Belmont (23-14, 9-3 OVC) vs. Purdue (22-10, 4-6 Big Ten)
Friday, April 22 | 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT
Saturday, April 23 | 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT
Sunday, April 24 | 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT
Alexander Field | West Lafayette, Ind.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- In the middle of their longest stretch of road games this season, the Belmont University baseball team travels to West Lafayette, Ind., this weekend for a three-game series against Purdue at Alexander Field.
Games are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. ET, Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, and Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
All three contests will be streamed on B1G+ on pay-per-view, and live audio play-by-play will be broadcast on the Bruin Sports Network. Live stats can be found on BelmontBruins.com, and in-game updates will be posted on Twitter by @BelmontBaseball.
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Belmont is in the middle of a nine-game stretch of road contests, their longest such stretch of the season. The Bruins are 2-3 on the road trip thus far.
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Since playing their last home game on April 10, the Bruins have dropped a tight contest to No. 24 Alabama, taken two out of three from Morehead State, and were edged by Middle Tennessee on Tuesday
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Belmont has won each of their first four Ohio Valley Conference series, the first time they have accomplished that feat since they won their first five conference series in 2013, their first year in the OVC
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Sophomore outfielder Guy Lipscomb is currently 3rd in the country in stolen bases (29), and is one shy of tying Matt Reynolds for the most stolen bases in a single season in program history (30, 2005)
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Lipscomb leads the team in batting average (.377), on-base percentage (.468), and triples (3), and has yet to commit an error in center field
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Belmont's projected pitching rotation this weekend will be: LHP Andy Bean (6-1, 4.29 ERA)on Friday, RHP Joshua South (4-2, 6.35 ERA) on Saturday, and LHP Jalen Borders (3-2, 2.44 ERA) on Sunday
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Bean, a sophomore out of Fisherville, Tenn., picked up his conference-leading sixth win of the season with a stellar outing last Friday at Morehead State, going 6.2 innings and recording seven strikeouts
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Borders delivered a solid performance last Saturday against the Eagles, helping Belmont clinch a series win and stay unbeaten in conference series this season. The sophomore from Alexandria, Ala., went 6.2 innings, allowing just one earned run and tying his season-high with six strikeouts
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Junior outfielder John Behrends has been scorching hot at the plate, with 23 hits, including three home runs, five doubles, and 15 RBIs in his last 15 games
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Junior catcher Tommy Crider earned his first career OVC Player of the Week honor on April 18 after homering in three straight games against Morehead State last weekend
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Belmont hit five home runs in last Friday's 15-5 win over Morehead State, their most home runs in a game since 2016. All five home runs came from different Bruins (Tommy Crider, Brodey Heaton, John Behrends, Jack Capobianco, Carson Shacklett)
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Belmont has faced three Big Ten opponents since 1998, and gone 10-4 against Purdue (2-1), Iowa (5-2), and Northwestern (3-1)
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The Bruins are 0-2 against Power Five opponents this season, falling to No. 4 Vanderbilt, 13-3 on March 22 and dropping a 3-1 decision at No. 24 Alabama on April 12
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Head coach Dave Jarvis recorded his 1,000th career win on Feb. 23 with an 11-1 victory over Middle Tennessee at E.S. Rose Park
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Purdue won their first 15 games this season, and was the last remaining undefeated team in NCAA Division I
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Since starting 15-0, Purdue has gone 7-10 overall and 4-6 in conference play
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Purdue is 7th in the country in stolen bases (85), and 4th in the country in stolen bases per game (2.66)
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The Boilermakers have been hit by pitches 81 times this year, the third most in NCAA Division I
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Cam Thompson has 47 RBI this season, the second-most in the Big Ten, and is slugging .687 with a team-high ten home runs
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Purdue's projected starting rotation this weekend will be: RHP Jackson Smeltz (6-0, 2.86 ERA) on Friday, LHP Troy Wansing (2-2, 4.05 ERA) on Saturday, and TBA on Sunday
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Smeltz is averaging 12.70 strikeouts per nine innings
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Belmont and Purdue first met in 2003, with the Boilermakers winning, 5-2, in Nashville
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Belmont secured their first win in the series during the next season, taking down Purdue, 3-1, in 2004 in Nashville
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Belmont and Purdue last met in 2011, with the Bruins winning 13-6 in Nashville on March 16 on the way to their first NCAA Tournament appearance later that year
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Belmont leads the all-time series, 2-1
