LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University baseball team will host its second series of ASUN contests against Eastern Kentucky as the Knights will square off with the Colonels at 2 p.m. (ET) both Friday and Saturday before finishing up with a 1 p.m. contest Sunday.

Bellarmine (9-31, 6-12 ASUN) and Eastern Kentucky (27-14, 12-6) have played four times since the Knights joined the Division-I ranks last season. The Colonels captured a 3-2 home win last season. This year, after EKU joined the ASUN, the Colonels swept their home series March 25-27 against the Knights by scores of 5-3, 2-0 and 17-13.

ABOUT EASTERN KENTUCKY
Eastern Kentucky enters the series tied for first in the ASUN West with Central Arkansas. The Colonels swept North Alabama at home in league play last weekend and have won four straight conference games.

One of the ASUN's top players, Kendal Ewell is batting .422 with 12 homers and 43 RBI. Will King has 10 homers, 10 doubles and 46 RBI, and Logan Thomason is hitting .315 with five homers, 10 doubles and 33 RBI.

Will Brian is one of the nation's top closers with 12 saves and a 1.88 ERA. EKU's probable starting rotation consists of righthanders Rese Brown (4-3, 3.94 ERA), Rian Yates (0-2, 4.35 ERA) and Niko Leontarakis (5-1, 7.43 ERA).

BELLARMINE NOTES
• Head Coach Larry Owens is only two victories shy of becoming the winningest coach in Bellarmine program history. He's looking to surpass the 211 of Deron Spink.
• In Wednesday's 16-8 win over Austin Peay at Knights Field, Bellarmine tied season highs in home runs (four) and doubles (five) while its 16 runs marked its third-highest total of the season and 18 hits tied its third-best output.
• After clubbing two homers against Austin Peay, Matt Higgins now has 17 on the year, which is only one shy of the single-season program record set by Craig Sharpe in 1986.
• Higgins recently became the program's all-time home run and RBI king. The senior left fielder has amassed 40 career homers and 176 career RBI. Against APSU, he also entered the all-time top 5 for career hits (currently 239).
• Jacob Mulcahy is approaching multiple program career lists as well. The senior right fielder is close to entering the all-time top 15 for hits (14 shy), RBI (13 shy) and home runs (two shy).
• A.J. Arnold has given the offense a lift recently. Since April 15, the senior outfielder/DH has appeared in five games, hitting safely in all of them while going a combined 7-for-14. He's now 10-for-27 (.370) on the season.
• Ashton Smith has earned regular playing time in April. In nine games this month, the sophomore catcher/DH has delivered four multi-hit games, including three hits Wednesday against Austin Peay. He's collected five doubles and 10 RBI during that span.
• Clayton Mehlbauer has been returning to form at the plate. The senior shortstop has hit safely in the last five games and is 8-for-17 during that span.
• Nolan Pender, the probable Game 2 starter, has logged a minimum of 6.0 innings pitched in each of his six ASUN starts. The junior righthander tossed back-to-back complete games against North Alabama and Jacksonville State.
• Gavin Braunecker, the probable Game 3 starter, had one of his best performances of the season in the first series vs. EKU. The lefty gave up two runs in an 8.0-inning complete game.

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