Columbus, GA-The Belhaven baseball team will open the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship tournament against Brewton-Parker College Friday afternoon at 3:00 PM at Golden Park in Columbus, GA. On the line in the tournament is an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament beginning May12th.

Belhaven enters the 2011 postseason with an overall record of 39-15, are ranked 22nd in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll, and are led at the plate by Jimmy Gilford. Gilford, a senior outfielder from Taneytown, MD, is hitting .374 on the season. Gilford has 74 hits including 17 doubles, five triples, three home runs and 34 runs batted in. Gilford has also stolen 11 bases primarily out of the number two spot in the order this season.

Tyler Wrinkle has ignited the offense at the top of the order and is hitting .363 heading into the postseason. Wrinkle has 17 doubles four home runs, a pair of triples, and 32 RBI's in 2011. Senior Lake Eiland has also been a big contributor at the plate this season hitting .353 with 14 doubles, two home runs, and a team best 43 runs batted in. As a team, the Blazers are hitting .308 coming into the tournament.

Belhaven has had solid pitching led by starters Allen Johnson and Brett Blaise. Johnson is 4-4 on the season with a 2.24 ERA. Johnson has a team high 88.1 innings pitched and 69 strikeouts. Blaise owns a 7-1 record with an ERA of 3.49 heading into the postseason. Blaise has a pair of complete games and has worked 56.2 total innings on the hill with 51 strikeouts. In the bullpen, Josh Clarke has anchored the back end of the pen recording nine saves while boasting a 4-2 record in 2011. Clarke has an ERA of 1.23 and in 29.1 innings of work has struck out 40 opposing hitters.

Brewton-Parker comes into this year's SSAC Tournament with a 32-14 record and are rated 16th in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll. The Barons are led by Jacob Evors who boasts a .335 batting average. Evors has 13 doubles, 11 home runs, and 46 runs batted in. Robert Harris is also a force at the plate hitting .346 on the year with six doubles, 11 home runs, and 40 RBI's. Josh Palmer will also be a player to keep an eye on as he is hitting .353 with nine doubles and 36 RBI's. Brewton-Parker has a team batting average of .320 so far this season. The Barons also have a good pitching staff as evidenced by a 3.73 team ERA.

Belhaven is the number three seed from the West Division and Brewton Parker who is the second seed out of the East Division. The Blazers met up with Brewton Parker in the postseason a year ago and defeated the Barons 10-4 in the 2010 NAIA National Championship Opening Round at Smith-Wills Stadium. Fans can follow all the live play-by-play action through live audio courtesy of Stretch Internet by clicking here.