LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University baseball team will welcome Central Arkansas in its penultimate ASUN home series of the season.

First pitches for the Friday-Sunday tilt are slated for 2 p.m. (ET), 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. at Knights Field.

There are four conference series remaining. After Central Arkansas (16-24, 7-11 ASUN), Bellarmine (11-30, 6-12) will bookend road series at Jacksonville and Liberty around its final home series against Queens.

Eight teams qualify for the ASUN Tournament. Bellarmine is currently in 12th place in the league while Central Arkansas is in 11th. Just ahead of the Bears and Knights are North Florida (8-10) in 10th and Kennesaw State and Eastern Kentucky (both 9-9) in a tie for eighth.

Central Arkansas was swept at home last weekend by Stetson by scores of 4-3 in 10 innings, 12-2 and 3-0. The Bears, who notably own a win over a top-5 team in Vanderbilt this season, are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Reid Bowman is hitting a team-leading .328 for Central Arkansas, and AJ Mendolia is next at .321. Kolby Johnson tops the Bears in several categories including homers (10), doubles (nine), RBI (33) and runs scored (38).

Jesse Barker (5-2, 2.62 ERA – second in ASUN, 65.1 innings pitched – first in ASUN, 73 strikeouts – tied first in ASUN), Charlie Christensen (2-4, 9.27, 33.0, 21) and Cade Fenton (1-3, 6.00, 24.0, 21) comprised UCA's starting rotation last weekend against Stetson.

Bellarmine was in conference action last weekend at ASUN co-leader Lipscomb, capturing the opener 5-4 before dropping the next two games.

Senior right-hander Nolan Pender ranks third in the ASUN in innings pitched (61.2), seventh in strikeouts (61), tied for 10th in wins (four) and 15th in ERA (4.82). Senior right-hander Drew Buhr ranks ninth in the conference in innings pitched (53.1), tied for 10th in wins (four) and tied for 17th in strikeouts (51), while junior left-hander Gavin Braunecker ranks 20th in strikeouts (47). Senior right-hander Matt Craven is tied for fourth in the league in saves with five.

Freshman shortstop Luke Scales carries an 11-game hitting streak and is hitting a team-best .382 in ASUN play for Bellarmine. Junior outfielder Reed Blaszczyk leads the Knights in homers (eight), doubles (10), RBI (29) and runs scored (27) while also topping the team in all of those categories in ASUN play with four homers, five doubles, 17 RBI and 15 runs scored while additionally batting .344 in league action.

Senior second baseman/outfielder Dylan Byerly homered in Tuesday's midweek game at No. 8 Tennessee and is hitting a team-high .324. Sophomore right fielder Casey Sorg follows at .303, and senior third baseman Colin Bertsch is next at .295. Both Sorg and Bertsch went 5-for-13 (.385) in the Lipscomb series.

Freshman utility Brady Morse cranked his first two collegiate home runs in the Lipscomb series, including a go-ahead three-run shot that proved to be the difference in the opener.

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