GAME NOTES
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— The Samford baseball team will play host to the UNCG Spartans in a three-game Southern Conference series this weekend at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
Friday's game, originally scheduled for 6 p.m., will now be played at 4 p.m. due to expected inclement weather in the Birmingham area. The teams are also scheduled to play Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a record of 24-21 overall and 9-11 in Southern Conference play after taking a 4-3 win in a midweek game at UAB Tuesday evening. Last weekend, the Bulldogs split two games at Appalachian State.
 
For the season, Samford is led at the plate by C.K. Irby, batting .374 with 11 doubles, eight home runs and a team-high 48 RBI. Phillip Ervin is batting .353 with 11 doubles, 10 home runs and 33 RBI. Christiaan Durdaller has a .340 batting average with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 40 RBI.
 
Samford has listed left-handed pitcher Eric Wright (3-3, 4.50 ERA) as its starting pitcher for Friday's series-opener. Right-hander Irby (7-3, 3.91 ERA) will start on the mound on Saturday, and Samford has not named a starter for Sunday's series finale.
 
The Spartans are currently 19-26 overall and 6-15 in SoCon play after a 6-2 win over North Carolina A&T on Tuesday. Over the weekend, UNCG was swept in a three-game series by Western Carolina.
 
For the season, UNCG is led offensively by Christian Wolfe, batting .401 with 15 doubles and 32 RBI. T.J. Spina is batting .319 with two home runs and 19 RBI, while Benigno Marrero has a .319 average with two homers and 20 RBI.
 
The Spartans are scheduled to start right-handed pitcher Max Povse (3-3, 4.15 ERA) on Friday, while right-hander Lee Gilliam (2-4, 3.69 ERA) will start on the mound for UNCG on Saturday. UNCG has listed left-hander Corey Taylor (0-6, 8.03 ERA) as its starting pitcher for Sunday's series finale.
 
Samford has an all-time record of 9-3 in games played against UNCG, with all 12 previous meetings coming since Samford joined the SoCon prior to the 2009 season. Last season, Samford won two-of-three games from UNCG in Greensboro, N.C. Samford lost the first game, 4-3, but took games two and three by scores of 8-2 and 10-1.
 
All three games can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. The games can also be seen online for free via Samford Sports TV at www.samfordsports.com/showcase. Live stats will also be available at www.samfordsports.com.