Game One (Saturday, April 23 - - Noon):  Video  |  Radio  |  Live Stats
Game Two (Saturday, April 23 - - 3 p.m.):  Video  |  Radio  |  Live Stats
Game Three (Sunday, April 24 - - Noon):  Video  |  Radio  |  Live Stats

Samford Game Notes  |  Tickets

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team will continue play in its midseason six-game, non-conference homestand Friday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome the Kansas Jayhawks to town for a three-game series to be held at Joe Lee Griffin Field. 
 
Samford (21-17) heads into the weekend with hopes of bouncing back from a disappointing 7-5 home loss to Alabama A&M on Tuesday. In the setback, the Bulldogs issued nine free passes and couldn't overcome an early 5-2 deficit en route to only their second in-state loss this season. Samford boasts a 7-2 record against opponents from the state of Alabama in 2016.
 
Despite Tuesday's loss, the Bulldogs have been triumphant in five of their last eight outings, including games against Wofford (2), Alabama State, Western Carolina and Alabama A&M.
 
Samford owns a 15-8 record at home this season and is 15-11 against non-conference opponents. When playing in the friendly confines of Joe Lee Griffin Field this year, the Bulldogs boast a stellar .331 batting average and have hit 37 home runs. Junior Heath Quinn is batting .432 at home this season with 10 home runs and 35 RBI. He has also powered 27 runs and six doubles in games held in Birmingham.
 
All nine position starters for Samford this season are batting at least .286 on the season. Quinn leads the team with a solid .354 batting average and is the nation's leading home run hitter this season with 15. He has reached base safely in 33-consecutive games dating back to Feb. 26. Additionally, Quinn has already registered 50 RBI this year and has compiled 16 multiple-RBI games.
 
Samford's pitching staff boasts the best earned-run average in the Southern Conference this season. The Bulldogs own a 4.33 ERA in 2016 and have allowed a league-best 190 runs this season, including a SoCon-low total of 160 earned runs.
 
This weekend, Samford's pitching rotation will consist of true freshman right-hander Stephen Jones (3-0, 3.56 ERA) on Friday, junior right-hander Jared Brasher (2-4, 4.95 ERA) on Saturday and true freshman right-hander Connor Radcliff (2-3, 6.75 ERA) in Sunday's three-game series finale.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Kansas (16-20) enters this weekend's series with some positive momentum after being victorious in four of their last six outings. Since April 8, the Jayhawks have tallied wins against No. 6-ranked TCU, Texas, Omaha and a 19-2 drubbing of Baker College on Wednesday, which was a continuation of a makeup game that was started March 23.
 
In Big 12 play, Kansas holds a 3-8 record this season and the Jayhawks own a 2-9 overall mark when playing away from home.
 
Kansas and Samford have faced a common opponent this season. In early March, the Jayhawks played host to BYU in a three-game series and were swept by the Cougars, 11-10, 8-2 and 7-6.
 
Samford also played host to BYU this season and tallied a 1-2 record. The Cougars, who are currently ranked No. 20 in the nation with a 27-7 overall mark, took the first two games of the series, 7-1 and 4-3, while Samford tallied a 10-5 victory in the finale held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
The Jayhawks' leading hitter this season is junior catcher Michael Tinsley, who is batting .369 on the year with 31 runs scored and 26 RBI.
 
Kansas' starting backstop is also 6-for-7 on stolen-base attempts and leads the team with 141 at-bats. Additionally, the Jayhawks' Colby Wright (.333), Joe Moroney (.326) and Devin Foyle (.306) are also batting over .300 this season.
 
Kansas' Friday night starter will be senior left-hander Ben Krauth (3-4). Krauth boasts a 2.71 earned-run average this year, including wins against Texas and Baylor, and a pair of complete-game outings. He has also accumulated a team-high 71 strikeouts in only 63 innings this season. Heading into the weekend, the Jayhawks' Saturday and Sunday starters are currently listed as TBA.
 
