Baseball Prepares for Valparaiso

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont (17-26, 6-9 MVC) hosts Valparaiso (8-27, 3-12 MVC) in a weekend series at E.S. Rose Park. The Bruins return home after a long travel stretch, playing only one home game in the last eight games. Belmont ended a five-game losing streak Tuesday with a 12-5 win at UT Marin. Fans can watch all the action this weekend on ESPN+ or listen to Belmont Bruins Radio with Rich Tiner.
 
Series Overview
Friday, April 25 – 4 p.m.
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Probable Pitchers
Valparaiso: RHP Connor Lockwood (2-5, 5.99 ERA)
Belmont: RHP Joe Ruzicka (3-2, 3.88 ERA)
 
Saturday, April 26 – 2 p.m.
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Probable Pitchers
Valparaiso: RHP Harry Deliyannis (3-5, 9.94 ERA)
Belmont: RHP Zane Brown (1-4, 9.46 ERA)
 
Sunday, April 27 – 1 p.m.
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Probable Pitchers
Valparaiso: RHP Spencer Boynton (1-4, 9.46 ERA)
Belmont: RHP Jake Timbes (2-4, 6.06 ERA)
 
Bruin Bullets

• Shortstop Pete Daniel continues to lead the team in batting average (.371), hits (59), on-base percentage (.448), doubles (12) and ranks second in stolen bases (19). Daniel's .371 batting average is the highest mark by a player since All-American Guy Lipscomb's .406 batting average in 2022. Daniel ranks second in the MVC in hits, third in stolen bases and fourth in batting average.
• Charlie Davis leads the Bruins with 21 stolen bases, the first to surpass 20+ stolen bases. Davis is tied with Tyler Walsh's season total in 2016 for the tenth-most stolen bases in a single season.
• Michael Lareau leads Belmont with a .400 batting average in MVC play. He has reached base in 13 consecutive games and carries a 10-game hit streak into the weekend.
• Mike Sprockett leads the team with nine home runs.   
• Belmont leads the MVC and ranks 32^nd in Division I with 88 stolen bases. The Bruins steal 2.05 bases per game. The team program record for most stolen bases in a season is 124 set back in 2005. Four Bruins rank top 10 in the MVC: Davis (21, 2^nd), Daniel (19, 3^rd), Blake Barton (12, 7^th) and Landon Godsey (10, T-9^th).
• Joe Ruzicka continues to shine in MVC play. In five conference starts, Ruzicka owns a 2-1 record, a 3.62 ERA and 29 strikeouts. He leads the Bruins and ranks sixth in the MVC with a 3.88 ERA. The junior leads the MVC in opponent batting average (.200), is tied for fourth in innings pitched (51) and tied for seventh in strikeouts (48).

Scouting Report: Valparaiso Beacons

• Valparaiso travels to Nashville on an eight-game losing streak
• Liam Patton leads the team with a .306 batting average and 38 hits
• Connor Giusti leads the Beacons in RBIs (27) and home runs (7).

Matchup History

• Belmont is 9-2 against Valparaiso.
• The Bruins won the 2024 series and scored at least nine runs in all three games.
• Belmont is 5-1 at E.S. Rose Park against the Beacons.

Follow Belmont baseball on social media - @BelmontBaseball on X 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.