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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University baseball team will continue play in its seven-game homestand Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs welcome the UAB Blazers to Joe Lee Griffin Field for an in-state showdown.
 
PROMOTIONAL ITEMS
1)  The office of Campus and Residential Life will host its annual Baseball Tailgate for Samford students beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the South Stadium parking lot adjacent to Joe Lee Griffin Field's left field line.
 
2)  The Samford soccer team will be receiving its Southern Conference championship rings before the game.
 
3)  After the contest, Samford students can take part in Samford Baseball's Annual Money Drop, where $1,000 in cash will literally be up for grabs as it's dropped from a helicopter above the field.
 
PREVIEWING THE GAME
Earlier this season, Samford (24-21) earned an 8-2 road victory against UAB (19-22) on March 27, at Regions Field. The Bulldogs' triumph helped spark their ensuing 13-game winning streak, which proved to be their second longest in school history.
 
Since earning a dominant 6-0 road victory at Alabama on April 17, Samford has gone through a rough patch with seven straight losses. The Bulldogs were swept by UNCG, lost on the road at No. 19 Auburn and then swept in nonconference play over the weekend by SIUE.
 
Samford's rollercoaster stretch in the last 20 outings marks the first time in school history that the Bulldogs have won 13 straight games before consequently losing seven straight.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT
On Saturday, Samford was defeated in a pair of nonconference matchups as the Bulldogs dropped decisions of 5-0 and 4-2 to the SIUE Cougars in a late-season doubleheader held at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
The Cougars' Kenny Serwa hurled a complete-game shutout to lift SIUE to a 5-0 triumph in the opening game of the doubleheader. He only allowed a single hit in the contest, which proved to be a line-drive single to left field from freshman outfielder Max Pinto in the bottom of the second inning. Since Pinto's hit, Serwa retired Samford's final 24 batters of the game.
 
In the second game, SIUE rallied to score three runs on three hits in the top of the first inning, including a three-run homer from Brock Hammit to jump out to an early 3-0 lead on the Bulldogs.
 
Samford's Austin Edens and Ryan Crockett both registered RBI later in the game as the Bulldogs nearly managed the comeback. Edens finished 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored, while Crockett went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Despite Samford's late rally, the Cougars were able to hold on for the 4-2 win.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW . . .
1)  The Bulldogs' Austin Edens is just one RBI shy of tying Samford's all-time mark in the category of 181. He currently boasts 180 RBI in his career and trails former Bulldog-great Heath Quinn.
 
2)  Samford owns an 8-5 record against in-state opponents this season.
 
3)  This year marks the first time in school history that the Bulldogs have registered a 13-game winning streak, followed by a seven-game losing streak.
 
4)  The Bulldogs' recent 13-game winning streak was their longest in 60 years, when Samford, then known as Howard College, opened the 1958 season with a 17-game streak.
 
5)  Samford's 13-game winning streak was its second longest in school history. The Bulldogs closed out the 1957 campaign with 11 straight victories and then opened 1958 with 17 consecutive wins for a school-record, 28-game stretch.
 
6)  Samford was named NCAA Baseball's Team of the Week on April 16, after finishing the week with a 12-3 victory against No. 21-ranked Auburn, as well as a SoCon sweep of Mercer.
 
7)  Since March 27, Samford owns a 13-7 record and is outscoring its opponents by a total of 124-61.
 
8)  Since March 27, the Bulldogs are also out-hitting their opponents, 201-142, which equates to a .286 - .218 advantage in batting average, including a 15-8 difference in home runs.
 
9)  Samford has defeated two nationally-ranked opponents this season in No. 21 Auburn and No. 22 UCF. The Bulldogs defeated Auburn, 12-3, on April 10, and topped UCF on the road in Orlando, Fla., 5-4, on Feb. 18.
 
10)  This marks the first time that Samford has registered two top-25 wins since 2012.
 
11)  Samford true freshman Samuel Strickland has already been named the SoCon Pitcher of the Week three times this season.
 
