CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte baseball team is prepped for a new and challenging week of action. The Royals are set to face the top team in the nation in Tennessee on Tuesday, May 7^th at 6:00 p.m. on SEC Network Plus. Following the midweek game, Queens will return home for a three-game weekend series against Stetson in their final home series of the season.

QUEENS ROYALS (12-36 overall, 8-16 ASUN)

• Queens enters Tuesday night on a winning note after salvaging the weekend series against North Alabama with a 13-8 victory. The win snapped a nine-game losing skid ahead of a week that doesn't get any easier.
• The story of the season has been the Royals ability to hit the long ball. Queens has belted 79 home runs on the season as they continue to add on their single-season record. The Royals rank top 35 nationally and second in the ASUN in home runs.
• Charlotte native Dillon Lewis has been on a tear this season hitting a team-high .376 with 13 doubles and a single-season program record 18 home runs. The junior enters Tuesday night one RBI and two runs away from setting single-season program records. Lewis sits top 10 in the conference in batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases.
• Senior Tyler Cotto has been a tough out at the plate this season hitting .269 with nine doubles and 11 home runs, a mark that is second on the team. In addition to swinging a hot bat, the Arizona native has drawn a team-high 31 walks which ranks 10^th in the league.
• Matthew Corlew has rounded into form at the plate during the second half of the season. The EKU transfer has recorded a hit in seven of the last 10 games while also swiping 12 bases which is second most on the team.
• Rookie Jake Barbour is having a solid first season in the Queen City. The Raleigh native is hitting .247 with six doubles, eight home runs, and 11 stolen bases. The eight home runs are tied for the most in a single-season by a true freshman since Dillon Lewis blasted eight in 2022.
• On the mound, the Royals have struck out 332 batters, a mark that is third most in a single season in program history. Kansas State transfer Landry Jurecka leads the Royals with 66 strikeouts and moved into second place over the weekend for strikeouts in a single-season.
• Coming out of the bullpen, graduate student Joseph Rodriguez leads the team with 25 appearances. The Virginia Beach native is one appearance away from setting a single-season program record.
• The pitching staff has struggled to prevent free base runners this season surrendering the most walks in the conference. Queens is averaging 6.9 walks per game and has issued 10 or more walks on 11 occasions.

#1 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (39-9 overall, 17-7 SEC)

• Tennessee is coming off a 2-1 series victory against Florida over the weekend. The Volunteers capped off the weekend with a dominant 16-3 win on Saturday night.
• Tennessee clocked into the top spot of the D1 Baseball Top 25 for the first time this season. The Volunteers are dominant at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this season holding a 30-3 record.
• Seven Volunteers are hitting over .300 on the year as Blake Burke leads the way with a .390 mark. The junior was named a Baseball America Preseason All-American and has followed it up with 22 doubles and 15 home runs.
• Christian Moore is one of the nation's top hitters as the junior sports a .382 average with 21 home runs. The home run mark ranks 11^th in the nation.
• Tennessee is second in the country with 126 home runs.
• On the mound, the top seeded Volunteers hold a 3.84 ERA. Nate Snead is the top bullpen arm for the Vols making 16 appearances and holding a firm 2.82 ERA.
• Junior right-hander Drew Beam has been one of the top arms in the rotation making 12 starts. The Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List recipient has tossed 69.0 innings and has a 3.39 ERA while striking out 61 batters.

 
STETSON HATTERS (14-27 overall, 6-15 ASUN)

• Stetson will take on Bethune-Cookman University on Tuesday night in DeLand before making their way to Charlotte for the three-game weekend series.
• Despite holding a 21-9 record at home, the Hatters are 9-9 away from Conrad Park this season.
• Heading into the week, the Hatters offense is hitting .291 with 92 doubles and 43 home runs on the year.
• Yohann Dessureault has been the sparkplug of the offense hitting .324 with 10 doubles and a team-high nine home runs.
• Freshman Kyle Jones is having a stellar first season in DeLand. The rookie is hitting a team-high .350 with 12 doubles and has swiped 21 bases. The stolen bases mark leads the conference.
• Daniel Paret has been a key starter for the Hatters rotation making 12 starts on the season. The redshirt senior holds a 4.50 ERA across 58.0 innings of work and has struck out 56 batters.
• Zane Coppersmith and Cole Stallings are two pivotal bullpen arms for the Hatters. Coppersmith is 3-1 on the season across 21 appearances and has a 1.13 ERA. Stallings is a perfect 3-0 across 31.0 innings and has a team-high eight saves under his belt.

 
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