LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University baseball team will compete this weekend in its first ASUN Conference series, and precede that with a single game at familiar foe Eastern Illinois.

All four contests are road games. The Knights (3-6) will lead off at 3:30 p.m. (ET) Tuesday at EIU (7-5) before opening ASUN play with a three-game series Friday-Sunday at Kennesaw State (7-4).

Bellarmine and Eastern Illinois split a doubleheader March 2 at Knights Field. Bellarmine won the first contest 11-1 before the Panthers captured the second 13-10.

Four players who have competed in at least 10 games for EIU are batting .353 or higher. Trey Sweeney has three homers, four doubles and two triples with 18 RBIs while hitting .378. Dane Toppel is pacing the Panthers at .419. EIU took two of three from Kansas State over the weekend.

Kennesaw State is coming off a strong week in which it knocked off No. 5 Georgia 6-4 at home and won two of three in a series at UAB. Alex Carballo was named ASUN Player of the Week and is hitting .324. Jesse Sherrill is leading the Owls with a .350 batting average.

Perhaps most impressive has been starting pitcher Jake Rice, who is 3-0 with 20 strikeouts in 15.0 innings and has yet to allow an earned run. Outfielder Terence Norman and catcher/infielder Tyler Tolve were ASUN Preseason All-Conference selections.

Bellarmine is coming off a four-game split at Knights Field with Eastern Michigan. The Knights definitely ended the series with a bang, as junior utility Jacob Mulcahy smashed a two-run walk-off homer in an 11-10 victory in the finale. In the Game 2 win, senior right-handers Deylen Miley and Anthony Ethington did some heavy lifting in a 2-1 victory.

Junior outfielder Matt Higgins, who had a strong case for ASUN Player of the Week, is leading Bellarmine with a .459 batting average. He and Mulcahy have three home runs apiece, while senior outfielder/DH Chris Gambert has two and a .355 average. Senior third baseman Josh Finerty is hitting an even .300.

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