Baseball Hosts North Alabama

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont (19-17) faces North Alabama (13-20) for the second time this season on Tuesday, April 16. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT from E.S. Rose Park. Fans can tune into the game on ESPN+, iHeartRadio or with live stats.
 
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Belmont: Caleb Guisewite (Jr. / RHP): 0-0, 6 APP, 8.53 ERA, 6.1 IP, 2 K, 4 BB
Last appearance (4/9 vs. Austin Peay): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, 1 BB
North Alabama: John Allen Stronger (Jr. / RHP): 2-2, 6 APP, 4 GS, 9.00 ERA, 12 IP, 11 K, 7 BB
Last start (4/3 vs. Alabama A&M): W, 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K, 1 BB
 
SERIES RECAP VS. VALPARAISO
Belmont won the weekend series, 2-1, with wins on Friday and Sunday.

• Mason Landers finished the series with a .571 batting average, a 1.143 slugging percentage and a .625 on-base percentage. Landers went 3-for-5 in Sunday's rubber match against Valparaiso to extend his hit streak to 19 games.
• Blake Barton continues to thrive in the heart of the Belmont's lineup. The junior recorded eight hits with six RBI last week.
• Jeff Clarke hit three home runs in the series against Valparaiso with two in Saturday's game.
• Cade Granzow picked up the win in Friday's 9-2 win to improve to 3-1 on the season. Granzow tossed five innings in relief, struck out six batters and allowed one run on two hits.

WHAT'S BRUIN?

• Caleb Guisewite is making his first career start for the Bruins. Guisewite has made six appearances this season with an 8.53 ERA in 6.1 innings of work. In his three years as a Bruins, Guisewite has made 34 appearances, owns a 1-1 record, a 6.80 ERA and has totaled 43.2 innings.
• Mason Landers is tied for the MVC lead with 14 home runs. Landers broke his previous single-season career-high of 12 home runs last season with a pair of home runs in the weekend series against Valparaiso.
• Landers carries a 19-game hit streak into Tuesday's game, which ranks fourth in the nation among active hit streaks.
• Jack Rando in the last five games has seven hits, seven runs, two home runs and five RBI. Rando puts his 15-game on-base streak on the line Tuesday.
• Blake Barton is batting .436 in the last ten games with 17 hits. Barton has four doubles, eight RBI and four multi-hit games. His 14-game on-base streak is the third-highest active streak among Belmont hitters.
• The Bruins have recorded ten or more hits in their last five games. Their 17 hits in Sunday's series finale against Valparaiso are the most hits by the Bruins since their season-high 21 on March 28 vs. Murray State.
• Brodey Heaton has hit a team-high five home runs at E.S. Rose Park this season. Heaton is tied with Rando for a team-high 15 RBI at home during the 2024 campaign.
• Sam Slaughter leads the Bruins with a .333 batting average and 20 hits at home this season. The senior outfielder leads the Bruins with 12 stolen bases on the season which is tied for fourth in the MVC.
• Belmont is 11-2 overall and 3-0 at home this season when the Bruins hit at least two home runs in a game.

PREVIOUS MEETING – FEBRUARY 24th
Belmont won 6-2 at North Alabama.

• Sophomore Joe Ruzicka picked up the win in his first start of the season. He threw six innings and 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 RBI.
• Kaden Galason hit a two-run homer in the seventh; his first of the season.
• Pete Daniel scored two runs.
• 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 went 2-for-5 and threw out two baserunners; the second time he has done this season.

MATCHUP HISTORY

• Belmont is 7-13 all-time against North Alabama.
• The Bruins are 5-2 since the Lions made the jump to Division I in 2018
• The Bruins have won the last five meetings by a combined score of 44-17.
• North Alabama's last win was on February 25, 2020. The Lions shut out the Bruins 1-0 as five pitchers contributed to the no-hitter. 

SCOUTING REPORT

• Gehrig Frei leads the team with a .328 batting average, eight home runs and 29 RBI. Frie finished the series against Bellarmine with eight hits, seven runs, a home run and seven RBI. He went 5-for-6 with four runs and six RBI in Sunday's 22-3 rout over the Knights. His efforts earned him ASUN Player of the Week.
• Catcher Levi Jensen is on a six-game hit streak with four multi-hit and multi-RBI games.
• Jackson Ferrigno went 7-for-13 with eight runs and four RBI over the weekend.
• North Alabama is 4-9 on the road this season.

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