NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont baseball returns to OVC action this weekend, hosting Eastern Illinois at E.S. Rose Park April 13-15. The first game of the series is slated to start on Thursday, April 13 at 4 p.m.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
Belmont hosts Eastern Illinois for its fifth conference series this weekend. The Bruins currently sit third in OVC standings boasting a 9-6 mark. They registered their first series sweep of the seasons the last time the faced a conference foe - SIUE - at home. BU has compiled an overall record of 14-17 after dropping its midweek contest at Middle Tennessee on Tuesday.
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 eight statistical categories - batting average (.380), hits (38), doubles (14), home runs (6), RBIs (23), runs (23), on-base percentage (.470) and slugging percentage (.740). Twenty-two of the veteran's 38 hits have come in the form on an extra-base knock - 14 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 junior Alex Ward (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) (.304). Collectively, the team has registered 257 hits, 170 runs and 153 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, Ill.) have tossed 58 Ks in eight starts this season. The trio - including Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Ill.) - has tossed 162 of the squad's 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 23 appearances, tossing 32.1 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 a ERA of 2.95.
FRIDAY FEATURE
Right-handed pitcher Tyler Vaughn has earned the Friday start for the Bruins in every one of the squad's weekend series. In his eight appearances, the hurler has struck out 58 batters through 50.1 innings of work - ranking him second in the league. The Jonesboro, Ill. product tossed a career-best 11 Ks against Morehead State (3.17). He holds an ERA of 5.54 so far in his junior campaign.
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.
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 15 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 (.380), hits (38), doubles (14), 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 209 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.
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 an 8-for-10 record when attempting to steal. Walsh currently sits third in Belmont's NCAA era records with 54 stolen bases, one behind Drew Ferguson (55).
NO PRESSURE, NO DIAMONDS
Belmont mounted its first come-from-behind victory in grand fashion with a two-out five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth against Bowling Green (2.25). They once again proved that they don't easily succumb to pressure in their first game against SIUE (3.31), scoring all eight of their run in a form a two-out rally. BU clinched its first walk-off victory of the year in a 4-3 win over SIUE (4.1).
