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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team will conclude play in its early-season, four-game homestand Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs welcome the Alabama State Hornets to Joe Lee Griffin Field for the opening game of a home-and-home midweek series featuring the in-state opponents.
 
Tuesday's game was originally slated to be played in Montgomery, but was recently switched to be held in Birmingham due to a scheduling conflict on Alabama State's campus. Therefore, the Bulldogs will now be playing on the road at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex on Wednesday at 6 p.m. (CT).
 
Samford (5-5) enters Tuesday's home game with a full head of steam after taking two of three contests from Indiana over the weekend. The Bulldogs lost the first matchup of the three-game series, 10-5, but then rebounded with back-to-back victories of 6-5 and 5-3 to close out the key non-conference set held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
Samford owns a solid 4-2 record at home this season by posting identical 2-1 marks against UNC Asheville and Indiana. All five of the Bulldogs' victories this year have been by four runs or less, including a pair of one-run victories.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Alabama State (5-7) enters Tuesday's matchup boasting some positive momentum after earning a 5-4 walk-off victory against Alabama A&M on Sunday.
 
The Hornets' Ray Hernandez drove in the game-winning run on a sharply-hit single to center field. The victory secured the 13^th-straight Southwest Athletic Conference home series win by Alabama State, dating back to the 2013 season. The last time the Hornets dropped a SWAC home series was in April of 2013 against Alcorn State.
 
Already this season, Alabama State has earned victories against Iowa, 4-3, UAB, 7-2, and Ohio, 12-6. The Hornets will be playing their first true road game of the season Tuesday.
 
Alabama State owns a strong 3-1 record at home, but a 2-6 mark in neutral games, which included early-season losses to No. 6-ranked Louisville, 7-0, and No. 22 Maryland, 9-7.
 
BULLDOGS' RECORD AGAINST ALABAMA STATE - - THE DUNN ERA
Since Head Coach Casey Dunn took the reins to the Bulldogs' baseball program in 2004, Samford has compiled a 5-1 record against Alabama State.
 
Last season, the teams squared off twice in a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs winning both of the matchups. On March 15, 2016, Samford earned an 18-7 road victory in Montgomery before coming back home to notch a 13-3 win against the Hornets in a duel held in Birmingham.
 
TUESDAY'S PITCHING MATCHUP
Samford - - RHP, Connor Radcliff, So. (Birmingham, Alabama) || 0-0 (18.00 ERA)
Alabama State - - RHP, Burke Echelmeier, Sr. (Fulton, Missouri) || 2-0 (2.70 ERA)
 
WEDNESDAY'S PITCHING MATCHUP
Samford - - RHP, Jesse McCord, So. (Spanish Fort, Alabama) || 0-2 (9.24 ERA)
Alabama State - - RHP, Jon Roblez, Sr. (Roland Park, Kansas) || 0-1 (7.20 ERA)
 
GET TO KNOW SAMFORD'S CONNOR RADCLIFF
Radcliff was the Bulldogs' first commitment of the 2014 early signing period. He came to Samford from a great family and a phenomenal high school program, and has already been an outstanding addition to the university.
 
Last season, as a true freshman, Radcliff earned 11 starts for the Bulldogs and finished the year with a 3-4 record. He compiled 43 innings pitched and 16 appearances, while tallying 40 strikeouts, nearly one per inning. Radcliff was also named to the 2016 Southern Conference Spring Academic All-Conference Team.
 
GET TO KNOW SAMFORD'S JESSE MCCORD
The Bulldogs' McCord is a hard-throwing, right-handed pitcher. Two years ago, he spent his freshman season playing at Mississippi State following an outstanding high school career at Spanish Fort High School.
 
In his only season at Mississippi State, McCord started three games going 1-0 with nine strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings pitched before missing the remainder of the 2015 season due to injury. He was a member of the Southeastern Conference First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
 
BULLDOGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
-- Samford's Wyatt Burns is ranked fourth in the nation in saves this season with four.
-- The Bulldogs' Kevin Williams, Jr., is ranked ninth in the country with five home runs this year.
-- Junior first baseman Austin Edens enters Tuesday's game ranked No. 21 in the nation by drawing 11 walks this season.
-- Samford's freshman shortstop Branden Fryman is ranked No. 25 in the country with three sacrifice bunts.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following this week's home-and-home, non-conference series against Alabama State, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs begin a three-game series against former Ohio Valley Conference rival, the Eastern Illinois Panthers, in a matchup to be held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
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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