NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont baseball welcomes Western Kentucky in its first midweek tilt of the 2017 campaign. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. at E.S. Rose Park.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
Belmont struggled in the opening weekend against a tough Kent State squad. The Bruins were swept by the Golden Flashes, starting the season 0-3 for the first time since 1976. After back-to-back shutouts in the first two games of the series Belmont battled in the final game, but came up short after a costly ninth inning.
While the Bruins record reflects a tough weekend, the team had three different players register multi-hit games. Junior infielder Alex Ward (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) was the lone Bruin to register a hit on opening day with a pair of singles. Redshirt-freshman Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) made his Belmont debuted with back-to-back multi-hit games, earning himself a .571 batting average after going 4-for-7 on the weekend. Perhaps the most influential player of the series was junior infielder Ben Kocher (Zionsville, Ind.), who laced a pair of RBI doubles in the final game against the Flashes. His first RBI two-bagger gave BU its first advantage of the weekend. In addition to his team-best two RBIs, the Zionsville, Ind. product made crucial plays away from the batter's box, stealing third and making an improbable catch near the home dugout during the three-game series against the Golden Flashes.
Each of Belmont's three starting pitchers - Tyler Vaughn (Jonesboro, Ill.), Dylan King (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Casey Queener (Brentwood, Tenn.) - lasted at least five innings on the hill. Vaughn led the staff, sitting down nine batters through five stanzas but relinquished four runs during his stay. King and Queener both worked six frames, each allowing a run and registering an ERA of 1.50. King fanned eight batters and only issued one walk.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
Western Kentucky kicked off the 2017 season with a three-game series against Valparaiso where they edged Valpo in the first two match ups by a run in each game, 6-5 and 4-3, respectively, before dropping the final game 5-2. WKU travels to Nashville with a 2-1 record on the year.
The Hilltoppers were led by junior outfielder Colie Currie who boasted a .417 batting average after going 5-for-12 at the plate and launching a pair of multi-base hits to collect five RBIs. He finished the weekend with a slugging percentage of .750, a double and home run. Right behind Currie was classmate Stephen Kraft who connected on a pair of doubles, earning a BA of .400. Ten different Toppers registered at least one hit throughout the weekend with Currie and senior catcher Hunter Wood leading the way with five. Collectively, the team batted .283 with help of five doubles and four home runs. The squad tallied 28 hits and 12 runs combined.
On the mound, WKU called on multiple hurlers during the opening weekend with senior right-hander Cody Coll logging the most work, tossing five complete innings. Coll Allowed two runs and eight hits while only sitting down one batter finishing the day with an 1.80 ERA. Five other Hilltoppers threw multiple innings, Kevin Elder and Logan Weins led the pitching staff - each earning a flawless ERA in three innings of work.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
This will be the 44th meeting between the Bruins and Hilltoppers. Belmont leads the all-time series, 23-21, but Western Kentucky has claimed four of the last five match ups including sweeping BU last season. BU and WKU have played midweek games in each of their meetings under the direction of Coach Jarvis. The Bruins have found favor on their home turf, winning 13 of their 23 home contests against the Toppers.
FOLLOW ALONG
Wednesday's game will not be streamed on the OVC Digital Network, but will have a radio broadcast on Bruins Sport Network. Fans are also welcome to follow along with live stats and follow @belmontbaseball for in-game updates on twitter.
