Friday, Feb. 16  |  Samford vs. Rice  |  11:00 a.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Audio  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
Saturday, Feb. 17  |  Samford vs. #15 Virginia  |  Noon (CT)  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
Sunday, Feb. 18  |  Samford at #22 UCF  |  1:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Radio  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets

Samford Game Notes

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Samford University baseball team will begin play in its highly-anticipated 2018 season Friday at 11 a.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs square off against the Rice Owls in the opening game of this weekend's UCF Tournament to be held at John Euliano Park on the campus of the University of Central Florida.
 
Samford heads into the campaign boasting eight returning starters from last season's squad that earned a 33-26 overall record and tallied non-conference victories against Auburn, Alabama, Indiana, Troy, Kansas, Jacksonville State and UAB. Under the leadership of Head Coach Casey Dunn, who begins his 14^th season at Samford, the Bulldogs have posted 30-plus wins in 10 of the last 12 seasons.
 
Just last week, Samford was predicted to finish third in the Southern Conference preseason standings by both the coaches and media as the league headquarters officially released its annual poll.
 
In the coaches' vote, Samford received 43 points and came in third place behind UNCG and Mercer, which both finished tied for first place with 58 points apiece. On the media side, the Bulldogs' 82 points placed third again behind Mercer and UNCG. Mercer garnered the first-place spot with 119 points, while UNCG followed with 114.
 
Samford's returning starters this season consist of the following:  Troy Dixon (CF), Branden Fryman (SS), Anthony Mulrine (C), Austin Edens (1B), Jordan Fucci (RF), Ayrton Schafer (DH), Taylor Garris (3B) and Cody Shelton (SP).
 
The Bulldogs also return one of the best relief pitchers in the nation in senior Wyatt Burns, who was named to the 2018 Stopper of the Year Watch List by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), it was officially announced Tuesday.
 
Burns finished last year with 12 saves and 44 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched, while also adding a team-high 28 appearances. Each season, the Stopper of the Year Award is given to the top relief pitcher In NCAA Division I baseball.

SAMFORD'S PRESEASON ALL-SOCON HONORS
The Bulldogs' Shelton was tabbed as a First-Team All-SoCon member last week, while Burns, Dixon and Schafer all headlined the second team.
 
Shelton, the Bulldogs' junior starting pitcher, received First-Team All-SoCon preseason honors after finishing the 2017 campaign with a 5-3 record and a 2.69 earned run average. Samford's talented right-hander from Brentwood, Tennessee, accumulated 59 strikeouts last season and only allowed a total of 19 earned runs.
 
Burns received Second-Team All-SoCon preseason accolades for a second straight year. The Bulldogs' talented senior reliever finished the 2017 campaign with 12 saves, 44 strikeouts and only 12 earned runs. Burns registered a team-high 28 appearances last season, posted a brilliant 5-1 record and concluded the year with a 2.25 earned run average.
 
Samford Dixon and Schafer also received Second-Team All-SoCon honors. Dixon, a junior this season, registered a .313 batting average in 2017 and added 33 runs and 31 RBI. Schafer, who completed a breakout freshman campaign last season, batted .331 and hammered 11 home runs. The Bulldogs' power hitter from Collierville, Tennessee, also drove in 38 runs and scored 36 runs.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Rice enters the 2018 campaign under the direction of legendary head coach Wayne Graham. Now in his 27th season at the helm, Graham has led Rice to 21 conference titles in the last 22 years. Rice has also been to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 23 years, now the third-longest active streak in the nation.
 
Last season, the Owls compiled a 33-31 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Regionals. Rice's 2017 campaign came to an end on June 4, with a 5-0 loss to No. 2-ranked LSU in front of 10,639 raucous fans at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
 
COMING UP NEXT
Following Friday's season-opening contest against Rice, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action Saturday at noon (CT) as the Bulldogs continue play in the 2018 UCF Tournament versus the No. 15-ranked Virginia Cavaliers in a marquee early-season matchup to be held at John Euliano Park.
 
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.

Friday, Feb. 16  |  Samford vs. Rice  |  11:00 a.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Audio  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
Saturday, Feb. 17  |  Samford vs. #15 Virginia  |  Noon (CT)  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
Sunday, Feb. 18  |  Samford at #22 UCF  |  1:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Radio  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets

Samford Game Notes