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GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Samford University baseball team will begin its quest for an automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs open play in the Southern Conference Tournament against the third-seeded UNCG Spartans in a first-round matchup to be held at Fluor Field.
 
Samford (32-24, 13-11 SoCon) heads into the tournament as the sixth-seeded team in the competition. The Bulldogs have been victorious in five of their last six conference games, but are coming off a disappointing 6-5, 10-inning loss to VMI on Senior Day. With the season-finale setback, Samford closed out the year with a 20-13 record at home.
 
The Bulldogs boast a 6-1 record in their last seven games away from home and concluded the regular season with a 12-11 mark outside of the friendly confines of Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 

Offensively, Samford boasts three players with current reached-base streaks of 10 games or more. Junior right-fielder Heath Quinn leads the way by reaching base in 15 straight games, while reigning SoCon Player of the Week Hunter Swilling follows closely with 14 and T.J. Dixon has reached safely in 10-consecutive outings.
 
The Bulldogs' Quinn hit safely in 21 of the team's 24 SoCon games this year. Samford's preseason All-American turned in a .379 batting average in league play with six home runs, 27 RBI and 23 runs scored.
 
Quinn closed out the regular season with a team-high batting average of .345, while sophomore Austin Edens followed at .329. Alex Lee, the Bulldogs' senior first baseman from Heflin, Alabama, is hitting .326 this season, as Dixon holds a .307 mark at the plate.
 
Samford's probable starting pitcher Wednesday is senior right-hander Parker Curry. Curry boast a 6-2 record this season, as well as a 3.42 earned-run average. In his most recent outing, the Bulldogs' ace struck out 10 Keydets as Samford topped VMI, 7-6, in 10 innings Thursday.
 

WEDNESDAY'S PITCHING MATCHUP
Samford:  #2 RHP Parker Curry (6-2, 3.42 ERA - - Sr., Pelham, Ala., Pelham HS)
UNCG:  #38 RHP Hunter Smith (6-4, 5.46 ERA - - Jr., Whiteville, N.C., Whiteville HS)
 
SAMFORD'S CURRY NAMED SOCON PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Samford's Curry was named the SoCon Pitcher of the Week on April 11 for his outstanding performance in games held April 4-10. He turned in an outstanding outing on April 10 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.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
UNCG (37-19, 15-9 SoCon) finished the regular season as the third-place team in the conference. The Spartans held first place for a majority of the 2016 SoCon campaign, but dropped seven of their last 11 league contests to notch a third-place finish.
 
Over the weekend, with the SoCon regular-season championship on the line, UNCG dropped a pair of home matchups against Mercer, 8-2 and 9-1. The Spartans proved to be victorious in Saturday's second game of the series, 1-0, but came up short in Sunday's rubber match on Senior Day.
 
UNCG entered its three-game SoCon homestand against Samford on April 29 with a brilliant 23-1 record at home. Since the Bulldogs took two out of three games in the series, the Spartans have compiled a 4-8 overall record, as well as a 1-2 mark at home.
 
The schedule-makers didn't do UNCG any favors down the stretch as the Spartans closed out its regular-season slate with seven of its final 10 games on the road.
 
UNCG heads into the SoCon Tournament as an offensive juggernaut. The Spartans lead the SoCon in 13 of the league's 18 major offensive statistical categories. Additionally, UNCG is ranked first in the nation in the following nine listings: batting average (.344), triples (31), hits (685) and slugging percentage (.531).
 
Individually, the Spartans' Ben Spitznagel is ranked third in the nation in hits (91), while L.J. Kalawaia is ninth in RBI (63).
 

BULLDOGS' RECORD VERSUS UNCG - - THE DUNN ERA
Since Head Coach Casey Dunn took the reins to the Bulldogs' baseball program in 2004, Samford has compiled a 14-7 record against UNCG.
 
Earlier this season, the teams squared off in a three-game set held in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Bulldogs rallied to win the series by taking two out of three games. The Spartans proved to be victorious in the first game of the series, 10-2, but then Samford bounced back to take the next two games by scores of 9-3 and 9-5 in a doubleheader held April 30 at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.
 
The Bulldogs and Spartans have never met in SoCon Tournament play, therefore Wednesday's matchup will be the first between the teams in postseason action.
 
