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CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- The Samford University baseball team will begin play in its most critical road series of the 2016 campaign Friday as the preseason-picked Southern Conference-favorite Bulldogs face off against the current first-place Western Carolina Catamounts in a highly-anticipated league showdown to be held at Childress Field at Hennon Stadium.
 
The teams are scheduled to open the series Friday at 4 p.m. (CDT) with game two slated to begin Saturday at 1 p.m. The finale is scheduled to start Sunday at noon.
 
Samford (19-14, 5-4 SoCon) heads into the weekend riding the positive momentum of a three-game winning streak. Since dropping a hard-fought, 4-3 10-inning decision to Wofford on Friday, the Bulldogs have rattled off consecutive victories against Wofford, 11-3 and 6-0, as well as a 13-3 home triumph over Alabama State on Tuesday.
 
Samford has been victorious in seven of its last 10 outings and has won both of its last two SoCon series against Wofford and Mercer.
 
The Bulldogs enter this weekend's showdown as the fourth-place team in the conference standings. Samford, at 5-4 in league play, currently sits just one game behind third-place Mercer (6-3), a game-and-a-half behind UNCG (5-1) and three games behind first-place Western Carolina (8-1).
 
On the road this season, the Bulldogs own a 5-7 record, but were victorious in their last SoCon contest away from home, a 5-3 victory at Furman on March 26.
 

Samford's starting pitchers this weekend will be junior right-hander Jared Brasher (2-3, 3.67 ERA) Friday and freshman righty Connor Radcliff (2-3, 6.00 ERA) on Saturday. Sunday's starting pitcher for the Bulldogs is still officially listed as TBA.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Western Carolina (17-14, 8-1 SoCon) enters this weekend's series as the first-place team in the conference. The Catamounts are in the midst of an eight-game SoCon winning streak and have not been defeated by a league foe since March 24.
 
Ironically, Western Carolina was defeated in its first SoCon game of the season, 14-8, at home against ETSU, but haven't been beaten in league play since.
 
Three of the Catamounts' last four losses have come against nationally-ranked opponents. On March 22, Western Carolina dropped a 10-2 decision at No. 3-ranked North Carolina, before dropping back-to-back non-conference contests versus #17/#18 Clemson, 10-8 and 7-6 (10), on March 30 and Tuesday, respectively.
 
The Catamounts boast a 7-4 record at home this season and have not played at Childress Field at Hennon Stadium since March 30.
 
Western Carolina enters this weekend's series ranked No. 1 in the nation in home runs per game (1.60). The Catamounts are also ranked No. 2 in the country in slugging percentage (.520) and third in home runs (48). Western Carolina's Bryson Bowman has already blasted 11 home runs this season and leads the team with 87 total bases.
 
Matt Smith, the Catamounts' junior outfielder from Fredericktown, Ohio, boasts a .419 batting average this season with nine home runs and a .669 slugging percentage, while speedster Bryson Bowman leads the SoCon with 23 stolen bases on 25 attempts.

Western Carolina's starting pitchers this weekend will be sophomore left-hander Brendan Nail (1-4, 4.89 ERA) on Friday, junior southpaw Bryan Sammons (5-1, 5.23 ERA) on Saturday and freshman lefty Tristan Baker (3-2, 5.19 ERA) on Sunday.
 

BULLDOGS' RECORD AGAINST WESTERN CAROLINA - - THE DUNN ERA
Since Head Coach Casey Dunn took the reins to the Bulldogs' baseball program in 2004, Samford has compiled a 12-12 record against Western Carolina. Last season, the teams squared off four times with the Bulldogs earning three victories, including an 8-7 triumph in their opening game of the SoCon Tournament.
 
During the 2015 regular-season series, Samford played host to the Catamounts and took two out of three games. The Bulldogs cruised to a 13-4 win in the opener, but then dropped a 7-4 decision in game two.
 
The rubber match was a regionally-televised affair and proved to be a nearly five-hour contest held at Joe Lee Griffin Field. In a crazy game, Samford rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and held on for a key 16-14 victory to claim the series.
 
SAMFORD VS. WESTERN CAROLINA - - THE LAST TIME OUT
On May 20, 2015, Samford junior second baseman Frankie Navarrete singled through the right side of the infield to drive in pinch runner Greg Mula in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the second-seeded Bulldogs an 8-7 win over seventh-seeded Western Carolina in the first round of the SoCon Tournament at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
 
Samford overcame an early six-run deficit to come back for the win. With the victory, the Bulldogs achieved their eighth 30-win season in the last 10 years.
 

