NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont baseball heads to Middle Tennessee for round two against the Blue Raiders on Tuesday, April 11. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
Belmont heads to MTSU holding an overall record of 14-16 after dropping a pair of games to Austin Peay last weekend. The Bruins fell to the Blue Raiders, 6-4, at home previously this season. They will look even the series and improve on their road mark in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Senior designated hitter Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.) has continued to lead the Bruins offense over the past few weeks of play. He currently sits atop the squad in seven statistical categories - batting average (.365), hits (35), doubles (12), home runs (6), RBIs (23) and on-base percentage (.460). Twenty of the veteran's 35 hits have come in the form on an extra-base knock - 12 doubles, two triples and six home runs. Behind Egli, Belmont has two other players logging a .300 or better batting average - junior Rafael Bournigal (Mulberry, Fla.) (.310) and redshirt-freshman Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.) (.306). Collectively, the team has registered 244 hits, 166 runs and 149 RBIs halfway through the season.
Belmont's weekend pitching staff has been successful on the mound this season with two of three starting hurlers ranking second in strike outs. Sophomore Dylan King (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and junior Tyler Vaughn (Jonesboro, Tenn.) have tossed 58 Ks in eight starts this season. The trio - including Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Ill.) - has tossed 162 of the teams combined 259 strike outs in 2017. The Bruins have also seen extensive production from their bullpen with 11 different pitchers taking the hill for Belmont. Sophomore Kyle Klotz (Fairview, Tenn.) leads the OVC with 22 appearances, tossing 30.2 innings and earning a record of 2-3 on the mound. Senior closer Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) has earned all five of Belmont's saves this season - ranking second in the league.
SAVING THE DAY
Senior reliever Dom Veltri has recorded all five of the Bruins saves on the hill this season. He's been their go-to hurler in the final innings of closely contested games, throwing 18.1 innings in 14 appearances. The Clarksville, Tenn. native has struck out 12 batters while compiling an ERA of 2.95.
IN THE NICK OF TIME
Senior utility Nick Egli has played a crucial role in sparking the Bruins offense as the designated hitter. The veteran has been dominant in conference play, boasting a .404 batting average while connecting on 23 hits, twelve which have been extra base shots. He's registered 16 RBIs in the squad's 115 OVC games. Egli posted 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, before collecting multi-hit outings in all three games against UT Martin. The Brentwood, Tenn. product leads the team in BA (.365), hits (35), doubles (12), home runs (6) and RBIs (23) throughout the 2017 campaign.
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 four games this season. He's tallied 204 putouts ranking eighth in the conference. The veteran has also caught 11 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 11 multi-hit games. The Franklin, Tenn. native sits third on the team with a batting average of .306 and second with 34 hits this year.
KINETIC KYLE
Junior infielder Kyle Conger (Brentwood, Tenn.) has headed the Bruins offense as the leadoff hitter in Belmont's last 27 games. He has contributed 27 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. Conger leads the squad in runs, having crossed home plate 23 times this season.
ZERO TO SIXTY
It takes little time for senior infielder Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.) to turn on the speed as he displayed in both meetings against the Hilltoppers, stealing a base three times - all would go on to result in a run. Walsh once again showed his base-running skills against SIUE (4.2), stealing three bases. The speedster boasts a eight-for-nine record when attempting to steal. Walsh currently sits third in Belmont's NCAA era records with 54 stolen bases, one behind Drew Ferguson (55).
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Bruins have registered a double in 26 of its 30 contests, including connecting on at least two in 20 games. They hold a 12-8 mark when recording multiple two-base shots.
THE ROYAL TREATMENT
Sophomore hurlers Dylan King and Casey Queener (Brentwood, Tenn.) have proven to be effective on the mound all season. Both righties have logged 11 strike out performances this year, collectively fanning 86 batters over the course of the 2017 campaign.
IT'S IN THE BLOOD
Rafael Bournigal 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.
