NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont baseball concludes OVC action with Southeast Missouri State May 12-14. The Bruins host the Redhawks at E.S. Rose Park with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday, May 12.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
Belmont wraps up its 2017 conference slate at home with SEMO. The Bruins currently sit third in the conference with a record of 15-12 while compiling an overall mark of 24-24 thus far. The team took the final two games of the series last year to solidify their spot in the OVC tourney, this season BU will look to better its league record in hopes to improve their postseason seeding.
Offensively, Belmont has been led primarily by three bruins - Nick Egli (Brentwood, Tenn.), Rafael Bournigal (Mulberry, Fla.) and Matt Cogen (Franklin, Tenn.). While Egli leads the squad in nearly every statistical category, both Borunigal and Cogen have been heating up at the plate as of late. Both are riding three game streaks of registering multiple hits with Bournigal having collected 10 hits in the last four contests. Egli boasts a batting average of .374, while Bournigal (.346) and Cogen (.324) follow close behind. Belmont sits atop the league with 65 stolen bases as senior Tyler Walsh (Evasnville, Ind.) leads the charge, having robbed 17 bases in his 21 attempts. Collectively, the team has registered 437 hits, 281 runs and 251 RBIs.
On the mound, Belmont's pitching staff has disrupted their opponents all season long. Two of the Bruins regular weekend starters sit atop the league in strikeouts with Dylan King (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) ranking first (96) and Tyler Vaughn (Jonesboro, Ill.) (81) right behind him. The duo has started in all of BU's previous 12 weekend series. King boasts an inpressive ERA of 3.84 (second in OVC) and Vaughn leads the conference having logged 76.2 innings in his junior campaign. 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 36 appearances, tossing 47.1 innings and earning a record of 2-3 on the mound. Senior closer Dom Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) has earned eight of Belmont's ten saves this season - ranking second in the league.
STEALING THE SHOW
Belmont leads the Ohio Valley Conference in stolen bases, having robbed 65 bags throughout the season. Twelve different Bruins have stolen at least one base this year with nine hijacking multiple. Senior Tyler Walsh leads the charge with 17, while sophomore Chas Hadden (Morristown, Tenn.) has also produced a double-digit effort with 12.
KING OF THE HILL
King leads the conference in Ks with 95 in 72.2 innings of work - the mark also ranks him 15th in the nation. His 95 strikeouts in a single season ranks him fifth all-time among all Belmont pitchers. The right-handed hurler tossed a career-best 12 strikeouts against Murray State (4.28) - bettering his previous career record of 11 Ks earlier in his sophomore campaign. The Murfreesboro, Tenn. is the only Bruin that has sat down more than 10 batters via strikeout in multiple games in 2017 - he's done so five times. King ranks second in the OVC with an ERA of 3.84.
MASTERFUL MATT
Redshirt-freshman Matt Cogen has found a way to register multiple hits all season long, currently riding a three-game streak where he has connected on at least two hits. He has registered 19 multi-hit outings in his rookie campaign and boasts a .324 batting average. He has tallied 31 hits on the season - the third most on the squad.
NINE IS (ALMOST) ENOUGH
Belmont endured just its second extra-inning game last weekend, going 11 stanzas at Tennessee Tech - winning the contest on a go-ahead homer from Matt Cogen. Each of their first 40 games had been decided in the allotted nine innings. It was the first time since joining the NCAA the Bruins haven't had an extended contest through their first 40 matchups. The fewest extra-inning games BU has played was one in 2010 vs Eastern Illinois (2.28), while their longest game went to 15 frames vs Stetson in the Atlantic Sun tournament in 2012 (5.23).
LOTZ OF KLOTZ
Sophomore Kyle Klotz has been the go-to hurler in the Bruins bullpen all season long, making 36 appearances on the mound while compiling 47.1 innings of work. The right-handed reliever has tallied an ERA of 4.56 on the year, striking out 31 batters. In his conference leading 36 appearances Klotz boasts a 2-3 record on the hill for Belmont. He also currently sits second in BU's all-time record book in single season appearances, behind Jesse Snodgrass' 44 appearances in 2013.
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 in the last 16 games. He sits second on the team, batting .346 while registering 55 hits and 30 runs this season. He has produced four consecutive multi-hit games in Belmont's recent contests, compiling a total of 10 hits in that span.
