FLORENCE, Ala. - The Belmont University baseball team wraps up its road trip at North Alabama on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
North Alabama leads the all-time series with Belmont 13-3-1, with Belmont winning the last game against the Lions on Feb. 23 on opening day this season 5-1. The last time the Bruins traveled to Florence, Ala., North Alabama threw a no-hitter in a 1-0 outing on Feb. 25, 2020.
North Alabama is on the struggle bus, currently sitting at a 4-25 record. The Lions are hitting .200 to go with 13 home runs and 74 RBIs. North Alabama has an earned run average of 7.31, striking out 231 batters in the process.
Kylan Barnett leads the Lions offensively with a .300 batting average, hitting six doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs. Devne Daniel adds power at the plate, hitting a pair of home runs to go with a .280 batting average. Drew Hudson has driven in six runs in addition to hitting .257 while co-leading the team with seven doubles.
Head coach Dave Jarvis is eyeing the all-time wins record at Belmont, where he currently has compiled 662 wins in his 24 years as the Bruins' head coach. Jarvis needs just two more wins to pass Dave Whitten (1969-1997) to become the winningest head coach in program history. Jarvis and Whitten had a close relationship until Whitten's death in 2012, where Whitten served as an assistant and pitching coach under Jarvis from 1998-2000.
With North Alabama being a former opponent when the Bruins were a part of the NAIA, the Lions are just one of 19 current Division I opponents that Belmont has faced during its years in NAIA on more than one occassion. North Alabama won the NAIA portion of the series 11-2-1.
If the season ended today, sophomore John Behrends would already have his name in Belmont's NCAA Era single season record book. Heading into Tuesday's game against North Alabama, Behrends' .380 batting average is good for the seventh-best batting average in the NCAA Era in program history.
Freshman Jack Rando has been the definition of a team player for Belmont this season, executing the art of the sacrifice bunt. Rando is currently sixth in all of NCAA Division I Baseball with six sacrifice bunts, leading the Ohio Valley Conference in that category in the process.
Game Notes
Sophomore Carson Shacklett and junior Logan Jarvis have helped the Bruins this season by getting on base, especially drawing walks. Shacklett is currently 25th in NCAA Division I Baseball with 24 walks this season. Jarvis ranks 19th in that category with 25 walks in 2021 in NCAA Division I Baseball, leading the OVC in that category.
Logan Jarvis has put himself in the national spotlight in 2021. The Bobby Bragan Collegiate Sluggers Award Watch List member is currently 10th in NCAA Division I Baseball with three triples, co-leading the OVC in that category in the process. Jarvis is also 13th in NCAA Division I Baseball in sacrifice flies, coming up with four in 2021.
Belmont has proven that they are never out of an inning when they are down to their last out. Over 25 percent of Belmont's runs scored this season have been with two outs, with the Bruins scoring 42 total runs in 2021 when they are down to their last out. The Bruins have also hit three home runs with two outs this season.
First pitch is set for 5 p.m., with live stats and ESPN+ being available courtesy of North Alabama Athletics.
