NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont baseball returns to its OVC slate at UT Martin, March 24-26. The first game of the three-game series is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 24 at Skyhawk Field.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
After falling to national powerhouse, Vanderbilt, in a midweek match up on Wednesday, Belmont returns to OVC action at UT Martin. The Bruins posted a valiant comeback against the Commodores, but were unable to overcome VU's explosive offense in a 17-11 result. BU is now 8-11 overall, while holding a 3-3 mark in league play.
At the plate, BU has seen continued consistency from senior designated hitter Nick Egli (Brenwood, Tenn.) and redshirt-freshman outfielder Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.). Egli has registered a team-best five multi-RBI games, including a crucial performance in Belmont's recent win over Morehead State where he contributed three of the squads four RBIs. The Brentwood, Tenn. leads the squad in conference competition with a batting average of .409 and an impressive 10 RBIs. He's registered a .354 batting average while collecting 20 hits, 14 which have been extra base shots. Cogen has tallied a team-best 26 hits this season, including eight multi-hit outings. He leads the team with a .361 batting average. Collectively, the team has combined for 150 hits while registering 103 runs on the season.
The pitching staff has been headed by a dominant weekend starting crew composed of Tyler Vaughn (Jonesboro, Ill.), Dylan King (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Ill.). Collectively, the trio has triggered 114 of the squads 173 strikeouts through the first five weeks of the season. All three of them rank in the top-eight in strikeouts with Vaughn and King ranking second and hurling 40, while Etheridge sits eighth with 34. Last weekend Vaughn collected a career-best 11 Ks against the Eagles – the first double digit outing of his career. The Bruins have also seen extensive production from their bullpen with 10 different pitchers taking the hill for Belmont. Sophomore Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) leads the OVC with 12 appearances, tossing 17.1 innings and earning a record of 1-1 on the mound. Senior closer Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) has earned all three of Belmont's saves this season.
KING OF THE HILL
King ranks 29th in the nation having tossed a blistering 40 strikeouts through the first five starts of his sophomore campaign. He sits second in the conference in Ks and 10th with a 3.77 ERA in 28.2 innings of work. The right-handed hurler tossed his second 11 strike out outing of the year at EKU (3.10), tying a career-best. He previously fanned 11 batters against Northwestern (2.25) - both performances led to Belmont victories. The Murfreesboro, Tenn. is the only Bruin that has sat down more than 10 batters via strikeout in multiple games in 2017.
DEALING A DOZEN
Junior right-hander Connor Etheridge wreaked havoc on EKU on the Bruins series finale against the Colonels last week, hurling a career-best 12 strikeouts and only allowing four hits. Etheridge only allowed multiple base runners in the first inning against Eastern Kentucky, striking out at least one batter in every frame. He powered Belmont to its first shutout of the year, blanking EKU 2-0. The Springfield, Illinois product has combined for 34 Ks in 24.2 innings of work, boasting an ERA of 3.65. Etheridge tossed 14 consecutive scoreless innings before giving up a pair of runs in game three against Morehead State (3.19).
KINETIC KYLE
Junior infielder Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) has headed the Bruins offense as the leadoff hitter in Belmont's last 14 games. He has contributed 16 hits this season, six which have come in the form of a two-bagger. He recently went 3-for-6 six at the plate against Vanderbilt, collecting a variety of hits in his first three at bats - coming up one short of hitting the cycle with a single, double and triple.
IN THE NICK OF TIME
Senior utility Nick Egli has played a crucial role in sparking the Bruins offense as the designated hitter. He was the one who provoked a five-run two-out rally against Bowling Green with a two bagger that would go on to help Belmont post its first come-from-behind victory. He then ignited Belmont's offense in the first two innings against then-No. 17 Georgia Tech and at Western Kentucky, registering hits in his first two plate appearances in both contests. Egli went on to post a pair of multi-RBI games in BU's double header against EKU, including driving in the Bruins only two runs in the squads 2-0 shutout in the second contest. He laced back-to-back doubles against Morehead State to bring in three of the squads four runs. Thirteen of his 20 hits this season have been extra base knocks.
NO PAYNE NO GAIN
Senior catcher Clay Payne (Powell, Tenn.) is the driving force of Belmont's defense - starting behind the plate in all but three games this season. He's tallied 140 putouts ranking sixth in the conference. The veteran also caught eight runners attempting to steal, the most in the OVC. Payne was recently named to the Johnny Bench Award watch list that honors elite catchers throughout the nation.
SEEING MULTIPLE
After sitting out his first season with Belmont, redshirt-freshman Matt Cogen has posted eight multi-hit games. The Franklin, Tenn. native leads the team with a batting average of .351.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Bruins have registered a double in 16 of its 19 contests, including connecting on at least two in 14 games. They hold a 7-6 mark when recording multiple two-base shots.
FRIDAY FEATURE
Right-handed pitcher Tyler Vaughn has earned the Friday start for the Bruins in each of their first five weekend series. In his five appearances, the hurler has struck out 40 batters through 32.0 innings of work - ranking him second in the league. The Jonesboro, Ill. product tossed a career-best 11 Ks against Morehead State (3.17), reducing his ERA to 5.62 so far in his junior campaign.
IT'S IN THE BLOOD
Rafael Bournigal (Mulberry, Fla.) is a vital member of both Belmont's offense and defense, producing plays both at the plate and at second base. He's also the son of former major leaguer, Rafael Bournigal, who played from 1992-99 with the likes of the Seattle Mariners, Oakland A's and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the 19th round of the 1987 MLB Draft
QUICK HITS
- The Bruins return to conference play at UT Martin for their third league series of the year. The team has collected a OVC record or 3-3, while boasting an overall mark of 8-11. Belmont most recently dropped a midweek contest against Vanderbilt, 17-11.
- Coach Jarvis is in the midst of his 20th season at the helm of BU, compiling an overall record of 566-509-2 with the program. Collectively, Jarvis has earned a 890-660-2 mark in his 28-year coaching career.
- BU leads the all-time series against UTM, 32-21, having swept the Skyhawks at home last year. Two years ago the Bruins plated a NCAA era program record 34 runs against UT Martin.
- The squad has six different Bruins who rank in the top-10 of conference statistics - Nick Egli (fourth slugging percentage .754), Clay Payne (first having caught eight attempting to steal), Dylan King (second in strikeouts with 40, sixth ERA 3.04), Tyler Vaughn (second in strikeouts 40 and innings pitched 32.0), Connor Etheridge (sixth strikeouts 34 and ninth ERA 3.65) and Dom Veltri (fifth with three saves).
- The Bruins are 3-4 on the road so far this season.