SAMFORD'S ALL-TIME SOCON TOURNEY RESULTS
 
2009       N/A (Did not qualify)
 

2010       vs. Elon (L, 1-0)
                vs. Furman (W, 13-10)
                vs. Elon (L, 7-4)
 
2011       vs. Appalachian State (W, 5-3)
                vs. Furman (W, 7-1)
                vs. Appalachian State (W, 2-1)
                vs. Georgia Southern (L, 1-0*)
 
2012       vs. Western Carolina (W, 7-0)
                vs. Appalachian State (W, 12-7)
                vs. Furman (W, 12-2)
                vs. Georgia Southern (W, 9-6*)
 
2013       vs. Western Carolina (L, 13-7)
                vs. Appalachian State (L, 2-1)
 
2014       vs. Wofford (W, 4-2)
                vs. Davidson (W, 7-3)
                vs. Wofford (W, 12-3)
                vs. Georgia Southern (L, 4-3*)
 
2015       vs. Western Carolina (W, 8-7)
                vs. Wofford (W, 4-3)
                vs. Wofford (L, 12-8)
                vs. Wofford (W, 25-4)
                vs. Mercer (L, 5-0*)
 
*SoCon Tournament championship game
 
All-time SoCon Tournament record:  14-8
 
BREAKDOWN vs. OPPONENT
vs. Appalachian State (3-1)
vs. Davidson (1-0)
vs. Elon (0-2)
vs. Furman (3-0)
vs. Georgia Southern (1-2)
vs. Mercer (0-1)
vs. Western Carolina (2-1)
vs. Wofford (4-1)
 
BULLDOGS' ALL-SOCON HONOREES
Five Samford baseball players were honored Monday as the SoCon released its annual postseason accolades. The Bulldogs' Curry, Edens and Quinn were all named First-Team All-SoCon, while Lee earned Second-Team honors and Stephen Jones received All-Freshman accolades.
 
The coaches and media selected identical all-conference first teams with Samford and UNCG leading the league with three selections each. The Bulldogs saw starting pitcher Curry, outfielder Quinn and designated hitter Edens selected to the top squad, while the Spartans put Andrew Wantz, third baseman Collin Woody and outfielder Kalawaia on the first team.
 
SCORING SIX IS THE KEY
Samford owns a significant 25-2 record this season when scoring six or more runs. Conversely, the Bulldogs are just 7-22 this year when scoring five runs or fewer. Samford also boasts a 17-4 record in 2016 when scoring a run in the first inning. Additionally, Samford holds a 21-10 record this season when scoring before its opponent.
 
NATION'S HOME RUN LEADERS
Rank. Player                                                          HR
1. Kyle Nowlin, Eastern Kentucky          21
2. Heath Quinn, Samford                         19
     Jake Burger, Missouri State                19
     Nick Feight, UNCW                                 19
     Spencer Johnson, Missouri State     19
6. Austin Edens, Samford                         18
     Bryce Bowman, Western Carolina   18
     Tyler Jones, Air Force                            18
     Gary Russo, Miami (Ohio)                   18
     Reid Russell, Lamar                                18
 

SAMFORD BOASTS TWO OF NATION'S TOP HOME RUN HITTERS
Heading into the 2016 SoCon Tournament, Samford's Quinn and Edens are ranked as two of the top home run hitters in the nation. Quinn enters the postseason with 19 home runs this season and is ranked second in the country in the category.
 
Quinn, the Bulldogs' junior slugger from Birmingham, Alabama, is tied for second place with Missouri State's Jack Burger, UNCW's Nick Feight and Missouri State's Spencer Johnson. All four of the aforementioned players trail Kyle Nowlin of Eastern Kentucky for the top spot. Nowlin currently boasts 21 home runs after hitting three last week.
 
Samford's Edens, a talented sophomore designated hitter from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is currently ranked sixth in the nation with 18 home runs. Edens has been on fire as of late. Since April 15, Edens has blasted 10 home runs and is hitting .355 with 29 RBI, 21 runs scored and an exceptional .731 slugging percentage.
 
The Bulldogs' Quinn and Edens have combined to hit 37 home runs this season, while driving in a total of 128 runs and accumulating 289 total bases.
 
AUSTIN EDENS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Category, Rank (Value)
Home Runs, #6 (18)
Home Runs Per Game, #11 (0.34)
Total Bases, #16 (137)
Runs Batted In, #34 (58)
Runs Batted In Per Game, #34 (1.09)
Slugging Percentage, #47 (.626)
 

FEEL THE BURNS
Samford sophomore pitcher Wyatt Burns is ranked No. 7 in the nation this year with 34 appearances. The Bulldogs' crafty sidearmer from Pinson, Alabama, also leads the team with six saves and owns a 3.57 earned-run average.
 
