Liberty Travels to LaTech for CUSA Series
4/16/2025 6:58:00 PM | Baseball
Series Coverage
Quick Hits
• The Liberty Flames travel to Ruston, La., for a three-game CUSA series against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs this weekend. The series will be played Thursday through Saturday in order to observe Easter. The Bulldogs are a half-game out of first place in the CUSA standings with an 8-3 record. The Flames enter the weekend with a 5-7 mark in the conference.
• Liberty and LaTech met for the first time last season, with the Bulldogs winning five of the six games between the two. Three of the contests came at the 2025 CUSA Baseball Championship held at LaTech's J.C. Love Field at Patterson Park. After the Liberty won the first meeting of the three games in the tournament, LaTech won back-to-back contests to eliminate the Flames.
• Liberty enters Thursday's game off a 10-3 win at Virginia. The win was the first for the Flames in Charlottesville since 2012, and it is the first time since 2000 that Liberty won both games against the Cavaliers in a season.Â
• Bradley LeCroy was named the eighth head coach in Flames' history in July 2024. He is in his third year as a head coach after two years at VCU.
Flames Win at Virginia for 1st time since 2012
• Catcher Tucker Moore had two hits, including a three-run home run, and designated hitter John Simmons' first hit of 2025 was a grand slam as the Flames downed the Virginia Cavailers 10-3 in Charlottesville Tuesday evening.
• Liberty's four relievers handcuffed Virginia over the last seven innings, allowing one run on three hits in the victory.
• The Flames' victory was their first in Charlottesville since 2012. Liberty defeated the Cavaliers 8-0 on Feb. 28, 2012. Virginia had won the last 10 meetings between the two teams in Charlottesville.
• For the first time since 2000, Liberty won both its contests in a season against Virginia. The Flames previously defeated the Cavaliers 5-3 in Lynchburg on March 25.
• Liberty is 5-2 against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.Â
Among National Leaders in Fielding
• Liberty enters the weekend among the national leaders in fielding percentage. The Flames are second in  CUSA and are 14th nationally with a 0.980 fielding percentage.Â
• Liberty has committed 26 errors and did not commit an error in 22 games this season.
• The program record for best fielding percentage was set by the 2021 Flames who led the nation with a .984 fielding percentage.
Barone Among RBI Leaders
• Nick Barone has been one of the Flames steady run producers this season. Currently he tied with Jaxon Sorenson for the Liberty lead and is tied for fifth in Conference USA with 37 RBI. He has driven in seven runs in his last 10 games, including two with three hits Tuesday at Virginia.
 • The outfielder has also hit seven home runs, the second most for a Flame, and 10th in CUSA. He has a pair of two home-run games this season (at Duke 2/26; vs. Central Michigan 3/9).
• Barone has hit .290 with 29 runs scored. He has a .541 slugging percentage.Â
Big Start for Blair
• Sophomore right-hander Ben Blair has met all expectations for him in 2025.Â
• Blair, who was selected to the 2025 CUSA Preseason All-Conference team by the conference's head coaches, has posted a 4-1 record with a 2.77 ERA over 48 2/3 innings in nine starts this season. The right-hander has struck out 56 and walked 19.Â
• He is currently among the CUSA leaders in several categories. Blair begins the weekend fourth in ERA, tied ninth in wins, tied fourth in innings pitched, fifth in strikeouts and seventh in opponent batting average.
• Blair picked up his first CUSA Pitcher of the Week honor of his career, pitching six shutout innings in his first start of the year, combining with relievers Caleb Lingenfelter and Tyler August for a 3-0 blanking of the St. John's Red Storm in game two of a doubleheader at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium on Feb. 14. The sophomore scattered five hits, striking out 11 and walking two batters. He did not allow a batter past second base during his outing.
-  Liberty at Louisiana Tech (J.C. Field at Pat Patterson Stadium)
- First pitch: Thursday - 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST; Friday - 5 p.m. EST/4 p.m. CST; Saturday - 2 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CST
- TV:Â ESPN+Â
- Radio:Â LFSN Radio
Quick Hits
• The Liberty Flames travel to Ruston, La., for a three-game CUSA series against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs this weekend. The series will be played Thursday through Saturday in order to observe Easter. The Bulldogs are a half-game out of first place in the CUSA standings with an 8-3 record. The Flames enter the weekend with a 5-7 mark in the conference.
• Liberty and LaTech met for the first time last season, with the Bulldogs winning five of the six games between the two. Three of the contests came at the 2025 CUSA Baseball Championship held at LaTech's J.C. Love Field at Patterson Park. After the Liberty won the first meeting of the three games in the tournament, LaTech won back-to-back contests to eliminate the Flames.
• Liberty enters Thursday's game off a 10-3 win at Virginia. The win was the first for the Flames in Charlottesville since 2012, and it is the first time since 2000 that Liberty won both games against the Cavaliers in a season.Â
• Bradley LeCroy was named the eighth head coach in Flames' history in July 2024. He is in his third year as a head coach after two years at VCU.
Flames Win at Virginia for 1st time since 2012
• Catcher Tucker Moore had two hits, including a three-run home run, and designated hitter John Simmons' first hit of 2025 was a grand slam as the Flames downed the Virginia Cavailers 10-3 in Charlottesville Tuesday evening.
• Liberty's four relievers handcuffed Virginia over the last seven innings, allowing one run on three hits in the victory.
• The Flames' victory was their first in Charlottesville since 2012. Liberty defeated the Cavaliers 8-0 on Feb. 28, 2012. Virginia had won the last 10 meetings between the two teams in Charlottesville.
• For the first time since 2000, Liberty won both its contests in a season against Virginia. The Flames previously defeated the Cavaliers 5-3 in Lynchburg on March 25.
• Liberty is 5-2 against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.Â
Among National Leaders in Fielding
• Liberty enters the weekend among the national leaders in fielding percentage. The Flames are second in  CUSA and are 14th nationally with a 0.980 fielding percentage.Â
• Liberty has committed 26 errors and did not commit an error in 22 games this season.
• The program record for best fielding percentage was set by the 2021 Flames who led the nation with a .984 fielding percentage.
Barone Among RBI Leaders
• Nick Barone has been one of the Flames steady run producers this season. Currently he tied with Jaxon Sorenson for the Liberty lead and is tied for fifth in Conference USA with 37 RBI. He has driven in seven runs in his last 10 games, including two with three hits Tuesday at Virginia.
 • The outfielder has also hit seven home runs, the second most for a Flame, and 10th in CUSA. He has a pair of two home-run games this season (at Duke 2/26; vs. Central Michigan 3/9).
• Barone has hit .290 with 29 runs scored. He has a .541 slugging percentage.Â
Big Start for Blair
• Sophomore right-hander Ben Blair has met all expectations for him in 2025.Â
• Blair, who was selected to the 2025 CUSA Preseason All-Conference team by the conference's head coaches, has posted a 4-1 record with a 2.77 ERA over 48 2/3 innings in nine starts this season. The right-hander has struck out 56 and walked 19.Â
• He is currently among the CUSA leaders in several categories. Blair begins the weekend fourth in ERA, tied ninth in wins, tied fourth in innings pitched, fifth in strikeouts and seventh in opponent batting average.
• Blair picked up his first CUSA Pitcher of the Week honor of his career, pitching six shutout innings in his first start of the year, combining with relievers Caleb Lingenfelter and Tyler August for a 3-0 blanking of the St. John's Red Storm in game two of a doubleheader at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium on Feb. 14. The sophomore scattered five hits, striking out 11 and walking two batters. He did not allow a batter past second base during his outing.
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