CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team is set to begin their Division 1 journey this weekend when the Royals face off against the Appalachian State Mountaineers in a three-game weekend series. The series will get underway Friday night at 5:00 p.m. at LP Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina. Fans can purchase their tickets in advance here.
 
"We are very excited to get the 2023 season underway," said head coach Ross Steedley. "Our guys have put in a lot of hard work in preparation for the upcoming season. We've put together a very competitive non-conference schedule to get us ready for ASUN play."
 
The Royals return their top four offensive weapons from a season ago. Outfielder Nick Brassington is coming off a season in which he was named First Team All-Conference and All-Region. The senior started all 51 games and hit .370 with a conference-best 16 home runs. Riley Cheek is a key utility player returning for the Royals after hitting .330 with 27 extra-base hits and 42 RBIs last season.
 
Third-Team All-Conference selection as a freshman Dillon Lewis enters his second season after making a significant impact in year one. The Charlotte native hit .350 last year with 21 extra-base hits and was a perfect 11-for-11 on the base paths. Senior shortstop Nick Melton rounds out the top offensive bats returning for the Royals after hitting .315 last year with a team-high 16 doubles. Melton leads the young program in career starts with 135.
 
On the mound, Queens will look to replace top starter Tanner Jacobson after he was selected in the 2022 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Senior Daniel Bagwell returns to anchor the staff after throwing 60.0 innings across a team-high 19 appearances. Zach Kelly and Kei Yamagishi are two right-handers that will pick up innings for the Royals staff.
 
Queens took advantage of the transfer market and added nine weapons on both sides of the ball. The Royals also brought in nine top high school prospects to round out their roster. Newcomers to keep an eye on this season include Andrew McDermott, JD Coleman, Joseph Rodriguez, and Isaiah Bennett
 
The inaugural Division 1 season features a 55-game slate, including 28 games in the Charlotte region. The Royals will square off with four teams who made the NCAA tournament, and two who made a Super Regional last season, including North Carolina, East Carolina, UNC Greensboro, and Kennesaw State.
 
"There's a great opportunity in front of us being Division 1 and I look forward to watching our guys play and representing Queens at the highest level. We are fired up to play some baseball."
 
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