NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont University baseball team will play a doubleheader Battle of the Boulevard on Tuesday against Lipscomb at Rose Park starting at 4 p.m.
Lipscomb leads the all-time series 88-62, but Belmont leads in games played in the NCAA era 31-19. The Bruins have won six out of the last seven matchups over the Bisons.
Lipscomb is off to a 10-12 start, currently holding a .250 batting average. The Bisons have hit 15 home runs while driving in 120 runs, hitting 35 doubles in the process. Lipscomb's pitching has a 5.53 earned run average and has collected over 200 strikeouts on the mound. The Bisons also hold their opponents to a 272 batting average.
Chaz Bertolani, who was recently added to the Buster Posey Award watch list, leads Lipscomb with a .324 batting average to go with 25 RBIs and five doubles. Tiger Borom adds power, hitting .304 while coming up with 15 RBIs. Chris Bashlor's hot bat has earned him four home runs, 23 RBIs in addition to a .296 batting average in 20 games.
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 fifth in all of NCAA Division I Baseball with six sacrifice bunts, leading the Ohio Valley Conference in that category in the process.
Sophomore Carson Shacklett and junior Logan Jarvis have helped the Bruins this season by getting on base, especially drawing walks. Shacklett is currently 18th in NCAA Division I Baseball with 22 walks this season, co-leading the OVC in that category. Jarvis ranks 46th in that category with 20 walks in 2021.
Game Notes
The bat of sophomore John Behrends has caught fire, leading the Bruins with a .413 batting average and snagging a career-high four RBIs on Wednesday against Trevecca. Behrends is currently on a 12-game hitting streak, marking the second time in the last three seasons where a Belmont player had 10-game hitting streak. His teammate, Grayson Taylor, was the last Bruin to accomplish that mark, doing so from April 13-28 in the 2019 season. If Behrends comes up with at least one hit in the next three games, he will become the first Belmont Baseball player to have a 15-game hitting streak since Kyle Conger during the 2016 season.
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 38 total runs in 2021 when they are down to their last out. The Bruins have also hit a pair of home runs with two outs this season.
Head coach Dave Jarvis is eyeing the all-time wins record at Belmont, where he currently has compiled 660 wins in his 24 years as the Bruins' head coach. Jarvis needs just four 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.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m., with live stats and ESPN+ scheduled to broadcast the two, seven-inning doubleheaders. Grandstand seating will be limited to 20 percent of the maximum occupancy. Belmont Athletics will identify where fans can and cannot sit in the grandstands. Belmont Athletics asks fans to observe the reconfigured seating arrangement, including any seats marked as "Reserved". Attendees are required to always wear masks or face coverings at Rose Park, pursuant to Order 8: Cloth Face Coverings or Mask Order issued by Metro Nashville's Chief Medical Director of Health.
