NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont baseball team, still in third place in the Atlantic Sun Conference, plays host to UT-Martin for a doubleheader on Wednesday night. The front end will begin at 4:00 p.m. at Rose Park, while the back end of the doubleheader will tentatively start 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.
UT-Martin comes to Nashville with a record of 18-26, but only a 5-15 road mark on the year. TheSkyhawks have won eight of their last nine contests, including victories over Morehead State, Eastern Illinois, and Eastern Kentucky. Phil Sorensen leads the team with an average of .376 to go along with 13 doubles and 29 runs batted in. Trey Karlen is tops on the squad with seven home runs and 36 RBI.
Belmont leads the all-time series with UT-Martin by a mark of 27-22. The Bruins won the first ever meeting between the two teams, defeating the Skyhawks 22-3 back in 1957. Belmont and UT-Martin went 7-7 against each other from 1957 to 1971 before taking 27 years off from competing. The two squads met back up in 1998, which was when BU began to take advantage, winning 20 of 35 contests from 1998-2011. Earlier in the season, the Skyhawks topped the Bruins in Martin by a score of 9-8 on a walk off homer.
In his next appearance on the mound, senior Jon Ivie will have pitched in more games than any other player in Belmont history. The BU closer moved into a tie for first place with Will Tucker after appearing in his 75th contest against Murray State on May 3rd. Ivie closed out the game, earning his team-leading eighth save of the season and 19th of his career. The 19 career saves puts the senior in third place in Belmont annals in that category.
With two walks in the doubleheader against Murray State on May 3rd, senior Matt Zeblo moved into second place in Belmont history for career walks. The Bruin catcher has now walked 111 times in his career, passing Jerry Wheeler who accumulated 109 from 1976-79. Packy Elkins is the all-time leader in the category with 145.
After playing host to UT-Martin on Wednesday, the Bruins will welcome in Florida Gulf Coast for a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series this weekend. The Belmont senior will be honored before the Saturday contest.
Game Notes - Belmont vs. UT-Martin
Follow the Game With Live Stats
Listen Live on the Bruin Sports Network
Keep up with the action on Twitter; Follow @BelmontBaseball
