Baseball Opens Homestand By Hosting Middle Tennessee on Tuesday

Belmont (20-21, 5-10 MVC) at Middle Tennessee (20-19, 10-8 C-USA) 

Tuesday, April 25 | 5 p.m. 

ESPN+ | iHeartRadio | Live Stats | Game Notes 

E.S. Rose Park | Nashville, Tennessee 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Belmont University baseball team opens a four-game rivalry homestand at E.S. Rose Park this week with a midweek contest against Middle Tennessee on Tuesday. 

First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. 

The game will be streamed on ESPN+, Dr. Rich Tiner on play-by-play and Jill Jelnick reporting from the sideline. Live audio play-by-play will be simulcast on Belmont Bruins Radio on iHeartRadio, and live stats available on BelmontBruins.com. 

Admission to all games at E.S. Rose Park is free. 

What's Bruin 

• Tuesday marks the start of a four-game homestand that will see the Bruins face the Blue Raiders before taking on Murray State this weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at E.S. Rose Park 

• Belmont has won their last four midweek games (vs. Southern Indiana, vs. Tennessee Tech, at Austin Peay, at North Alabama) and is 6-3 on the year in midweek contests 

• The Bruins enter Tuesday having lost nine of their last 11 after going 11-1 from March 17 to April 4 

• Junior third baseman Mason Landers is currently riding a 16-game on base streak, the longest such streak by a Bruin this season 

• Tuesday's projected starter on the mound is freshman right-hander Joe Ruzicka (0-2, 5.33 ERA) 

• Ruzicka is coming off his two best starts on the mound, tossing four scoreless innings against Austin Peay before going 5.1 innings with two runs allowed and five strikeouts last week at North Alabama 

• In Ruzicka's last start against Middle Tennessee on February 28, the freshman went three innings, allowing two earned runs with four strikeouts and five walks 

• Junior first baseman Brodey Heaton has three home runs in his last six games 

• Heaton is currently tied for fifth in Belmont's NCAA-era for career RBIs (139) 

• Sophomore catcher Blake Barton homered against Middle Tennessee on February 28 and leads all MVC catchers in most offensive categories, including hits and RBIs 

• Freshmen relievers Will Pryor (2.45 ERA) and Simon Tesh (1.88 ERA) have combined for 64.1 innings on the mound, recording 61 strikeouts to just 18 walks 

• Redshirt freshman two-way player Ethan Harden is tied for second in the MVC in saves (5) and owns a 1.80 ERA on the mound with 25 strikeouts to just six walks in 30 innings 

• Belmont is 13-10 at home this season, and owns a .667 winning percentage at E.S. Rose Park over the last three seasons 

• Belmont ranks second in the MVC in ERA (4.73), third in opponent batting average (.259), and third in strikeouts (332) 

• Belmont leads the MVC in stolen bases (49) 

• Assistant coach Corvin Scott, who works with the outfielders and is the first base coach, attended Middle Tennessee State 

About the Blue Raiders 

• Middle Tennessee enters the week in fourth place in Conference USA, coming off a series win over Rice this past weekend  

• Designated hitter Jeremiah Boyd has four home runs and seven RBIs in the last four contests for the Blue Raiders 

• Middle Tennessee has won 13 of their last 16 games played in the states of Tennessee and Kentucky 

• The Blue Raiders are third in Conference USA in batting average (.291) and second in stolen bases (54) 

• Middle Tennessee is in their first season under head coach Jerry Meyers 

Series History 

• Tuesday marks the 71st meeting all-time between Belmont and Middle Tennessee, and the 36th since Belmont turned NCAA Division I in 1998 

• Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series, 50-20, and leads the series since 1998, 25-10 

• Middle Tennessee was Belmont's second-ever opponent in baseball. Belmont traveled to Murfreesboro on April 3, 1953, and lost to their local opponent, 19-3 

Follow Belmont baseball on social media - @BelmontBaseball on Twitter and @belmontbaseball on Instagram - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.         

           #ItsBruinTime