Tuesday, March 21 - - Samford at Troy (6 p.m. CT) - - Video ($5.95)  |  Radio (91.1 FM)  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
Wednesday, March 22 - - Troy at Samford (6 p.m. CT) - - Video  |  Radio (91.1 FM)  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets

Samford Baseball Game Notes

TROY, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team will begin play in a key home-and-home midweek series against the Troy Trojans on Tuesday as the Bulldogs travel south for an in-state road matchup to be held 6 p.m. (CT) at Riddle-Pace Field. The teams will then square off Wednesday at 6 p.m., in the final contest of the two-game series at Joe Lee Griffin Field in Birmingham.
 
Samford (12-7) heads into this weekend's series with Troy (11-7) looking to rebound from an 8-3 loss against Eastern Michigan on Sunday. Despite the recent setback, the Bulldogs have been victorious in nine of their last 11 games, including a 10-3 road victory at Alabama last week.
 
Samford boasts an impressive 15-3 record against in-state opponents since April 7, 2015.
 
LAST SEASON'S ANNUAL HOME-AND-HOME SERIES
In 2016, Samford and Troy split its annual home-and-home series with each team winning on its home field. The Bulldogs started things off with a decisive 20-6 home victory on March 8, while the Trojans rebounded in the second matchup to post a 5-3 win held at Riddle-Pace Field on April 5.
 
THE BULLDOGS' LAST TIME OUT
Samford suffered its first home loss in over two weeks Sunday as the Eastern Michigan Eagles scored five runs in the final four innings of action en route to handing the Bulldogs only their third defeat of the season held at Joe Lee Griffin Field, 8-3. Eastern Michigan's win also kept Samford from earning its second straight three-game sweep.
 
With the loss, Samford moved to 9-3 at home this season. The Bulldogs' only 2017 setbacks at Joe Lee Griffin Field have come against UNC Asheville, 6-4, Indiana, 10-5, and Eastern Michigan, 8-3.
 
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Samford's Jordan Fucci earned a one-out walk and later tied the score at 3-3 in the contest as Taylor Garris shot a big RBI single through the left side of the infield. Garris, the Bulldogs' impressive true freshman from Sarasota, Florida, finished 1-for-3 at the plate with two RBI.
 
Eastern Michigan answered Samford's game-tying score in demonstrative fashion Sunday as the Eagles exploded for three runs in the top of the eighth, as well as two in the ninth. EMU's late five-run rally solidified their only win of the three-game series.
 
QUICK NOTE OF THE DAY
The Bulldogs' T.J. Dixon and Kevin Williams, Jr., have both reached base safely in all 19 games this season. Dixon's 17-game hitting streak was recently snapped Sunday against Eastern Michigan, while Williams, Jr., is currently in the midst of a team-leading, four-game hitting streak.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Troy (11-7) began play in its Sun Belt Conference schedule over the weekend and took two out of three games on the road at Little Rock. The Trojans won the first two contests by scores of 7-6 and 6-3 on Friday and Saturday, respectively, before coming up short in the series finale, 10-3, on Sunday.
 
Troy has been victorious in four of its last five outings and boasts a 5-3 record at home this season.
 
The Trojans' top hitter this season has been senior outfielder Trevor Davis, who is batting .370 with 10 runs scored and nine RBI. He has started in 13 of the team's 18 games this year. Troy's Mason Rogers (.345), Brandon Lockridge (.333) and Chase Smartt (.310) are also hitting over .300 this season.
 
The Trojans have compiled 11 home runs as a team, including two apiece from Justin Friend, Brody Binder and Smartt.
 
Troy enters the midweek set against Samford ranked 30th nationally with 1.61 stolen bases per game. The Trojans have stolen 29 bases on the season and have only been caught six times; on the flip side, Troy has thrown out eight of 20 potential base stealers.
 
TUESDAY'S PITCHING MATCHUP
Samford - - RHP, Connor Radcliff, So. (Birmingham, Alabama) || 1-1 (9.31 ERA)
Troy - - RHP, Andrew Crane, Jr. (Loreauville, Louisiana) || 0-0 (3.92 ERA)
 
WEDNESDAY'S PITCHING MATCHUP
Samford - - RHP, Cody Shelton, So. (Brentwood, Tennessee) || 1-0 (0.00 ERA)
Troy - - RHP, Houston Mabray, Sr. (Troy, Alabama) || 1-1 (4.29 ERA)
 
SAMFORD IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
 
Team - - - - -
#14 | Home Runs (24)
#15 | Home Runs Per Game (1.26)
#30 | Double Plays Turned (19)
#35 | Double Plays Turned Per Game (1.00)
#42 | Slugging Percentage (.458)
 
Kevin Williams, Jr. - - - - -
#5 | Home Runs (8)
#10 | Home Runs Per Game (0.42)
#29 | Slugging Percentage (.729)
#46 | Total Bases (51)
 
Wyatt Burns - - - - -
#1 | Saves (8)
#23 | Pitching Appearances (11)
 
Austin Edens - - - - -
#46 | Home Runs (5)
 
Branden Fryman - - - - -
#44 | Sacrifice Bunts (4)
 
Anthony Mulrine - - - - -
#24 | Sacrifice Flies (3)
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following its midweek home-and-home series against Troy, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action this weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Lawrence, Kansas, for a three-game nonconference showdown against the Kansas Jayhawks. The teams are slated to play Friday at 6:05 p.m. (CT), Saturday at 2:05 p.m., and Sunday at 12:05 p.m.
 
Last season, Samford played host to Kansas for a three-game set held in Birmingham and won the first all-time series between the teams, 2-1. The Bulldogs won the first two contests, 3-2 and 13-9, before coming up short in the third game, 9-5.
 
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Tuesday, March 21 - - Samford at Troy (6 p.m. CT) - - Video ($5.95)  |  Radio (91.1 FM)  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
Wednesday, March 22 - - Troy at Samford (6 p.m. CT) - - Video  |  Radio (91.1 FM)  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets

Samford Baseball Game Notes