WATCH (GAME THREE) | LISTEN (GAME ONE | GAME TWO)
LIVE STATS ( GAME ONE | GAME TWO | GAME THREE)

MOREHEAD, Ky. – A new season is around the corner as Morehead State baseball opens the 2020 Ohio Valley Conference slate Saturday at Allen Field. The Eagles (4-7) host Belmont (10-3) to begin league play with a three-game set on the books this weekend.

The weekend's series sees a reshuffling of the schedule as inclement weather has altered the three-game slate. The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET before returning for a single game Sunday, also at 1 p.m.

Morehead State and Belmont each enter the weekend after playing a midweek contest Tuesday. The Eagles fell to No. 3 Louisville 16-3 while the Bruins defeated Western Kentucky 9-7.

Live audio through the Eagle Sports Network will be available for both games Saturday while live video will be available through ESPN+ Sunday.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Records: Morehead State (4-7) | Belmont (10-3)
Series: Belmont leads 36-15
Last Five Meetings: W, 4-3 [7] (March, 10, 2019) | L, 2-0 (March 10, 2019) | L, 4-3 (March 8, 2019) | W, 9-4 (March 17, 2018) | W, 5-3 (March 16, 2018)

PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Morehead State | Belmont
Game 1: RHP Jason Goe (0-2, 9.88 ERA) | RHP Joshua South (2-0, 1.80 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Alex Garbrick (1-1, 5.00 ERA) | RHP Logan Bowen (0-1, 2.60 ERA)
Game 3: LHP Cory Conway (1-2, 4.50 ERA) | LHP Andy Bean (1-0, 1.80 ERA)

NOTABLE (GAME NOTES)
For the eighth consecutive season, Morehead State and Belmont will meet for a three-game series, doing so each season since Belmont joined the Ohio Valley Conference for the 2013 season. The Bruins own a 36-15 lead in a series that dates back to 1998.

In the series, Belmont holds a slight advantage (11-9) in games played at Allen Field. Morehead State, however, swept the previous series between the two teams played in Morehead by scores of 5-2, 5-3, and 9-4.

Due to inclement weather Friday, this weekend's series has been altered to include a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader marks the Eagles' third twin bill of the year and is the third doubleheader played against Belmont in as many seasons.

In Tuesday's midweek contest, senior centerfielder Ryan Layne recorded his third outfield assist of the season and fourth of his career. In reaching three outfield assists, he continues a streak of seven consecutive seasons (limited records) with at least one player recording three or more outfield assists.

Picking up another strikeout out of the bullpen Tuesday at Louisville, redshirt sophomore lefty John Bakke has racked up 15 strikeouts, a total that ranks second amongst relievers in the OVC behind only Belmont's Kyle Brennan (18) heading into the weekend.

Amongst qualifying pitchers in the OVC (1 IP per every team game), Bakke is the only reliever in the conference to rank in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings, accumulating 12.27 K per nine innings.

Of the eight qualifying pitchers amongst the league's strikeout per nine innings leaders, Morehead State's pitching staff includes three pitchers, including Bakke, redshirt senior right-hander Jason Goe (13.17) and redshirt junior righty Alex Garbrick (12.50).

As a pitching staff, Morehead State leads the OVC in strikeout to walk ratio, striking out 111 batters against just 37 walks (3.00) while also ranking second in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (10.6) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.54) and third in the league in total strikeouts (111).

Pitching 2.0 innings of scoreless relief Tuesday at Louisville, freshman righty Luke Helton is the first true freshman pitcher to pitch 2.0 or more innings of scoreless relief since Landon Weins went three scoreless innings against Eastern Kentucky on May 24, 2019.

With three consecutive scoreless outings, including 1.0 scoreless innings at Louisville Tuesday, freshman right-hander Matt Bettio is the first true freshman pitcher to string together three-straight scoreless outings since teammate Zack Smith did so against Eastern Illinois (4/19), Jacksonville State (4/27), and Tennessee Tech (5/10) last season.

In the series opener against Southern Illinois, redshirt junior third baseman Stephen Hill authored a career-best performance, setting career highs in hits and RBI with four apiece and doubles with two. For the weekend, Hill finished with seven hits in 11 at-bats (.636) while driving in five runs and drawing three walks.

Stepping to the plate as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of last Saturday's victory against Southern Illinois, sophomore outfielder Zach Boyd hit his second home run of the season—a three-run shot—to give the Eagles the lead. The home run was the first pinch-hit homer for Morehead State since April 2, 2019.