NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Belmont University baseball team closes out the 2021 regular season at Rose Park, taking on Morehead State in a three-game series starting Friday.
The Bruins hold a 13-10 record at home this season, looking to finish the season with a winning record at home for the second consecutive season.
Belmont leads the series with Morehead State 36-12, sweeping the series in Morehead, Ky., last season.
Morehead State has established itself as one of the OVC's best, currently leading the conference in batting avereage with a .281 mark. The Eagles have also hit 59 home runs and driven in 256 runs to go with a .469 slugging percentage. Morehead State holds a 5.81 earned run average in addition to collecting 343 strikeouts on the mound.
Jackson Feltner leads the team with a .394 batting average and 11 home runs while Bryce Hensor adds solid production at the plate, hitting .353. Ryley Preece is hitting .341 while Jack Gardner has belted 11 home runs to go with 49 RBIs. Probable starters Jason Goe and Luke Helton have combined for six wins in 22 combined appearances, collecting over 100 strikeouts in the process.
Freshman Guy Lipscomb has been Belmont's fastest gun, leading the Bruins with 14 stolen bases in 2021. Lipscomb has stolen two bases in a game four times this season, including Tuesday's game at No. 4 Tennessee. His pair of stolen bases marks the first time a Belmont Baseball player stole two bases in a game against a team from a Power 5 conference in three years, where Zach Erhart last accomplished that feat on May 18, 2018 at Northwestern. Lipscomb needs just six more stolen bases to tie Zac Mitchell for a top 10 spot for stolen bases in a season.
Game Notes
Several players in Belmont's lineups rank in the top 50 in several statistical categories in NCAA Division I. Carson Shacklett ranks 11th in hit by pitch, Jack Rando ranks 11th in sacrifice bunts and Logan Jarvis ranks 34th in RBIs and 39th in sacrifice flies.
Shacklett and Jarvis have helped the Bruins this season by getting on base, especially drawing walks. Both are currently in the top 32 in the nation in base on balls, with Shacklett moving into 10th on the program's all-time single season walks list with 41 in 2021.
Belmont has proven that they are never out of an inning when they are down to their last out. Over 27 percent of Belmont's runs scored this season have been with two outs, with the Bruins scoring 68 total runs in 2021 when they are down to their last out. The Bruins have also hit six home runs with two outs this season.
First pitch for Friday's game is set for 4 p.m., with live stats, Bruin Sports Network and ESPN+ being available to fans. Masks are now NOT REQUIRED outdoors at Rose Park, EXCEPT in a group or similar settings where social distance cannot be maintained.
Grandstand seating at Rose Park will still 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".
