JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Belmont University baseball team continues Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday, traveling to Jacksonville State for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
The weekend provides a showcase between the No. 1 and the No. 2 teams picked in the OVC Preseason Poll. Jacksonville State is the defending OVC champions, winning both the regular season and conference tournament in 2019.
Jacksonville State leads the series with Belmont 14-9, with the Gamecocks winning six of the last seven games against the Bruins.
The defending OVC champions have certainly proved that they are a team to beat in the conference, currently leading the OVC in batting average (.286), doubles (56) and total bases (416). Jacksonville State has belted 25 home runs to go with 158 RBIs, holding an earned run average of 4.79 in the process.
On the mound, Christian Edwards leads the OVC in opposing batting average with a .144 mark, having a 2.79 ERA and a 3-1 record. Offensively, Jacksonville State has five players hitting .310 or better. Alex Carignan leads the way with a .400 batting average while Jaylyn Williams has hit four home runs while driving in 18 RBIs to go with a .345 batting average.
Head coach Dave Jarvis is eyeing the all-time wins record at Belmont, where he currently has compiled 661 wins in his 24 years as the Bruins' head coach. Jarvis needs just three 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.
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.
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 17th in NCAA Division I Baseball with 23 walks this season, leading the OVC in that category. Jarvis ranks 27th in that category with 22 walks in 2021 in NCAA Division I Baseball, sitting right behind Shacklett at No. 2 in the conference.
Sophomore John Behrends earned Tennessee Sports Writers Association Player of the Week earlier this week. The accolade marks the fifth time in the last six seasons where a Belmont Baseball player has received TSWA's weekly award at least once in a season. Behrends held a .476 batting average in five games for Belmont last week, helping the Bruins to four wins in the process. Holding a 13-game hitting streak heading into the second game of the Lipscomb doubleheader on Tuesday, Behrends' streak marked the second time in the last two seasons where a Belmont Baseball player has had a 10+ game hitting streak
Logan Jarvis has put himself in the national spotlight in 2021. The Bobby Bragan Collegiate Sluggers Award Watch List member is currently seventh in NCAA Division I Baseball with three triples, co-leading the OVC in that category in the process.
For freshman Jalen Borders, the trip to Jacksonville, Ala. will be familiar territory. His father, Dee, is an alumnus of Jacksonville State.
First pitch is set for 1 p.m., with live stats, radio and ESPN+ being available to fans courtesy of Jacksonville State Athletics.
