Bulldogs (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2013–2013) 2013 Scott Hall 22-24 11-9 7th Butler Bulldogs (Big East Conference) (2014–Present) 2014 Scott Hall 24-28 10-10 T-4th 2015 Scott Hall 24-27 9-12 4th 2016 Scott Hall 28-24 9-7 4th NCAA Regional 2017 Scott Hall 23-29 11-9 4th 2018 Scott Hall 20-28 7-11 5th 2019 Scott Hall 16-32 4-12 8th 2020 Scott Hall 15-8 N/A N/A Season canceled due to COVID-19 2021 Scott Hall 17-21-1 6-11-1 5th 2022 Scott Hall 31-17 16-6 2nd 2023 Scott Hall 18-35 12-9 4th Total: 869–1,028–8 (.458)       National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion Conference tournament results Source:[4] Midwestern Collegiate Athletic Conference Season Conference Overall Record Conference Record Conference Regular Season Finish Conference Tournament Results Conference Tournament Finish 1987 MCC 23-20 N/A 3rd W, 4-2 vs. Loyola W, 5-3 vs. Detroit L, 1-2 vs. Evansville L, 1-3 vs. Detroit 3rd 1988 MCC 20-16-1 N/A 2nd W, 2-1 vs. Loyola L, 2-3 vs. Detroit L, 1-2 vs. Evansville 3rd 1989 MCC 16-21 N/A 4th L, 6-7 vs. Notre Dame L, 6-7 vs. Evansville 6th 1990 MCC 21-23 4-6 6th L, 1-6 vs. Dayton L, 3-2 vs. Evansville 6th 1991 MCC 25-21 6-4 3rd L, 3-7 vs. Loyola W, 3-2 vs. Dayton W, 1-0 vs. St. Louis W, 3-0 vs. Loyola L, 4-5 vs. Notre Dame 3rd 1992 MCC 12-24 5-5 5th L, 0-5 vs. Evansville L, 0-4 vs. Loyola 5th 1993 MCC 19-23 6-6 5th W, 6-1 vs. La Salle L, 0-1 vs. Notre Dame L, 1-11 vs. Evansville 6th 1994 MCC 22-28-3 4-6 4th W, 2-0 vs. Detroit L, 5-7 vs. Notre Dame W, 8-6 vs. La Salle W, 9-8 vs. Detroit L, 0-5 vs. Loyola 3rd 1996 MCC 13-29 5-9 6th L, 0-6 vs. Cleveland State L, 0-8 (6 in) vs. Green Bay 8th 1997 MCC 18-28-1 6-8 4th L, 1-4 vs. Loyola L, 0-1 vs. Detroit 7th 1998 MCC 24-25-1 10-2 2nd W, 3-2 vs. Green Bay W, 5-4 vs. Cleveland State L, 0-2 vs. UIC L, 0-6 vs. Detroit 3rd 1999 MCC 13-43 6-6 5th L, 1-5 vs. Wright State L, 0-4 vs. Green Bay 6th 2000 MCC 13-36 3-9 6th L, 0-3 vs. Loyola L, 0-2 vs. Detroit 7th 2001 MCC 21-25 3-9 6th W, 7-3 vs. Wright State L, 0-8 vs. UIC L, 1-3 vs. Green Bay 4th Horizon League Source:[5] Season Conference Overall Record Conference Record Conference Regular Season Finish Conference Tournament Results Conference Tournament Finish 2002 Horizon League 15-23 5-9 6th W, 8-2 vs. Detroit W, 4-1 vs. Green Bay L, 0-12 vs. UIC W, 3-1 vs. Loyola L, 1-8 vs. UIC 2nd 2003 Horizon League 18-31 8-13 5th L, 4-7 vs. Green Bay L, 6-11 vs. Loyola 7th 2004 Horizon League 18-39-1 10-10 5th W, 3-0 vs. Detroit W, 1-0 vs. Youngstown State L, 1-10 vs. UIC L, 0-1 vs. Wright State 4th 2005 Horizon League 19-33 7-12 6th L, 1-2 vs. Cleveland State L, 5-7 vs. Wright State 7th 2006 Horizon League 17-30-1 4-16 8th L, 0-7 vs. UIC L, 0-11 vs. Loyola 8th 2007 Horizon League 26-24 7-8 6th W, 2-1 (12 in) vs. Green Bay L, 2-7 vs. Wright State W, 7-1 vs. Detroit L, 1-2 (9 in) vs. Cleveland State 4th 2008 Horizon League 17-29 5-12 7th L, 0-6 vs. Green Bay W, 3-1 vs. Youngstown State L, 1-2 vs. Loyola 7th 2009 Horizon League 26-28 12-11 5th W, 8-1 vs. Youngstown State L, 0-7 vs. Cleveland State W, 2-0 vs. Green Bay W, 12-4 vs. Loyola L, 2-5 vs. Wright State 4th 2010 Horizon League 36-19 11-11 6th W, 4-1 vs. UIC L, 9-11 vs. Wright State L, 2-3 vs. Green Bay 5th 2011 Horizon League 32-24 14-8 3rd W, 4-0 vs. Wright State W, 3-1 vs. Valparaiso L, 1-2 vs. UIC W, 5-4 vs. Valparaiso W, 1-0 vs. UIC L, 3-5 vs. UIC 2nd 2012 Horizon League 25-32 13-11 5th W, 3-0 vs. Youngstown State W, 6-1 vs. Valparaiso L, 1-9 (6 in) vs. Loyola L, 2-3 (8 in) vs. Valparaiso 3rd Big East Conference Season Conference Overall Record Conference Record Conference Regular Season Finish Conference Tournament Results Conference Tournament Finish 2016 Big East 28-24 9-7 4th W, 10-6 vs. DePaul W, 10-8 (8 in) vs. St. John's 1st 2017 Big East 23-29 11-9 4th L, 3-9 vs. St John's 4th 2021 Big East 17-21-1 6-11-1 4th W, 8-1 vs. DePaul L, 1-4 vs. UConn L, 5-14 vs. Villanova 3rd 2022 Big East 31-17 16-6 2nd L, 0-2 vs. Villanova L, 1-4 vs. UConn 4th 2023 Big East 18-35 12-9 4th L, 6-9 vs. St John's L, 2-4 vs. DePaul 6th See also List of NCAA Division I softball programs References Butler Athletics Visual Identity Guide (PDF). November 29, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2022. "Facilities". Butler University Athletics. Retrieved 2022-05-04. "2016 NCAA Women's Softball RPI". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2022-05-04. "Butler SB Record Book Updated Feb 7 2022 (PDF)" (PDF). Butler University Athletics. Retrieved 2022-05-04. "Softball Record Book (PDF) - Horizon League" (PDF). horizonleague.org. Retrieved 2022-05-04.