DELAND, Fla. – The Belmont baseball team (30-23, 15-12) will play its final regular season series this weekend, taking on #21 Stetson (39-14, 22-5) in three games. The Bruins can clinch a berth in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament with two wins over the Hatters.
The Hatters have already won the A-Sun regular season title and clinched the number one seed in next week's league playoffs. Belmont's magic number is two, but with one win against Stetson, the Bruins would need Lipscomb to win one contest over FGCU or ETSU to sweep Mercer this weekend.
BU could also make it to the tournament after getting swept by Stetson. The Bruins would need cross town rival Lipscomb to win two or three tilts on the road at Florida Gulf Coast in order to knock the Eagles out of the tournament.
Belmont could earn a seed as high as third depending on what else happens around the league. Stetson at one and Jacksonville at two are the only seeds locked in place heading into the final weekend of conference play. Kennesaw State, ETSU, Mercer, Belmont, and FGCU are battling it out for the final four spots.
The Bruins are coming off of a big 6-3 win over SEC opponent Tennessee on Tuesday, while the Hatters fell by a score of 7-6 at home to UCF. Stetson is 39-14 on the season and has been in the national rankings week after week. Belmont won its 30th game of the season on Tuesday, giving the Bruins a 30 win season for the first time since 2007. A couple more wins this weekend and BU will make the A-Sun Tournament for the first time since 2009.
Stetson holds a slight 15-13 advantage in the all-time series against Belmont. The Bruins have won nine of the last 11 contests though, including a 2-1 series victory over the Hatters last season. Stetson won the first seven meetings between the two teams.
Lindsey Caughel and Will Dorsey are scheduled to start the first two games of the series for Stetson. Both right-handers, Caughel is 5-1 with an ERA of 3.75, 44 strikeouts, and only 14 walks on the season. Dorsey is only 6-4 this year with 49 strikeouts, 17 walks, and an ERA of 4.08. The Hatter offense is led by Nick Rickles, who has team-bests of 11 homers, 20 doubles, 58 RBI, and an average of .364.
The regular weekend rotation of sophomore Chase Brookshire (Chattanooga, Tenn.), junior Matt Hamann (Northbrook, Ill.) and sophomore Josh Davis (Fayetteville, Ga.) is scheduled for the Bruins. Hamann leads the way with a record of 7-1 and an ERA of 2.28, which is second best in the conference. Senior Nate Woods (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), who went three-for-five with five RBI on Tuesday, leads the Bruins with 53 runs batted in and a .364 average at the plate.
Thursday and Friday games at Stetson are scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. CT, while Saturday's final tilt will being at 12:00 p.m. CT. Check out all of the action with live stats, audio, or video found below.
Follow the Game With Live Stats
Listen Live on the Bruins Sports Network
Watch the Game on Hatter Vision
Follow the Bruins on Twitter @BelmontBaseball