Samford entered the ninth inning trailing Western Carolina, 7-5. With one out, Navarrete tripled. With two outs, Hunter Swilling and Heath Quinn were both hit by pitches to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Jared Watson then singled to drive in Navarrete and Swilling to tie the game and force extra innings.
 
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Damon Waller walked to lead off the inning. Mula then pinch ran for Waller and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Danny Rodriguez. After Richard Greene was intentionally walked, Mula and Greene both moved up a base on a passed ball. Navarrete then delivered the walk-off hit to give the Bulldogs their 8-7 win.
 
SAMFORD'S CURRY NAMED SOCON PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Samford right-hander Parker Curry was named the SoCon Pitcher of the Week Monday for his outstanding performance in games held April 4-10. The selection was made by the league office. Curry turned in an outstanding outing Sunday against Wofford, hurling seven innings and allowing just two hits and two walks as the Bulldogs picked up their first shutout of the season, 6-0.
 
Curry struck out a season-high 11 batters in moving to 3-1 on the season. The senior from Pelham, Alabama, threw 120 pitches and allowed just a single in the fourth and another in the seventh after issuing two free passes in the first inning. Curry struck out at least two batters each inning from the second through fifth, getting the side in the fourth.
 

Samford's Curry boasts a 1.23 overall earned-run average this season and has only allowed a total of five earned runs in 36.2 innings. This season, teams are only hitting .172 against the Bulldogs' senior right-hander.
 
SAMFORD PICKED FIRST BY COACHES
For the first time in its eight-year membership in the SoCon, Samford was picked first in the 2016 Preseason SoCon Coaches Poll, it was officially released by the league headquarters on Feb. 11. The vote was taken of the conference's nine head coaches.
 
Samford placed first with 60 total votes, while defending champion Mercer followed closely with 59. The Bulldogs and Bears both received four first-place votes.
 
Samford finished the 2015 campaign with a 32-26 overall mark and a 14-10 record in the SoCon. The Bulldogs' second-place league finish was their best since joining the SoCon in 2009, while their tournament title-game appearance was their fourth in five seasons.
 
Samford returns all nine position starters and two starting pitchers from last year and placed a league-high seven players on the preseason all-conference teams.
 
HEATH QUINN - - THE CONSTANT STARTER
The Bulldogs' Quinn has started in all 150 games of his collegiate career. Just a junior, Samford's Preseason All-American immediately earned a spot in the team's starting lineup as a true freshman in 2014 and has been a staple in the starting nine ever since.
   

Quinn boasts top-flight totals with 14 home runs, 47 RBI and 96 total bases this season. In his three-year tenure at Samford, Quinn owns a .334 career batting average, 37 home runs, 151 RBI and 139 runs scored.
 
SCORING SIX IS THE KEY
Samford owns a perfect 16-0 record this season when scoring six or more runs. Conversely, the Bulldogs are 1-11 this year when scoring three runs or fewer. Samford also boasts an unblemished 11-1 record in 2016 when scoring a run in the first inning. Additionally, Samford holds a 14-8 record this season when scoring before its opponent.
 
IT'S TIME TO PULL AWAY
In the sixth, seventh and eighth innings this season, Samford is outscoring its opponents by a jaw-dropping total of 103-45. So far this year, the Bulldogs have already scored a total of 240 runs, while well over a third of those runs were tallied in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
 
More specifically, Samford is outscoring the opposition, 37-15, in the sixth stanza, 33-17 in the seventh and 33-13 in the eighth inning.
 
QUINN NAMED MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICAN BY PERFECT GAME
Samford's Quinn received yet another national honor on April 7, as the Bulldogs' junior right fielder from Birmingham, Alabama, was named a Midseason All-American by Perfect Game USA. Quinn, the nation's leading home run hitter with 14 this season, proved to be one of only 10 players to garner the prestigious nationwide honor.
 
Joining Quinn on the Midseason All-America list was Kyle Lewis from Mercer, therefore the SoCon boasts two of the nation's top-10 players at the midway point of the 2016 campaign.
 
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.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following this weekend's pivotal SoCon road series at first-place Western Carolina, the Samford
University baseball team will next be in action Tuesday at 4 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome the Alabama A&M Bulldogs to Joe Lee Griffin Field for a midweek doubleheader. The second game Tuesday is scheduled to begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest.
 
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.

Friday (April 15, 4 p.m. CT):  Video  |  Radio  |  GameTracker
Saturday (April 16, 1 p.m. CT):  Video  |  Radio  |  GameTracker
Sunday (April 17, Noon CT):  Video  |  Radio  |  GameTracker

Samford Game Notes  |  Tickets