Burns is averaging just over an inning per appearance this season and has tallied 32 strikeouts in 35.1 frames in 2016. So far, he has only allowed 14 earned runs on 29 base hits in 34 appearances.
 
SAMFORD'S SWILLING NAMED SOCON PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Samford third baseman Hunter Swilling was named the SoCon Player of the Week on Sunday for all games played May 16-21. He hit .429 over four games last week, with five of his six hits going for extra bases as he put together a slugging percentage of 1.071.
 
Swilling scored six runs and drove in four, drawing three walks and getting hit by pitches twice in accumulating a .579 on-base percentage. The junior from Columbus, Georgia, had a double, a walk and a run scored against Alabama.
 
In Thursday's doubleheader sweep of VMI, Swilling reached base six times, hitting a home run, drawing two walks and being hit by a pitch in the opener before hitting a single and being hit by another pitch in the nightcap. He had two RBI in the first game.
 
Swilling added three more extra-base hits in Saturday's extra-inning game against the Keydets, hitting two doubles and a homer, scoring twice and knocking in two runs.
 

HUNTER SWILLING IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Category, Rank (Value)
Doubles, #4 (24)
Doubles Per Game, #10 (0.43)
Runs, #24 (57)
Total Bases, #44 (129)
Runs Per Game, #59 (1.02)
Runs Batted In, #70 (53)
Home Runs, #79 (11)
 
SECOND-INNING STRETCH
So far this season, Samford is outscoring its opponents by a total of 46-26 in the second inning. Additionally, the Bulldogs are also outscoring the opposition, 44-35, in the third inning for a combined total of 90-61 in the second and third frames.
 
QUINN SETS SCHOOL'S RBI RECORD
On May 15 at The Citadel, the Bulldogs' Quinn turned in a 3-for-4 performance at the plate and drove in three runs. With his three RBI outing, Quinn moved past former Bulldog-great Brandon Miller and set the school's single-season record in RBI with 66.
 
Quinn, the SoCon's active leader in career RBI, has since upped his record-setting total to 70 this season and boasts 174 in his illustrious career as a junior.
 

BULLDOGS' HEATH QUINN IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Category, Rank (Value)
Home Runs, #2 (19)
Runs Batted In, #3 (70)
Runs Batted In Per Game, #6 (1.25)
Total Bases, #8 (150)
Home Runs Per Game, #13 (0.34)
Slugging Percentage, #16 (.682)
Runs, #21 (58)
Base On Balls, #28 (43)
Runs Per Game, #45 (1.04)
 
JUST WALK IT OFF
Three times in the last few weeks, Samford has tallied a walk-off victory in thrilling fashion. Since April 22, the Bulldogs have registered last at-bat triumphs against Kansas, Alabama and VMI.
 
On April 22, the Bulldogs' Frankie Navarrete powered a double off the wall in center field to score Danny Rodriguez and defeat Kansas, 3-2.
 
Then, on April 26, Samford earned a similar 3-2 triumph as freshman Ben Carrick sent a one-out, two-run walk-off homer over the wall in left field to defeat Alabama.
 
Most recently, the Bulldogs' Jared Watson roped a bases-loaded single down the left-field line to score Swilling from third base to defeat VMI on Thursday. With Watson's key hit, Samford notched a 7-6, 10-inning win over the Keydets.
 

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 Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2016 College World Series.
 
BULLDOGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Category, Rank (Value)
Home Runs, #4 (75)
Home Runs Per Game, #5 (1.34)
Slugging Percentage, #17 (.476)
Hits, #19 (586)
Runs, #21 (398)
Base on Balls, #23 (260)
Scoring, #30 (7.1 rpg)
On Base Percentage, #34 (.392)
 
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 nine of the last 11 seasons, now including the 2016 campaign. 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 Baseball Draft picks, and it had a total of nine players sign with MLB teams.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
The winner of Wednesday's SoCon Tournament first-round matchup between No. 6 Samford and No. 3 UNCG will remain in the all-important winner's bracket of the tournament.
 
By being triumphant Wednesday, the victor will move on to face either No. 2-seed Western Carolina or No. 7 Wofford at 6:30 p.m., on Thursday. The losing team will move into the loser's bracket and face the loser of the Western Carolina and Wofford matchup Thursday at 11:30 a.m. (CDT) in an elimination game.
 
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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