For the Belmont Bruins, it seems there is no place like Nashville.
After winning the Atlantic Sun baseball tournament last Saturday at Lipscomb, the Bruins will play their first-ever NCAA regional less than two miles from campus at Vanderbilt’s Hawkins Field.
The Bruins are the #4 seed in the Nashville regional, and will play the host Commodores Friday at 7 p.m. The Commodores, the #1 team in the region, were seeded as the sixth-best team in the entire tournament by the NCAA selection committee.
After winning their first A-Sun championship, head coach Dave Jarvis saw the Nashville regional as an ideal place to play for Belmont.
“I think Vanderbilt’s a great venue. It’s a great opportunity to play,” said Jarvis. “It gives us a chance to sleep in our own beds just like we have this week, so I’m perfectly comfortable with that.”
The Nashville regional also includes the Troy Trojans of the Sun Belt conference and the Oklahoma State Cowboys of the Big 12. All four teams will play in a 4-team double elimination tournament in Nashville, with the winner advancing to the super regional round.
The Bruins played the Commodores once earlier this season. Vanderbilt defeated the Bruins 6-2 on Feb. 23.