NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont baseball (4-1) travels to #21 South Carolina (5-0) this weekend for a three-game series. Games will be played at Founders Park in Columbia, South Carolina.
All games will be streamed on SEC Network+, along with radio broadcasts on iHeartRadio and the Bruins Sports Network.
Belmont Story Lines
- Belmont has started the season 4-1 for the second time in the last three seasons.
- The Bruins travel to #21 South Carolina for a three-game series. This is the first all-time series between the teams.
- Belmont picked up their first road win of the season on Tuesday against North Alabama.
- Brodey Heaton and Pete Daniel lead the Bruins with four-game hit streaks.
- Belmont has homered in all four of their wins this season.
- The road series against #21 South Carolina is the first of three meetings with SEC opponents this season.
- Max Jones leads the Bruins' offense with a .400 batting average and six hits through five games.
- Mason Landers's two RBIs Tuesday against North Alabama brings his season total to six, which leads the Bruins.
Series Starting Pitchers
Friday:
Will Pryor (BU | RHP) vs. Eli Jones (SC | RHP)
Saturday:
Jake Timbes (BU | RHP) vs. Dylan Eskew (SC | RHP)
Sunday:
Jalen Borders (BU | LHP) vs. Roman Kimball (SC | RHP)
North Alabama Game Recap (Feb. 20)
- Belmont defeated North Alabama 6-2 for their first road win of the season.
- Sophomore Joe Ruzicka picked up the win in his first start of the season. He threw six innings, recorded four strikeouts, with only one earned run.
- Mason Landers and Max Jones both went 3-for-5. Landers scored in the third inning and picked up three RBIs. Jones set a new Belmont career high with his three-hit performance at the plate. Both players hold a three-game hit streak.
- Kaden Galason hit a two-run homer in the seventh; his first of the season.
- Relievers Jordan Zuger and Hank Liss blanked the Lions in the eighth and ninth innings.
- Belmont's pitching staff stranded 12 Lions on base.
- Catcher Landon Godsey threw out two baserunners; the second time he has done this season.
- Belmont extends their series win streak over North Alabama to five games.
- Belmont improves to 5-2 all-time against North Alabama in the Division I era.
Matchup History vs. #21 South Carolina
This will be the first meeting between these programs. The 2010 and 2011 College World Series Champion South Carolina Gamecocks come into the series ranked #21 in the D1Baseball.com weekly rankings.
Scouting Report: #21 South Carolina Gamecocks
- South Carolina moved up four spots in the Week One D1Baseball.com Top 25 rankings, after being spotted at No. 25 in the preseason ranking.
- The Gamecocks have won their last three games by run-rule. They won Wednesday night 13-3 against Queens College in seven innings.
- South Carolina opened the season with a series sweep over Miami (OH). In the series finale, the Gamecocks' Roman Kimball, Ty Good, Tyler Pitzer, and Parker Malatt tossed a combined no-hitter in a 14-0 seven-inning win. It was the first no-hitter for the Gamecocks since Feb. 24, 2013 against Albany.
- In 2023, South Carolina went 42-21 and finished 16-13 in the SEC, for third in the East division. They won 20 games against Quadrant-1 opponents. The Gamecocks were 26-8 in non-conference games, went 29-7 at home, and didn't lose their first home game until Apr. 7, 2023, to No. 1 and eventual 2023 College World Series Champion LSU. The Gamecocks hosted and won an NCAA Regional, with wins over Central Connecticut State, NC State, and No. 12 Campbell. The season ended for South Carolina in the Gainesville Super Regional, as the No. 2 and eventual CWS runner-up Florida Gators swept the Gamecocks.
- Two Gamecocks earned First-Team D1Baseball.com All-Americans. Catch Cole Messina finished last year with a .306/.427/.612 slash line, 18 doubles, 17 home runs, and 48 RBIs. This was his second All-American selection. Sophomore outfielder Ethan Petry put up a staggering .376/.471/.733 slash line, along with his 23 home runs, and 75 RBIs.
- Player to watch: Talmadge LeCroy (leads team with .538 batting average, 12 runs, and tied for a team-high seven hits.
Top 25 Opponents
Belmont plays five teams in the Top 25 rankings by D1baseball.com: #21 South Carolina (Feb. 23-25), #23 Indiana (Mar. 15-17, #6 Vanderbilt (Mar. 19), #17 Alabama (Mar. 26), and #9 Tennessee (May 14).
Against The Ranked
Belmont went 0-5 last season against Top 25 opponents: #21 NC State (Feb. 24-26, 4-11, 0-7, 1-7), #6 Vanderbilt (Mar. 14, 6-15), and #18 Tennessee (May 16, 5-9, 8 innings. The last time Belmont won against a Top 25 opponent was March 22, 2018, as the Bruins defeated #8 Vanderbilt, 8-4.
T-Hank You, Liss
Freshman right-hander
Hank Liss has emerged as a go-to arm for the Bruins out of the bullpen. Liss made his collegiate debut on Feb. 16 against Eastern Michigan. He relieved
Will Pryor in the seventh inning, and recorded the three-inning save, for Belmont's first win of the season. Liss allowed one run on four hits, struckout two batters, and issued no free passes. In his most recent appearance on Tuesday against North Alabama, Liss tossed a hitless ninth inning. Liss will be someone to keep an eye on for the Bruins this season.
New Kid on The Block
Freshman infielder and Nashville native
Pete Daniel wasted no time making an impact in the lineup. Not only did Daniel start on Opening Day, but he has started at shortstop in all five games this year for the Bruins. Daniel is tied with
Brodey Heaton for a team-high four-game hit streak. He launched his first collegiate home run in game two of the Feb. 18 doubleheader against Eastern Michigan, with a two-run shot to left field.
On Deck
Belmont will travel to Tennessee Tech on Tuesday, February 27. First pitch in Cookeville, Tennessee is slated for 3 p.m.
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