Bruins Prepare for MVC Baseball Championship

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont (24-32, 13-14 MVC) embarks on their postseason journey in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Baseball Championship. The Bruins enter the tournament as the sixth seed and play No. 7 Bradley Tuesday night at Duffy Bass Field.
 
All games of the MVC Baseball Championship will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can listen to Rich Tiner on Belmont Bruins Radio beginning Wednesday. Visit belmontbruins.com for complete tournament coverage.
 
Bruin Bullets

• Ty Allen is second on the team with a .318 batting average and 10 home runs. Allen has posted a .432 batting average, four extra-base hits and 10 RBIs in the last 10 games.
• Charlie Davis leads the Bruins with 24 multi-hit games, including three four-hit performances. Davis leads the team with 24 stolen bases.
• Michael Lareau leads the Bruins with a .361 batting average in 25 conference games.
• Freshman left-handed pitcher Andrew Perry is second on the team with 48 strikeouts. In 43 innings, Perry owns a 3-2 record and 3.98 ERA.
• The Bruins lead the MVC and rank 51^st in the nation with 99 stolen bases on the season.
• Belmont pitchers have held opponents to a .274 batting average, the second-best total in the MVC.
• Joe Ruzicka was named the MVC Pitcher of the Year and earned All-MVC First Team honors. Ruzicka has been Belmont's most consistent and dangerous starting pitcher. The junior right-handed pitcher leads the team and ranks second in the MVC with a 3.36 ERA. Ruzicka leads the MVC with a .195 opponent batting average, the only qualified pitcher to hold opponents under .200 this season. He ranks third in the MVC with 75 innings pitched, tied for fifth with 64 strikeouts and finished the regular season top ten in wins with a team-high five in 14 starts. In nine conference starts, Ruzicka owns a 2.98 ERA with a 4-3 record. He tossed one complete game against Valparaiso on April 25 and contributed to three shutouts. In 51.1 conference innings, Ruzicka allowed 17 earned runs and struck out 45 batters. This is the first time a Belmont pitcher has earned MVC Pitcher of the Year. Ruzicka was previously named 2024 MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and a 2024 All-MVC Honorable Mention. The last time a Bruin earned the honor was Andy Bean ('23) being named 2022 OVC Pitcher of the Year. Belmont has taken home two marquee conference pitching awards in the four seasons under Assistant Head Coach and Pitcher Coach A.J. Gaura.
• Sophomore Pete Daniel was named All-MVC First Team. Daniel was nothing shy of an offensive machine, a staple at the top of the lineup for Belmont. Daniel led the team with a .370 batting average and a .439 on-base percentage. He ranked second with a .545 slugging percentage, 70 hits, 14 doubles and 20 stolen bases. In 22 MVC games, Daniel posted a .360 batting average, 32 hits, four home runs and six doubles. Daniel held the longest hit streak (13) and on-base streak (21) this season.
• Ethan Harden earned All-MVC Second Team honors. Harden has served as Belmont's closer this season. In 18 appearances, Harden owns a 2.77 ERA, a 2-2 record, and a team-high six saves. He's recorded 27 strikeouts in 26 innings while holding opponents to a .200 batting average. The redshirt sophomore left-handed pitcher was nearly untouchable in conference play, owning a dominant 0.63 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched, a 2-0 record and 15 strikeouts. Harden has allowed only one earned run in eight conference appearances. Harden was previously named 2023 All-MVC Second Team and the 2022 OVC All-Freshman Team.

 
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