12)  The Bulldogs' pitching staff is nationally ranked in the top 30 in four major categories. Samford is No. 7 in shutouts (6), No. 7 in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.32), No. 10 in WHIP (1.20) and No. 29 in ERA (3.39).
 
13)  Samford's ERA of 3.39 is the team's lowest since 2011, when the Bulldogs finished the season with a 3.11 mark. Nine members of Samford's 2011 pitching staff were either drafted or played professionally.
 
14)  Samford is outscoring opponents, 40-17, in the third inning this season. The Bulldogs also boast a 36-21 advantage in the sixth inning.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
UAB enters Tuesday's matchup with a full head of steam after winning two of three games on the road at No. 22 Florida Atlantic in Conference USA play. The Blazers' accomplishment marked the first time UAB won a series against a nationally-ranked opponent in school history.
 
For his efforts, the Blazers' Ryan Ruggles was named the C-USA Pitcher of the Week on Monday. He proved to be the first Blazer to garner Pitcher of the Week Honors since Thomas Lowery received the award March 20, 2017.
 
The left-handed Ruggles earned the win in game two of the series at Florida Atlantic as he went a season-high 8.0 innings with a career-best 10 strikeouts. He allowed just one earned run on six hits and retired 14 consecutive Owls during the course of the game.
 
Ruggles became the first Blazer to strike out 10 batters since James Naile accomplished the task on May 8, 2015 at FIU.
 
UAB owns an 8-8 record when playing on the road this season.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Under the tutelage of Head Coach Casey Dunn, Samford is the winningest Division I program in the state of Alabama since 2011, and the Bulldogs have had 22 players selected in the MLB Draft over the last seven years.
 
EDENS IN THE RECORD BOOK
Samford's Edens, who is the school's all-time home run leader with 50 round-trippers, is already one of the most decorated players in school history. He is currently ranked among the top five hitters in a number of statistical categories, including home runs, RBI, total bases and doubles.
 
ALL-TIME HOME RUNS
1. Austin Edens (2015 - current), 50
2. Heath Quinn (2014-16), 44
 
ALL-TIME RUNS BATTED IN
1. Heath Quinn (2014-16), 181
2. Austin Edens (2015 - current), 180
 
ALL-TIME TOTAL BASES
1. Austin Edens (2015 - current), 450
2. Heath Quinn (2014-16), 425
 
ALL-TIME DOUBLES
1. Bear Burnett (2005-08), 52
2. Heath Quinn (2014-16), 48
3. Phillip Ervin (2011-13), 47
4. Hunter Swilling (2014-16), 46
5. Austin Edens (2015 - current), 45
 
BULLDOGS DEFEAT NO. 21 AUBURN & NO. 22 UCF THIS SEASON
Samford has already defeated two nationally-ranked opponents this season in No. 21 Auburn and No. 22 UCF. The Bulldogs defeated Auburn, 12-3, on April 10, and topped UCF on the road in Orlando, Fla., 5-4, on Feb. 18. This marks the first time that Samford has registered two top-25 wins since 2012.
 
BULLDOGS' MULRINE NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST
Samford's Anthony Mulrine was officially named to the Watch List for the 2018 Johnny Bench Award, it was announced March 7, by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission.
 
Samford's talented sophomore catcher from Davie, Florida, owns a .301 batting average this season to go along with five home runs and a team-high 32 RBI. He has already started in 43 games and added 24 runs and 24 walks. Last season, Mulrine earned SoCon All-Freshman Team honors and led the conference in throwing out potential base-stealers with 27.
 
Mulrine is listed among the nation's elite catchers on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List. Joining him on the prestigious listing are Texas A&M's Cole Bedford, Arkansas' Grant Koch, Texas' DJ Petrinsky, Florida State's Cal Raleigh, Louisville's Pat Rumoro, Arizona's Cesar Salazar and Florida's JJ Schwarz, among others.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Tuesday's home game against UAB, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs begin a huge SoCon series against the Wofford Terriers to be held at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Samford and Wofford are tied for second place in the SoCon standings.
 
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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