Game 1:  Friday, March 16  |  2:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats
Game 2:  Saturday, March 17  |  2:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats
Game 3:  Sunday, March 18  |  1:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team will begin play in its third home weekend series of the 2018 campaign Friday at 2 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs welcome the Alabama A&M Bulldogs to Joe Lee Griffin Field for a three-game set.
 
Samford (7-11) heads into the weekend with aspirations of snapping a four-game losing streak. Since pitching past Austin Peay on March 7, 5-1, the Bulldogs have suffered consecutive losses to Georgia State, 2-0, 1-0, and 9-7, as well as a 14-4 setback at Alabama State.
 
Samford had its seven-game winning streak against the Hornets snapped Wednesday in its road loss held at ASU's Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
 
The defeat proved to be the first in the series for Samford since March 18, 2014, when the Bulldogs were topped at home, 23-7.
 
In its eight-inning road loss to Alabama State, Samford committed five costly errors. The Hornets scored 14 runs on 12 hits, including a two-run, game-winning home run to left-center field from Hunter Allen in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Four of Alabama State's 14 runs proved to be unearned. The Hornets scored 10 runs in the final three innings of play.
 
After four full innings, Samford held a 4-3 advantage in the game. The Bulldogs were also tied at 4-4 with Alabama State heading into the sixth.
 
Samford's Ayrton Schafer and Blaine Smith both registered two-hit performances Wednesday, while Troy Dixon, Branden Fryman, Anthony Mulrine, Max Pinto and Mason Williamson also added base hits. The Bulldogs finished the contest with four runs on nine hits.
 
Alabama A&M (5-12) enters the weekend looking to bounce back from a pair of lopsided shutout losses at Alabama. On Tuesday, A&M dropped a 15-0 loss to the Crimson Tide, while also being blanked, 14-0, on Wednesday.
 
Last week, Alabama A&M played host to Alabama State in a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference series and took two out of three contests. The Hornets won the first game, 5-4, but then A&M bounced back for consecutive victories of 7-6 and 3-0 to take the series win.
 
Freshman Brandon Moore leads Alabama A&M with a .375 batting average this season. He also boasts three stolen bases this year, as well as a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
 
As a team, A&M is hitting .230 in 2018, while its opponents boast a .286 batting average. Pitching-wise, Alabama A&M is allowing an average of 7.2 runs per game and has been outscored 122-43 this season.
 
LAST YEAR'S MATCHUPS
Samford and Alabama A&M squared off twice last season, once on each team's home field. On April 4, Samford earned an 11-3 victory at home at Joe Lee Griffin Field and then exploded for a 31-1 triumph in Huntsville on April 25.
 
RECAP OF LAST YEAR'S HISTORIC WIN
Samford tied a historic 104-year school record last season as the Bulldogs equaled the program's highest run total of 31 runs in a demonstrative 31-1 triumph on the road against Alabama A&M in front of 73 diehard fans at the Bulldog Baseball Field.
 
Samford tied the school's all-time record in runs, a mark that stood for 104 years dating back to 1913 when the Bulldogs rolled to a 31-0 victory over Albertville. Samford tallied 30 hits in its win over Alabama A&M and only allowed five from the homestanding Bulldogs.
 
Offensively, Samford scored 12 runs in the first three innings of play and quickly put the game out of reach. A total of 14 different Bulldogs tallied hits, while 10 Samford players notched multi-hit performances.
 
Branden Fryman and Jordan Fucci led the way with four hits apiece. Fryman logged nine at-bats in the nine-inning victory. He finished 4-for-9 with three RBI and three runs scored in the contest. Fucci, the Bulldogs' powerful right-fielder from Lexington, Kentucky, scored a game-high six runs, while adding four RBI in a 4-for-6 performance at the plate.
 
Samford's T.J. Dixon and Troy Dixon both continued their impressive hitting. T.J. went 3-for-4 with four runs scored and an RBI, while Troy finished 3-for-6 at the dish with three runs scored and two RBI.
 
Also earning multi-hit outings for the Bulldogs were Sam McWhorter, Taylor Garris, Kevin Williams, Jr., Ryan Crockett, Ben Carrick and Grant Colton. Samford's Austin Edens, Greg Mula, Sam Teague and Schafer also added key base hits.
 
SAMFORD'S PITCHING ROTATION
Friday - - Cody Shelton (Senior, RHP, 0-2, 3.15 ERA)
Saturday - - Hamp Skinner (Sophomore, LHP, 2-1, 6.89 ERA)
Sunday - - Stephen Jones (Junior, RHP, 0-3, 5.59 ERA)
 
SAMFORD PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN SOCON
Samford was predicted to finish third in the Southern Conference preseason standings by both the coaches and media as the league headquarters officially released the annual picks.
 
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 HAS THREE PLAYERS DRAFTED IN 2017
Samford boasted three players selected in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft, as the Bulldogs' school-record number of drafted players continued to grow under the tutelage of Head Coach Casey Dunn and his staff.
 
Samford's Jared Brasher was drafted in the eighth round by the Washington Nationals, while Kevin Williams, Jr., was taken in the 13th round by the Los Angeles Angels and T.J. Dixon was selected by the Minnesota Twins with the first pick in the 24th round.
 
The Bulldogs' baseball program boasts seven top-10 round picks since 2012 and a total of 22 players drafted in the last seven years. Since Dunn took the reins in 2005, the Bulldogs have had a total of 24 players selected in the MLB Draft. Prior to Dunn's arrival, Samford only had a total of three players drafted in school history.
 
With this season's MLB Draft success, the Bulldogs have now had at least three players taken in a single season four times in school history, all of which have occurred under the direction of Dunn and his staff.
 
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Game 1:  Friday, March 16  |  2:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats
Game 2:  Saturday, March 17  |  2:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats
Game 3:  Sunday, March 18  |  1:00 p.m. (CT)  |  Video  |  Live Stats