Game One (Friday | 6 p.m.):  Live Video, Live Audio, Live Stats
Game Two (Saturday | 2 p.m.):  Live Video, Live Audio, Live Stats
Game Three (Sunday | 1 p.m.):  Live Video, Live Audio, Live Stats

Samford Game Notes
Ticket Information

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team will return home to host its first weekend series since Feb. 27 on Friday as the Bulldogs welcome the Jacksonville University Dolphins to Joe Lee Griffin Field for a three-game set slated to begin at 6 p.m. (CDT).
 
Samford (10-7) heads into this weekend's matchup boasting a great deal of momentum after posting a key 18-7 road victory at Alabama State on Tuesday. In the win, the Bulldogs reached double figures in scoring for a ninth time in 17 games and notched its second highest run total of the 2016 campaign.
 
On March 8, Samford exploded for a 20-6 triumph over Troy in its most recent home outing.
 
With Tuesday's 11-run victory at Alabama State, Samford improved to 3-0 against in-state opponents this season. Already this year, the Bulldogs have defeated UAB, Troy and Alabama State – all by at least 11 runs or more.
 
On March 1, Samford defeated UAB, 13-2 (7), before dropping Troy on March 8. So far this season, the Bulldogs are outscoring their in-state opponents by a total of 51-15.
 
Samford owns a 7-3 record at home this season and have not been defeated at Joe Lee Griffin Field since Feb. 27.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Jacksonville (11-5) enters this weekend's series with a full head of steam after knocking off Florida International, 10-5, in a non-conference matchup held Wednesday at home in Jacksonville, Florida. With their victory, the Dolphins improved to 5-2 since March 8 and split the rare two-game midweek series, 1-1, with the Panthers.
 
Jacksonville has only played a total of three games away from home this season. The Dolphins played at Florida State on March 1 and handed the Seminoles a lopsided 7-3 decision behind the brilliant pitching performance from Michael Baumann.
 
Additionally, Jacksonville tallied a 10-inning, 4-3 victory at Bethune-Cookman, but suffered a 10-6 setback at cross-town rival North Florida on March 2.
 
Individually, the Dolphins' offensive attack this season has been paced by junior outfielder Austin Hays, who is batting a phenomenal .431 this season with six home runs, 18 RBI and 16 runs scored.
 
BULLDOGS' RECORD AGAINST JACKSONVILLE - - THE DUNN ERA
Since Head Coach Casey Dunn took the reins to the Bulldogs' baseball program in 2004, Samford has compiled a 1-6 record against Jacksonville.
 
Last season, the teams squared off in a three-game series held in Jacksonville and the Dolphins were able to win two of the three games.     
 
The Bulldogs powered their way to a 6-1 victory in the opener, but then Jacksonville bounced back for consecutive wins of 5-4 and 18-5 in the final two games of the series.
 
WINNING BIG HAS BEEN THE TREND
The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a total of 146-79 this season, for a run differential of 67. In its 10 wins throughout the 2016 campaign, Samford is averaging a boastful 8.9-run margin of victory.
 
Conversely, in the Bulldogs' seven losses this season, the opposition's margin of victory has only been 3.3 runs.
 
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 Southern Conference 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.
 
RIDING THE SAMFORD ROLLER COASTER
Since Feb. 26, the Bulldogs have been bouncing back and forth between wins and losses in 11 straight games. Samford was defeated by BYU in 10 innings, 4-3, on Feb. 26, but then rebounded for a 10-5 win in the next game. In similar fashion, the Bulldogs have continued their recent trend by rotating between wins and losses in 11-consecutive contests.
 
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.
 
SAMFORD'S GREENE NAMED NATIONAL CANDIDATE FOR 2016 SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Samford catcher Richard Greene cemented his place among the nation's elite student-athletes Monday as the Bulldogs' senior baseball player was selected as a national candidate for the prestigious 2016 Senior CLASS Award, which is awarded annually to the person who best exemplifies what it means to excel both on and off the field.
 
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence:  community, classroom, character and competition.
 
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
 
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition.
 
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2016 College World Series® in June.
 
IT'S RALLY TIME
Already this season, Samford has scored 10 runs in an inning TWICE. The first occurrence happened Feb. 19, in the Bulldogs' opening game of the year against Butler. En route to a 14-1 victory, Samford exploded for 10 runs on nine hits in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Bulldogs garnered an 11-1 lead at the time.
 
Samford's second 10-run inning this season occurred March 8 at home against Troy. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bulldogs sent 15 batters to the plate, scored 10 runs on four hits and gave Samford a 20-5 lead over the Trojans. The Bulldogs went on to win the game, 20-6.
 
MIAMI NICE - - SAMFORD'S TALENTED SOUTH BEACH MIDDLE INFIELD
Samford boasts one of the best middle infield duos in the SoCon this season behind the play of talented seniors Danny Rodriguez and Frankie Navarrete. Rodriguez and Navarrete are both natives of Miami, Florida, and have been teammates here at Samford for over three full years now.
 
Rodriguez, the Bulldogs' shortstop who prepped at Doral Academy in Miami, has started in all 17 games at the position this year and hasn't committed a single error.
 
Navarrete, Samford's speedy second baseman and graduate of Christopher Columbus High School, has started in 16 of the team's 17 games this season and has only committed two errors.
 
SAMFORD'S QUINN NAMED SOCON PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Samford's Quinn garnered one of the SoCon's top honors on March 10, as the Bulldogs' junior right fielder from Birmingham, was named the conference's Player of the Month, it was officially released by the league's headquarters.
 
Quinn hit a league-best .545 in February, smashing a SoCon-leading seven home runs and posting a conference-best 1.333 slugging percentage. He also led the league with 18 hits, 13 runs and 44 total bases – nearly double teammate Austin Edens' total of 25 in the runner-up spot – as the Bulldogs opened the season 5-3.
 
Quinn turned in five multiple-hit games in the month, including a 5-for-5 effort in which he hit for the cycle and recorded five RBIs and three runs scored against Butler in his second game of the season, on Feb. 20.
 
Additionally, Quinn homered in each of Samford's first three games and went 4-for-5 on opening day. He also hit three home runs in game two of a doubleheader with BYU on Feb. 26, adding a double and driving in seven runs in the contest. Quinn homered in game one, giving him four on the day. He was named the SoCon Player of the Week for both weeks of the opening month of play.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following this weekend's non-conference, three-game home series against Jacksonville, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs remain at home for a highly-anticipated, in-state duel against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks 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.

Game One (Friday | 6 p.m.):  Live Video, Live Audio, Live Stats
Game Two (Saturday | 2 p.m.):  Live Video, Live Audio, Live Stats
Game Three (Sunday | 1 p.m.):  Live Video, Live Audio, Live Stats

Samford Game Notes
Ticket Information