[Strikeout King]

Belmont University has officially joined the Ohio Valley Conference.

Here is an excerpt of the official press release:

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Ohio Valley Conference announced on Friday that Belmont University has been admitted to the Conference and will become the league’s 12th member. The move was approved by the OVC Board of Presidents.

Belmont will officially become a member of the OVC on July 1, 2012 and its athletic teams will begin competing in the Conference in the 2012-13 season.

“Given Belmont University’s commitment to excellence, both in the classroom and on the playing fields, they are a wonderful fit for the Ohio Valley Conference,” said Beth DeBauche, OVC Commissioner. “I am delighted to welcome them to the Conference. They are a wonderful addition and the right fit for the OVC.”

"The addition of Belmont University adds great value to our already stable and healthy Conference,” said Dr. Thomas Rakes, University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellor and current Chair of the OVC Board of Presidents.

With a total enrollment of 5,936 (and an expected enrollment of over 6,000 in the fall of 2011), Belmont, which was founded in 1951, is located in Nashville, Tenn. Belmont’s campus is just nine miles north of the OVC’s Brentwood headquarters and the University will be the second OVC school located in Nashville, joining Tennessee State.

“The Ohio Valley Conference is one of the most tradition-rich and respected athletic conferences in NCAA Division I," said Dr. Robert C. Fisher, Belmont University President. “We were honored by the invitation to join such a great family of fine universities and look forward to establishing new traditions and new friendships."