BULLDOGS' RECORD AGAINST KANSAS - - THE DUNN ERA
Since Head Coach Casey Dunn took the reins to the Bulldogs' baseball program in 2004, Samford has not squared off against Kansas on the diamond. In fact, Friday's contest will mark the Bulldogs' first all-time meeting with the Jayhawks.
 
Since Dunn's arrival in 2004, Samford has only faced current members of the Big 12 once. In mid-May of 2012, the Bulldogs played a three-game series at No. 24-ranked Oklahoma and came away from the tough road set with a 1-2 record.
 
SAMFORD'S DUNN REACHES 350-WIN MARK
On March 18, the Bulldogs earned an 8-5 home victory against Jacksonville. With the triumph, Samford's Dunn reached the 350-win plateau in his 12th season at the helm of the Bulldogs' baseball program.
 
Dunn was named Samford's head baseball coach in August 2004. Under his leadership, the Bulldogs have posted 30-plus wins in eight of the last 10 seasons. The team has also played in the SoCon Tournament title game in four of the last five years.
 
In 2012, Dunn coached the Bulldogs to their first SoCon championship and NCAA Tournament bid. The team also set a school record for wins with 41. Also in 2012, Dunn's squad produced a school-record seven Major League Basbeall Draft picks, and it had a total of nine players sign with MLB teams.
 
WINNING BIG HAS BEEN THE TREND
The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a total of 286-190 this season, for a stellar run differential of 96. In its 21 wins over the course of the 2016 campaign, Samford is averaging a boastful 7.1-run margin of victory. Conversely, in the Bulldogs' 17 losses this season, the opposition's margin of victory has only been 3.1 runs.
 
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, 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.
 
SECOND-INNING STRETCH
So far this season, Samford is outscoring its opponents by a total of 30-13 in the second inning. Additionally, the Bulldogs are also outscoring the opposition, 30-21, in the third inning for a combined total of 60-34 in the second and third frames.
 
SAMFORD'S GREENE NAMED NATIONAL CANDIDATE FOR 2016 SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Samford's Richard Greene cemented his place among the nation's elite student-athletes on March 14, as the Bulldogs' senior catcher 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.
 
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 37 of the team's 38 games at the position this year and has only committed two errors this season in a total of 160 chances.
 
Navarrete, Samford's speedy second baseman and graduate of Christopher Columbus High School, has started in 33 of the team's 38 games this season and has only committed four errors.
 
LET'S HAVE SOME FUN - - QUINN'S PROJECTED NUMBERS THIS SEASON
Currently, Samford's Quinn owns 15 home runs, 42 runs scored, 50 RBI and 109 total bases this year. Last season, the Bulldogs' right fielder finished the 2015 campaign with 238 official at-bats.
 
If Quinn earns an equal amount of 238 at-bats this year, Samford's preseason All-American is on pace to achieve 24 home runs, 67 runs scored, 79 RBI and 173 total bases. To put that in perspective, last season's American League MVP Josh Donaldson accumulated 41 home runs and 123 RBI in a total of 620 at-bats, which is nearly three times as many as Quinn will receive in 2016.
 
SCORING SIX IS THE KEY
Samford owns a perfect 18-0 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 12-3 record in 2016 when scoring a run in the first inning. Additionally, Samford holds a 14-9 record this season when scoring before its opponent.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following this weekend's non-conference home series against Kansas, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome the Alabama Crimson Tide to Joe Lee Griffin Field for a highly-anticipated in-state matchup.
 
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, April 22 - - 6 p.m.):  Video  |  Radio  |  Live Stats
Game Two (Saturday, April 23 - - 2 p.m.):  Video  |  Radio  |  Live Stats
Game Three (Sunday, April 24 - - Noon):  Video  |  Radio  |  Live Stats

Samford Game Notes  |  Tickets