- - Tuesday at Jacksonville State (4 p.m. CT)  |  Audio  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
- - Wednesday at Alabama (3 p.m. CT)  |  Video  |  Audio  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets

Samford Game Notes

OXFORD, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team will put its season-long, six-game winning streak on the line this week as the Bulldogs hit the road for a pair of tough in-state matchups against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Tuesday (4 p.m.) and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday (3 p.m.).
 
Tuesday's contest against Jacksonville State will be held at the Choccolocco Baseball/Softball Complex.
 
Samford (9-5) enters the week with a full head of steam after earning a three-game sweep against the Eastern Illinois Panthers over the weekend. The Bulldogs tallied wins of 9-4, 4-1 and 7-6 to take the series at home at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
Also last week, Samford traveled to Montgomery and registered a key 10-7 road victory against Alabama State on Wednesday.
 
WINNING IS CONTAGIOUS
Samford has won six straight games dating back to a 10-5 loss against Indiana on March 3. Since then, the Bulldogs have defeated Indiana twice, 6-5 and 5-3, won on the road at Alabama State, 10-7, and earned a three-game home sweep of the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
 
Samford's current six-game winning streak is its longest since April 24, 2015, when the Bulldogs put the finishing touches on a nine-game winning streak by defeating Wofford on the road, 8-3.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT
Samford extended its season-long winning streak to six-consecutive games Sunday as the Bulldogs completed their weekend series sweep of the Eastern Illinois Panthers with a pair of victories at home at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Samford won the opening game of the doubleheader, 4-1, before rallying for a 10-inning 7-6 triumph in the nightcap.
 
The Bulldogs won Sunday's second game in thrilling, come-from-behind fashion as they scored two runs to tie it in the bottom of the ninth and then tallied the game-winner in the 10^th.
 
With one out in the ninth inning, Samford trailed by a pair of runs, 6-4. The Bulldogs' Austin Edens strolled to the plate with the bases loaded and roped a game-tying double down the left-field line.
 
Edens' performance tied the game at 6-6 and ultimately sent the contest to extra innings. Samford's preseason All-American from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, finished the game with six RBI and a pair of home runs. Edens turned in a 3-for-5 outing at the dish and also scored two runs.
 
In the bottom of the 10^th inning, sophomore Jordan Fucci opened the frame with a double down the right-field line. He was then pinch run for by sophomore speedster Sam Teague.
 
Next up, Samford's Greg Mula pinch hit for Ben Carrick and sent a perfectly-placed bunt down the third-base line. Eastern Illinois' pitcher Michael Starcevich quickly grabbed the ball, but airmailed his throw to third base well into right field and Teague scored the game-winning run.
 
The Bulldogs earned the come-from-behind triumph, 7-6, in their first extra-innings affair of the season.
 
Samford's Wyatt Burns (1-0) notched the victory, while Starcevich (0-2) was issued the loss.
 
Senior T.J. Dixon registered a 2-for-4 outing at the plate and also scored a pair of runs. The Bulldogs' Branden Fryman and Troy Dixon also added key hits in the nightcap.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Jacksonville State (7-7) enters Tuesday's game with aspirations of snapping its current three-game losing streak. After winning at home against Bowling Green on March 8, the Gamecocks were swept on the road in a three-game Ohio Valley Conference-opening weekend at Austin Peay. In the series, Jacksonville State was defeated by scores of 8-4, 4-0 and 6-5 (14).
 
The Gamecocks are having their home stadium renovated this season, therefore Jacksonville State has played 13 of its 14 games on the road. Tuesday's game will mark only the Gamecocks' second game being held at their temporary home stadium, the Choccolocco Baseball/Softball Complex.
 
Since winning at Alabama on Feb. 28, 2-1, Jacksonville State has been defeated in five of its last six outings.
 
The Gamecocks' top hitter this season is freshman outfielder Chase Robinson, who boasts a batting average of .348 on the year.
 
TUESDAY'S PITCHING MATCHUP
Samford - - RHP, Connor Radcliff, So. (Birmingham, Alabama) || 1-0 (6.75 ERA)
Jacksonville State - - TBA
 
SAMFORD'S PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Bulldogs' Edens paced Samford to a 4-0 record last week with a .500 batting average (9-of-18), eight RBI, three home runs, two doubles and a trio of runs scored. The Bulldogs' junior first baseman also drove in the game-tying runs against Eastern Illinois in the bottom of the ninth inning in Sunday's thrilling 7-6 (10) victory over the Panthers. He also tallied a six-RBI, two home run performance in the Bulldogs' win.
 
At first base, Edens notched 31 putouts and didn't commit a single error in four games. Edens hit safely in all four games and registered a pair of three-hit outings. He also compiled a jaw-dropping 1.111 slugging percentage and 20 total bases.
 
BULLDOGS' PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Samford's Burns played a key role in three of the Bulldogs' four wins last week as they compiled a perfect 4-0 record in games against Alabama State and Eastern Illinois. Burns finished the week with two saves and a win, while notching a solid 2.25 earned runs average. He earned two appearances in Samford's weekend sweep of Eastern Illinois and posted a save and a win.
 
Burns only allowed one hit in two games against the Panthers. The Bulldogs' junior right-hander also tallied a save in Wednesday night's 10-7 road win at Alabama State.
 
FRESHMEN PHENOMS
Samford's top two hitters at this point in the season are true freshmen Taylor Garris and Branden Fryman. They are both hitting an identical .382 at the plate this year. Garris, the Bulldogs' native of Sarasota, Florida, is batting .526 in his last five games and has made 10 starts at third base this season.
 
Fryman has been Samford's starting shortstop in all 14 games this year and has tallied a hit in every outing of the year except one. On Feb. 25, he went 0-for-3 on the road at No. 5-ranked Florida State, but has registered a hit in each of the Bulldogs' last nine games.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Tuesday's road game at Jacksonville State, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action Wednesday at 3 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs head west to Tuscaloosa for a key midweek matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The in-state contest will be played at the University of Alabama's Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
 
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.

- - Tuesday at Jacksonville State (4 p.m. CT)  |  Audio  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
- - Wednesday at Alabama (3 p.m. CT)  |  Video  |  Audio  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets

Samford Game Notes