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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team will begin play in a highly-anticipated, four-game home series this week beginning Thursday at 2 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome the BYU Cougars to Joe Lee Griffin Field for a marquee matchup featuring undefeated teams.
 
Samford (4-0) enters the series with a full head of steam after sweeping Butler at home last week in its season-opening slate. The Bulldogs outscored Butler, 46-7, and registered victories of 14-1, 16-1, 4-3 and 12-2.
 
In Samford's aforementioned four-game sweep of Butler to open the 2016 season, the Bulldogs recorded a .422 batting average, as well as a stellar 1.25 earned run average.
 
SAMFORD LEADS THE NATION IN BATTING AVERAGE
The Bulldogs head into Thursday's series opener against BYU as the top hitting team in the country. Samford boasts a remarkable batting average of .422 this season and tops second-ranked Florida State (.413) by nine percentage points. So far in 2016, the Bulldogs have turned in a 65-for-154 performance at the plate.
 

BULLDOGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Category, Rank (Value)
Batting Average, #1 (.422)
Hits, #1 (65)
Won/Loss Percentage, #1 (1.000)
Home Runs, #3 (9)
Slugging Percentage, #3 (.714)
Runs, #4 (46)
Doubles, #4 (14)
Home Runs Per Game, #8 (2.25)
Scoring, #11 (11.5)
Earned Run Average, #12 (1.25)
Triples, #14 (2)
On Base Percentage, #14 (.462)
Doubles Per Game, #14 (3.5)

PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE
Samford returns all nine position starters and two starting pitchers from last year and tallied a league-high seven players on the preseason all-conference teams.
 
The Bulldogs, who have played in four of the last five SoCon Tournament title games, placed a league-high seven players on the two preseason squads, including a SoCon-best four on the first team. Samford paced the conference in preseason picks for the second straight year and were the coaches' preseason pick to win the league.
 
SAMFORD AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE
Samford entered the 2016 campaign as one of only three teams in the nation to boast three National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-Americans. The Bulldogs returned the efforts of Austin Edens, Heath Quinn and Hunter Swilling this season, joining only Louisville and Florida as the other two programs in the country with three Preseason All-America members.
 
BULLDOGS' HEATH QUINN IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Category, Rank (Value)
Total Bases, #1 (23)
Home Runs, #3 (3)
Hits, #3 (10)
Runs, #3 (9)
Slugging Percentage, #6 (1.438)
Runs Batted In, #8 (9)
Home Runs Per Game, #9 (0.75)
Runs Per Game, #15 (2.25)
 

SAMFORD'S QUINN EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION
High-profile accolades continued to roll in for Quinn as the Bulldogs' junior outfielder was named a Louisville Slugger Player of the Week, it was officially announced by the organization's headquarters Monday.
 
Quinn, who also earned Southern Conference Player of the Week honors earlier in the day, played a huge role in the Bulldogs' four-game sweep over Butler over the weekend as he turned in a phenomenal .625 batting average by going 10-of-16 at the plate.
 
Samford's talented right-fielder hit for the cycle Saturday and finished the weekend with nine RBI, nine runs scored, two doubles, a triple, as well as three deep home runs.
 
Quinn homered in each of the first three games of the series, hit safely in 10 of his first 11 at-bats and hit for the cycle in Samford's 16-1 Saturday victory over Butler. He also turned in a 1.438 slugging percentage and a .684 on-base percentage.
 
BULLDOGS' PRESEASON ALL-SOCON PLAYERS
Samford's Alex Lee (first base), Hunter Swilling (third base), Quinn (outfield) and Austin Edens (designated hitter) earned spots on the preseason first team after all-conference 2015 campaigns. Swilling, Quinn and Edens have each earned preseason All-America honors heading into the season. Edens, the 2015 SoCon Freshman of the Year, was named a first-team freshman All-American last year.
 
The Bulldogs also placed three players on the preseason second team in catcher Richard Greene, second baseman Frankie Navarrete and outfielder T.J. Dixon.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
BYU (4-0) also enters this week's series as one of the hottest teams in the nation. The Cougars are ranked No. 4 in the country in batting average with a sizzling mark of .406 and is coming off a four-game sweep of Saint Louis. BYU opened the season with consecutive wins of 21-7, 5-0, 11-3 and 11-7.
 
The Cougars are tied with Samford for the nation's lead in hits with 65 and come to Birmingham this week boasting a No. 4 national ranking in runs scored with four.
 
Individually, BYU's junior outfielder Brennon Lund currently leads all collegiate players this season with 13 hits. The Cougars' native of South Jordan, Utah, is hitting .591 this year with five runs scored, three doubles and five RBI.
 

SAMFORD'S STARTING ROTATION
Thursday - - RHP, Jared Brasher, Jr. (Pell City, Alabama)
Friday (Game 1) - - RHP, Tristan Widra, So. (Hoover, Alabama)
Friday (Game 2) - - RHP, Stephen Jones, Fr. (Tallahassee, Florida)
Saturday - - RHP, Connor Radcliff, Fr. (Birmingham, Alabama)
 
BYU'S STARTING ROTATION
Thursday - - RHP, Michael Rucker, Jr. (Lake Tapps, Washington)
Friday (Game 1) - - RHP, Maverik Buffo, So. (Salem, Utah)
Friday (Game 2) - - LHP, Hayden Rogers, So. (Mesa, Arizona)
Saturday - - TBA

RARIFIED AIR - - SAMFORD BOASTS TWO OF NATION'S TOP FIVE HOME RUN HITTERS
The Bulldogs' Edens and Swilling entered the 2016 campaign as two of the top five returning home run hitters in the nation from last season. Both of Samford's sluggers powered 16 homers in 2015 as the Bulldogs led the nation in dingers for a predominant portion of the season with a school-record 85.
 
Joining Samford's Edens and Swilling in the top-five list for returning home run hitters this year were Eastern Kentucky's Kyle Nowlin (19), Florida's JJ Schwarz (18) and Mercer's Kyle Lewis (17).
 
BULLDOGS' AUSTIN EDENS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Category, Rank (Value)
Home Runs, #3 (3)
Total Bases, #4 (19)
Home Runs Per Game, #9 (0.75)
Hits, #13 (8)

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following this week's four-game home series against BYU, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action Tuesday at 4 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs close out their nine-game, season-opening homestand against the UAB Blazers in a cross-town rivalry matchup to be held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordBaseball and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

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