Baseball Travels to Tennessee Tech

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont (5-3) travels to former OVC-rival Tennessee Tech (6-1) Tuesday afternoon. First pitch from Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT. Fans can listen to the game on iHeartRadio, or follow along with live stats.
 
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Belmont: Joe Ruzicka / So. / RHP / 1-0 / 1 GS / 6 IP / 1.50 ERA
- Last outing vs. North Alabama (CH/20, W 6-2 ): W, 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
Tennessee Tech: Eli Huddleston / Fr. / L-UTL  / 1-0 / 1 GS / 3 IP / 0.0 ERA
- Last Outing vs. Alabama A&M (2/20, W 10-0): W, 3 IP, 1 H, 1 K
 
MATCHUP HISTORY VS. TENNESSEE TECH

• Tennessee Tech leads the NCAA era series 31-34, and all-time 38-49
• This will be the first game in Cookeville since 2021
• Belmont has won the last two matchups: 9-4 (4/4/2023) and 8-3 (5/27/22)
• The last time Belmont lost at Tennessee Tech was 4/24/21, 7-9 (nine games ago).

SCOUTING REPORT: TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES

• The Golden Eagles are off to a hot start, with a 6-1 record. After their loss on opening day to Bellarmine (11-3), Tennessee Tech has won their last six games.
• Tennessee Tech is fresh off a home sweep over Sacred Heart, capped off with a 21-8 win on Sunday.
• Catcher Hayden Gilliland was named OVC Player of the Week for the first time in his career after slashing .625/.667/.938 with 10 hits, seven runs, six RBI, two doubles, a home run, two walks, and a gaudy 1.605 OPS.
• Tennessee Tech is hitting .281 as a team, with three players hitting above .300, and two above .400 (Hayden Gilliland and Troy Bausngard). 

#21 SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES RECAP (FEB. 23-25)
Belmont went 1-2 against #21 South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. South Carolina won game one (8-1) and three (12-1, 8 inn.). Belmont won game two 11-2, and was the first time Belmont defeated a Top 25 opponent since March 21, 2018 vs. #8 Vanderbilt (8-4). This was the first all-time series against South Carolina.
 
FEBRUARY 24th NOTES (W, 11-2)

• Starter Jake Timbes improved to 2-0, after his five-inning performance on the mound. Timbes allowed one run on five hits, and stranded three runners on base. Through two starts, he owns a 0.90 ERA.
• Hank Liss and Bill Duby both tossed two innings out of the bullpen. Liss, in his third outing of the season, allowed one unearned run on two hits, with four strikeouts. Duby allowed two hits, no runs, and fanned four Gamecocks. Both pitchers set new season highs in strikeouts.
• Brodey Heaton and Landon Godsey homered. Heaton hit a two-run bomb in the eighth inning, and went 1-for-3 in the game. Godsey launched his team-high third home run, and knocked in three runs.
• Max Blessinger went 2-for-5 at the plate, with a double and the first triple of the season for Belmont.
• Michael Lareau's first hit as a Bruin was a two-RBI double in the fifth inning, to give Belmont the lead.
• Belmont's pitching staff stranded 13 Gamecocks on the bases.
• Six Bruins recorded an RBI.
• The last time South Carolina lost in front of a sellout crowd was April 29, 2023, against Auburn.
• The last time South Carolina lost at home to a non-Power Five opponent was May 17, 2022, to Charlotte.
• This was Belmont's first 10+ run game of the season.

SERIES NOTES

• Brodey Heaton led the team with three hits, tied for a team-high three RBIs, and hit his second home run of the season.
• Landon Godsey went 2-for-7 with three walks. He also had three RBIs and hit his third home run of the season in Saturday's ninth inning.
• Dominic Baratta tossed four innings in relief Sunday, allowed one unearned run on two hits, and struck out a season-high five Gamecocks.
• Will Pryor struck out five batters on Friday in his 2.1-inning start cut short because of a weather delay.
• Baratta and Pryor are the first pitchers to strike out five or more Power Five batters since Dusty Baird struck out five against Ole Miss on March 5, 2021.

 
TOP 25 OPPONENTS
Belmont plays five teams in the Top 25 rankings by D1baseball.com: #21 South Carolina (Feb. 23-25), #20 Indiana (Mar. 15-17,  #9 Vanderbilt (Mar. 19), #16 Alabama (Mar. 26), and #8 Tennessee (May 14). They're currently 1-2 this season against ranked opponents, after going 0-5 last season.
 
ON DECK
Belmont will host Little Rock (4-3) for a weekend series at E.S. Rose Park. The series will begin Friday, March 1, with first pitch at 4 p.m. CT. Coverage and live stats for the series will be available at belmontbruins.com.
 
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