Baseball Hosts Little Rock

 
 
NASHVILLE, TENN. - - Belmont (6-3) returns to E.S. Rose Park this weekend, for a three-game series against Little Rock (4-4). This is the first home game for Belmont since February 18, as the team has gone 2-2 on the road during their road stretch.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
Belmont: Will Pryor (So. / RHP): 2 GS, 1-1, 7.56 ERA, 8.1 IP, 11 K, 3 BBLast Start (2/23 vs. #21 South Carolina): L, 2.1 IP, 5 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 5 K, 2 BB
Little Rock: Jackson Wells (Jr. / RHP): 2 GS, 0-1, 12.27 ERA, 7.1 IP, 3 K, 3 BBLast Start (2/23 vs. Illinois State): 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 K, 1 BB
Saturday
Belmont: Jake Timbes (So. / RHP): 2 GS, 2-0, 0.90 ERA, 10 IP, 4 K, 1 BBLast Start (2/24 vs. #21 South Carolina): W, 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H
Little Rock: Hoss Brewer (Sr. / RHP): 0-2, 7.27 ERA, 8.2 IP, 14 K, 4 BBLast Start (2/24 vs. Illinois State): L, 3.2 IP, 7 R, 5 ER, 7 H, 6 K, 3 BB
Sunday
Belmont: Joe Ruzicka (So. / RHP): 2 GS, 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 8 IP, 5 K, 5 BBLast Start (2/27 vs. TTU): 2 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 K, 2 BB
Little Rock: Zach Busick (Fr. / RHP): 2 GS, 11.25 ERA, 4 IP, 3 K, 5 BBLast Start (2/25 vs. Illinois State): 2.1 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 4 BB

MATCHUP HISTORY

• Belmont is 3-5 all-time against Little Rock.
• The last time these two teams met was February 26, 2012. Belmont won the game 3-0, in a game just over 12 years ago.
• Little Rock's last win was February 24, 2012, by a score of 7-0.

GAME RECAP VS. TENNESSEE TECH (FEB. 27)

• Max Jones went 3-for-5 at the plate, hit a three-run home run, and drove in the go-ahead RBI in the ninth inning. His five RBIs are a new career high. He gave Belmont the lead in the ninth inning with an RBI single.
• Jones's performance was the first 5-RBI individual performance since Blake Barton on April 12, 2023, at Evansville
• Pete Daniel, Landon Godsey, and Mason Landers had multi-hit games.
• Brodey Heaton doubled. He extends his hit streak to eight games.
• Jeff Clark delivered a pinch-hit two-RBI single in the eighth inning.
• Landers went 3-for-5 and hit his second home run of the season; a two-run shot in the fifth inning.
• Hank Liss picked up his first career win, along with four strikeouts.
• Belmont totaled 15 hits in the game. The last time the Bruins achieved 15+ hits as a team was May 7, 2022, against UT-Martin. 

SCOUTING REPORT: LITTLE ROCK TROJANS

• Little Rock is coming off a road loss to Ole Miss, 12-6. Luke Pectol homered twice and drove in four RBIs.
• Pectol is batting .400 on the season, with six hits and 12 total bases, in his last four games.
• The Trojans won a three-game series against Illinois State last weekend. Tyler Williams became the new all-time leader in doubles with 45.  
• Ty Rhoades leads the team with a .379 batting average
• Nico Baumbach is currently on a 14-game on-base streak dating back to May 16, 2023. 

FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS

• Brodey Heaton carries a team-high eight-game hit streak into March. Heaton is tied for second on the team with two home runs.
• Sophomore Jake Timbes has been exceptional on the mound in two starts for the Bruins. Timbes is tied for the third-lowest ERA in the Missouri Valley Conference. In his start against #21 South Carolina, Timbes went five innings, allowed one run, and earned his second win of the season, as Belmont upset the Gamecocks, 11-2.
• Will Pryor is tied for sixth in the MVC with 11 strikeouts. He fanned six batters on Opening Day against Eastern Michigan.
• Max Jones leads the team in batting average (.355), hits (55), tied for a team-high in RBIs (8) and doubles (2).
• Freshman Pete Daniel is one of four Bruins to start in all nine games in February. Daniel is batting .250 on the season, with eight hits, a home run, and has served as the leadoff batter for the last seven games.
• Freshman Hank Liss has already established himself as Belmont's closer. Liss owns a 2.35 ERA through 7.2 innings of work. He picked up the save on Opening Day against Eastern Michigan, as he went three innings, allowed one run, and struck out two batters. Liss recently picked up his first career win against Tennessee Tech. He's struck out four hitters in his last two outings against #21 South Carolina (Feb. 24) and Tennessee Tech (Feb. 27).
• Landon Godsey has started behind the dish for the Bruins eight times. His .333 batting average is the second-best on the team. He leads the team with three home runs, which is tied for third in the MVC.

ON DECK
Belmont will kick off a five-game week with rival Lipscomb on Tuesday, March 5. First pitch from E.S. Rose Park is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT. Coverage of the game is available at belmontbruins.com.
 
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