NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont baseball heads to Lipscomb for the Battle of the Boulevard in a midweek tilt on Tuesday, April 25. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at Dugan Field.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
Belmont concludes its five-game road swing at Lipscomb for a midweek tilt. The Bruins recently earned a double header sweep to claim the series at Jacksonville State last weekend thanks to some late inning heroics. They enter week 11 of competition with a 19-19 overall record while going 13-8 in conference action.
The Bruins offense has been headed by the veteran duo of senior designated hitter Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.) and junior second baseman Rafael Bournigal (Mulberry, Fla.) throughout the second half of the season. Egli leads the squad in eight statistical categories - batting average (.418), hits (51), doubles (15), home runs (12), RBIs (38), runs (33), on-base percentage (.520) and slugging percentage (.869). Twenty-nine of the veteran's 51 hits have come in the form on an extra-base knock - 15 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs. Bournigal sits right behind Egli, producing a .353 batting average while registering at least one hit in each of BU's last eight contests. Belmont sits atop the league with 50 stolen bases with senior Tyler Walsh (Evansville, Ind.) leading the charge having robbed 11 bases in his 14 attempts. Collectively, the team has registered 329 hits, 217 runs and 193 RBIs.
Belmont's weekend pitching staff has also been stellar on the mound this season with two of the three ranking in the top-2 in strike outs. Sophomore Dylan King (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) leads the league with 77 and junior Tyler Vaughn (Jonesboro, Ill.) right behind him with 70 Ks in ten starts this season. The trio - including Connor Etheridge (Springfield, Ill.)- has tossed 200 of the squad's combined 328 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 28 appearances, tossing 37.2 innings and earning a record of 2-3 on the mound. Senior closer Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) has earned all six of Belmont's saves this season - ranking second in the league.
MR. 900
Head Coach Dave Jarvis clinched his 900th career victory after edging Jacksonville State 3-2 on Saturday, April 22. He reached the milestone in his 29th year at the helm of a baseball program - compiling the record at Three Rivers CC and Belmont.
STEALING THE SHOW
Belmont leads the Ohio Valley Conference in stolen bases, having robbed 50 bags throughout the season. Eleven different Bruins have stolen at least one base this year with eight hijacking multiple. Senior Tyler Walsh leads the charge with 11, while sophomore Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) has also produced a double digit effort with 10.
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 .449 batting average ans slugging .949 while connecting on 35 hits, 19 which have been extra base shots. He's registered 28 RBIs in the squad's 21 OVC games. Egli shined against EIU, reaching base in his first 11 plate appearances - finishing 11-for-13 in the series while recording seven runs. He then ripped mmultiple home runs in two of the three games at Jacksonville State, including the squads first grand slam of the year in the series finale. The Brentwood, Tenn. product leads the team in BA (.418), hits (51), doubles (15), home runs (12) and RBIs (38) throughout the 2017 campaign.
SAVING THE DAY
Senior reliever Dom Veltri has recorded all six 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 22.1 innings in 18 appearances. The Clarksville, Tenn. native has struck out 16 batters while compiling a ERA of 2.82.
LOTZ OF KLOTZ
Sophomore Kyle Klotz has been the go-to hurler in the Bruins bullpen all season long, making 28 appearances on the mound while compiling 37.2 innings of work. The right-handed reliever has tallied an ERA of 4.78 on the year, striking out 24 batters. In his conference leading 28 appearances Klotz boasts a 3-4 record on the hill for Belmont.
BRING ON BOURNIGAL
Belmont has enjoyed consistency at the plate from junior Rafael Bournigal in recent contests. The second baseman has taken over in the leadoff spot in the lineup and is riding an eight-game hitting streak. He sits second on the team, batting .353 while registering 41 hits and 23 runs this season. Bournigal went 3-for-4 at the plate against Eastern Illinois (4.13) coming up a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. He then registered a flawless 4-for-4 day at the plate at Southern Illinois (4.18), a career-best performance at the plate.
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 runs 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). The Bruins pieced together back-to-back rallies to sweep the double header at Jacksonville State (4.22) and clinch the series.
