Thursday, March 11, 2010

MACON, Ga. - Conference leading Belmont opens league action this weekend with a trip to Jacksonville to take on the Dolphins at Sessions Stadium in the Atlantic Sun Series of the Week 

Belmont enters conference play with a 10-2 record while Jacksonville will open A-Sun play with a mark of 7-6. The Bruins opened the 2010 season with 10 consecutive wins, including beating then-No. 23 ranked Western Kentucky. Belmont did most of its damage in the friendly confines of Shelby Park, as the Bruins enter the weekend with only one pervious road game. 

Dylan Craig leads Belmont offensively with a .440 average, but another offensive leader for the Bruins has been Nate Woods. Woods holds a .426 batting average with 16 RBIs and a .766 slugging percentage with three home runs. Chase Brookshire headlines the pitching staff with a record of 2-0 and 3.86 ERA in three starts.

Jacksonville started the season slow with only one win in its first four games, but the Dolphins turned things around with three wins at the JU Invitational. Jacksonville has won six of their last nine, including an upset of No. 15 Oklahoma (The Sooners’ only loss of the season) and a 2-0 loss to No. 2 Florida State, who boasts the nation’s sixth-best scoring offense. 

Devastated by injuries early, the Dolphins have been energized by the return of preseason all-conference selection Matt Loosen, as the senior boasts a 1.93 ERA in three appearances for Jacksonville with 20 strikeouts. With a shortage of starters, Chris Kaminski became an important piece for Jacksonville. Kaminski holds a 1.62 ERA and has appeared in six games this season for the Dolphins, averaging 2.2 inning per appearances.

Chuch Opachich leads the Dolphins offensively with a .396 batting average. Jacksonville’s offense has also been fueled by freshman Adam Brett Walker who has 11 RBIs with three home runs and a .735 slugging percentage.

The Bruins’ and the Dolphins’ three-game set starts at Noon Saturday with a doubleheader at Sessions Stadium. The series concludes at 1:00 p.m Sunday. Saturday's games can be seen live on A-Sun.TV. 

Fans can follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and on Facebook. Visit twitter.com/AtlanticSun to begin receiving updates on conference news, weekly awards, and from A-Sun championships. Atlantic Sun followers with a Facebook account can become a "fan" of the conference by visiting facebook.com/AtlanticSunConference.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.