BELTON, Texas - The Blazers return to the road for a trip to Belton, Texas for a three-game American Southwest Conference (ASC) series with the Crusaders of Mary Hardin-Baylor, beginning Friday from Red Murff Field. 

The teams will play two on Friday with a 4 p.m. first pitch, while Saturday's series finale is set for 1 p.m.

The Blazers will ride into UMHB with a four-game winning streak, sweeping Concordia Texas over the weekend before taking a midweek contest with crosstown rival Tougaloo. 

BU (16-9, 7-5 ASC) is currently hitting .297 as a team overall and .275 in conference play this season, but they have found the power in their bats in 2017. Compared to a year ago, the Blazers had 17 home runs as a team, but this season, they are second in the ASC with 24. Slugging .458 this season, the percentage is second-best in the conference behind UT Dallas (.481). 

In the series finale against Concordia, down 11-5 going into the home stretch, the Blazers got back in the contest thanks to two home runs by Will Costinett in as many innings. The junior transfer recorded a two-run shot in the seventh and eighth innings en route to a 12-11 come-from-behind victory over the Tornados. 

His homer streak continued in his first at-bat against Tougaloo Tuesday afternoon. In the bottom of the first, Costinett smashed a three-run shot over the left field wall. The streak ended in his next at-bat in the second with a single. 

Costinett, along with Stephen Sexton and Terrell Hodges, have six homers each, which is a tie for first in the ASC. 

On the mound, Tanner Cable is firing on all cylinders in the strike zone. In 43 innings pitched, the Southaven, Miss. native has fanned 50 batters, good for tops in the ASC. 

However, the Blazers pitching staff has been catching corners in the zone, as the team has thrown 193 punch outs as a team, also good for tops in the ASC. 

Mary Hardin-Baylor (10-12, 4-5) recently took two of three from McMurry in non-conference action over the weekend before falling to Southwestern (Texas), 11-8, Tuesday night. 

Dakota Best and Mitch Patterson are the leading hitters for the Cru, hitting .333 and .327, respectively. 

UMHB, as a team, is hitting .254, slugging .334 and has an on-base percentage of .338. 

Nathan Kent, who has made six starts so far in 2017, is 2-3 with an ERA of 2.55, allowing nine earned runs in 35.1 innings. 

In relief, Aaron Barteau has struck out 25 batters in 14 innings this season. Allowing just two earned runs for an ERA of 1.29, he has saved five ballgames for UMHB in 2017. 

This three-game road trip is sandwiched in between two homestands. BU will return home for the final time in the regular season for nine games inside Smith-Wills Stadium, beginning Tuesday at 4 p.m. against the Hawks of Huntingdon College.

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