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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team will conclude play in its nine-game, season-opening homestand Tuesday at 3 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome the UAB Blazers to Joe Lee Griffin Field for a highly-anticipated, intra-city showdown to be aired live on the Southern Conference Digital Network.
 
Samford (5-3) heads into Tuesday's matchup with hopes of bouncing back from a 6-4 loss to BYU on Saturday. After cruising to a four-game sweep of Butler to open their 2016 campaign, the Bulldogs dropped three of their four contests against BYU last week.
 
BYU, which is off to its best start in school history this year, closed out the four-game set with a near-perfect 7-1 record on the season.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
UAB (3-4) enters the midweek matchup with a bit of positive momentum after taking two of three home games against Ohio over the weekend. The Blazers opened the series with a dominant 15-6 victory over the Bobcats on Friday before notching a 7-2 triumph Saturday. UAB lost the third game of the series Sunday, 2-1, as Ohio hung on for a slight one-run victory.
 
The Blazers closed out their 2015 campaign with a 33-25 overall record. Finishing sixth in Conference USA with a 15-15 league mark, UAB returned three starting position players and seven pitchers from last season's roster. The Blazers also boast 13 newcomers this year.
 
UAB is ranked No. 22 in the nation in WHIP (1.05) and 23^rd in the country in hits allowed per nine innings (6.53). The Blazers are also ranked No. 28 in shutouts.
 
LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
In 2015, Samford and UAB squared off once, April 29, at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The Bulldogs won the game, 4-2, as Samford head coach Casey Dunn improved to 14-7 all-time against the Blazers.
 
BULLDOGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Category, Rank (Value)
Home Runs, #4 (14)
Slugging Percentage, #6 (.580)
Home Runs Per Game, #6 (1.75)
Doubles, #11 (22)
Hits, #11 (96)
Runs, #24 (64)
Doubles Per Game, #25 (2.75)

PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE
Samford returned 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)
Home Runs, #1 (7)
Total Bases, #1 (44)
Home Runs Per Game, #1 (.88)
Slugging Percentage, #2 (1.333)
Hits, #3 (18)
Runs Batted In, #3 (18)
Runs, #7 (13)
Runs Batted In Per Game, #9 (2.25)
Batting Average, #18 (.545)
 
SAMFORD'S QUINN EARNS BACK-TO-BACK SOCON PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
For a second straight week, Samford's Quinn was named the SoCon Player of the Week on Monday for his outstanding play over the course of the last seven days. The selection was made by the league office and encompassed all games held Feb. 22-28.
 
Quinn won his second straight weekly award after hitting .471 with four home runs and nine RBIs in four games against BYU over the weekend.
 
In Friday's doubleheader, Quinn powered a total of four home runs on the day. He was 2-for-5 with a solo homer in game one and then went for three home runs and a double in game two, driving in seven runs in a 4-for-5 effort as Samford won 10-5.
 
Quinn closed out the series with two more hits Saturday, adding a sacrifice fly and an intentional walk. A junior from Birmingham, Alabama, he slugged 1.235 on the week. Quinn also threw out a runner at the plate from deep in right in Friday's second game.
 
BULLDOGS' PRESEASON ALL-SOCON PLAYERS
Samford's Alex Lee (first base), Swilling (third base), Quinn (outfield) and 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.
 
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).
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Tuesday's midweek game against UAB, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action Friday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs begin their first road series of the season against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. The three-game road set will be held at ULM's Warhawk Field (1,800).
 
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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