CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team is set for a full  week of action as they head on the road for a four-game road swing. The week begins on Tuesday, March 5^th at UNC Asheville at 3:00 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend at Tennessee Tech in a three-game series. The Royals and Bulldogs midweek tilt will now start at 3:00 p.m. following a schedule change due to inclement weather.
 
 
QUEENS ROYALS (3-9 overall, 0-0 ASUN)

• Queens is looking to bounce back on the road as they were swept in a three-game series against Lehigh at The Stick over the weekend. Despite the losses, the Royals pitching staff showed promise only allowing 14 runs while striking out 27 Mountain Hawks.
• The long ball has been a significant part of the Royals offense as Queens leads the conference with 22 homers. The mark is also good for 16^th in the country as they are on pace to shatter their single season program record.
• The Royals are applying pressure on their opponents when they get on the bases. Queens has stolen 18 bases so far which is third most in the ASUN. Dillon Lewis leads the Royals with eight stolen bags and is three shy of matching his single-season high set back in 2022.
• At the plate, Lewis has been one of the most consistent bats as the junior has amassed a team-leading 15 hits. The Charlotte native has belted three home runs, and three doubles, while having a team-high 10 RBIs. The junior will look to start a new hitting streak as he had his nine-game hitting streak snapped in Sunday's loss to Lehigh.
• JJ Sousa has been a key slugger for the Royals as he leads the team in home runs with four through the first three weeks of action. The senior right-fielder is slugging a team-best .650 over his nine starts.
• Veteran catcher Tyler Cotto has been a stable piece behind the dish. The Arizona native has started all 12 games and blasted three home runs. Cotto is slugging .514 on the year which is nearly .200 percent higher than last season.
• Kansas State transfer Landry Jurecka is slated to be on the bump on Friday evening. Jurecka has found his groove over his past two starts. Across 14.2 innings of work, Jurecka has fanned 19 batters while walking only two.
• Tanner Cullen and Isaiah Bennett have been two key bullpen arms for the Royals. Cullen has made five appearances and holds a 2.84 ERA as he's gone 5.1 consecutive scoreless innings in his last three outings. Right-hander Isaiah Bennett turned in 2.0 solid scoreless innings of relief against Lehigh and lowered his season-ERA to 4.91. Bennett has electric stuff and is tied for second in strikeouts amongst Royals relievers.
• Despite the pitching struggles at times, the Royals are striking out the most batters in the ASUN. Queens has sat down 98 thus far and is on pace to break their single season record of 367 set back in 2022.

 
UNC ASHEVILLE BULLDOGS (6-5 overall, 0-0 Big South )

• UNC Asheville is coming off a series sweep of Siena over the weekend. The Bulldogs won all three games by over five runs as they outscored the Saints 35-16.
• Franklinton native Robbie Burnett is off to a torrid start for the Bulldogs. The junior has smashed six home runs over the first 11 games, including two on February 25th in a win over Bellarmine.
• Infielder Cameron Johnson leads Asheville with a .427 batting average over the first 11 games. The junior is on a 10 game hitting streak, as he is tied for the team lead with 16 hits, including six against Siena. Johnson has six extra base hits including a home, a triple, and four doubles.
• Michael Groves has slapped six doubles over the first eleven games as he is hitting .341 this season. Groves plays both ways for the Bulldogs making two starts on the season, allowing two runs, with three strikeouts, across 6.0 innings of actions.
• Right-handed pitcher Branden Barna has been a steadying presence out of the bullpen for the Bulldogs. Across five innings of action, he has struck out four batters, allowing just three hits, across 5.0 innings of action.
• The UNC Asheville pitching staff struggles allowing free bases. They surrender the third most walks in the Big South with 73 on the season.
• The Bulldogs have been effective at limiting their defensive mistakes as they have totaled only 11 errors on the season.

TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES (6-5 overall, 0-0 OVC)

• The Golden Eagles were swept by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish over the weekend. After losing 14-3 on Friday night, Tennessee Tech lost two high-scoring affairs 15-11 on Saturday, and 14-11 on Sunday.
• Senior catcher Hayden Gilliand is leading the Golden Eagles at the plate with 17 total hits as he is batting .425 through 11 games. Gilliand has recorded a hit in eight of his last nine starts and has thrown out six runners from behind the dish.
• Preston Steele has been on fire for Tennessee Tech as he is the Golden Eagles leading slugger. The junior has blasted four home runs in the last five games, with 11 RBIs in the five games. 
• Troy Baungsgard is the senior leader for the Golden Eagles and is batting .341 on the season with two home runs, four doubles, and a triple.
• Senior right-handed pitcher Peyton Calitri has been leading the charge on the bump for Tennessee Tech. Through three starts, he has given up five earned runs, struck out 14 batters, and given up 14 hits across 17.1 innings of action.
• Jaxson Pease has been steady out of the bullpen for the Golden Eagles. In four apparences, the sophomore has eight strikeouts, three earned runs, on three hits, through 9.0 innings of work out of the pen.
• Tennessee Tech's calling card on their pitching staff is pounding the strike zone. The Golden Eagles allow the least number of walks in the Ohio Valley Conference with 39 across their 11 games of action.
• The hosts can get going in a hurry on offense. The Golden Eagles boast the third-highest slugging percentage in the OVC with a .470 slugging percentage.

 
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