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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The red-hot Samford University baseball team will be putting its season-high, eight-game winning streak to the test Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs welcome the No. 21-ranked Auburn Tigers to Joe Lee Griffin Field for a high-profile midweek showdown between in-state rivals.
 
Samford (19-14) heads into the matchup riding the positive momentum of an eight-game winning streak. Since coming up short in a tough 2-1 home loss to ETSU on March 25, the Bulldogs have swept back-to-back road Southern Conference series' against Furman and The Citadel, as well as earning lopsided in-state victories over UAB, 8-2, and Alabama State, 15-6.
 
Over the weekend, Samford outscored The Citadel, 31-6, in three games, and posted a dominant 15-2 (7) victory.
 
In Sunday's demonstrative win, junior Stephen Jones started on the mound and was handed a 6-0 lead before even stepping foot on the field. The Bulldogs opened the game with six runs on five hits, including a trio of doubles in the top of the first inning as they jumped out to an early 6-0 lead over The Citadel.
 
Samford then scored nine unanswered runs and pounded out 15 total hits as their pitching staff only allowed a total of three hits down the stretch. The Bulldogs' Jones hurled five full innings of action en route to the victory, while Jack Rude and Hamp Skinner both came in to pitch quick frames in the sixth and seventh, respectively.
 
Auburn (23-10) heads into Tuesday's contest with aspirations of snapping a three-game losing streak. Since earning a dominant 19-5 home victory against Alabama A&M last week, the Tigers were swept on the road by No. 5-ranked Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks were triumphant in the three games by scores of 2-1, 13-2 and 5-4.
 
Auburn owns a 19-2 record in non-conference games this season. The Tigers are hitting .319 as a team and are averaging 9.1 runs per game. Seven players are hitting .300 or better, led by Brendan Venter's .422 clip. The team has also turned in a 3.49 ERA and is holding opponents to a .227 batting average against.
 
The Tigers have already surpassed last season's home run total with 34 in the first 33 games of the season and is just five home runs shy of tying the most in a season since leading the NCAA with 131 home runs in 2010. Auburn is 10-0 when scoring in the first inning this season, 17-0 when scoring five or more runs and 18-0 when out-hitting an opponent.
 
TUESDAY'S PITCHING MATCHUP
Samford - - RHP, Wyatt Burns, Sr. (Pinson, Alabama) || 2-1 (1.27 ERA)
Auburn - - LHP, Jack Owen, Fr. (Coto De Caza, California) || 1-1 (7.16 ERA)
 
BULLDOGS' RECORD AGAINST AUBURN - - THE DUNN ERA
Since Head Coach Casey Dunn took the reins to the Bulldogs' baseball program in 2004, Samford has compiled a 12-15 record against Auburn, including a 7-6 road victory over the Tigers last season.
 
In the final matchup between the teams in 2017, Auburn barely held off a furious Samford rally for a slight 16-15 win held in Birmingham. In the epic contest, a total of 31 runs were scored on 30 hits. Nine different players had two or more hits, and 17 different pitchers - Auburn (6), Samford (11) - were used in the game.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Under the tutelage of 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.
 
SAMFORD IN THE 2018 NATIONAL RANKINGS
 
Team - - - - -
#19 | Fewest Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings (7.39)
#20 | WHIP (1.24)
#35 | Shutouts (3)
#46 | Pitching Strikeouts Per Nine Innings (9.3)
#52 | Earned Run Average (3.57)
#53 | Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (2.46)
#55 | Times Hit By Pitch (41)
#64 | Sacrifice Bunts (20)
#77 | Hits (294)
#83 | Stolen Bases (37)
#90 | Fewest Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings (3.76)
#97 | Won-Loss Percentage (0.576)
#100 | Doubles (52)
 
Samuel Strickland - - - - -
#1 | WHIP (0.65)
#8 | Fewest Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings (4.50)
#21 | Earned Run Average (1.35)
#25 | Strikeout-To-Walk Ratio (7.33)
#39 | Victories (5)
#40 | Fewest Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings (1.35)
 
Stephen Jones - - - - -
#9 | Games Started (8)
 
Cody Shelton - - - - -
#9 | Games Started (8)
 
Josh Rich - - - - -
#10 | Pitching Appearances (18)
 
Erin Baldwin - - - - -
#32 | Pitching Appearances (17)
 
Branden Fryman - - - - -
#47 | Sacrifice Bunts (6)
 
Anthony Mulrine - - - - -
#47 | Hit By Pitch (10)
 
Troy Dixon - - - - -
#49 | Base On Balls (25)
 
QUICK NOTES
- - - Branden Fryman's father, Travis Fryman, played 13 years in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. He is currently a hitting instructor for the Cleveland Indians farm system. He also managed the Mahoning Valley Scrappers from 2008 to 2010.
 
- - - Samford's Wyatt Burns is the SoCon's active leader in saves with 24. The Bulldogs' senior closer is also the conference's SoCon's active career leader in earned run average (2.45), lowest opponent batting average (.213) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.12).
 
- - - Two years ago, Samford's Austin Edens powered 19 home runs and finished the year ranked eighth in the nation in the category. The Bulldogs' powerful senior first baseman is the school's all-time home run hitter with 49 and is also ranked first on the NCAA's Division I active career leader's list as well.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Tuesday's home matchup against No. 21-ranked Auburn, the Samford University baseball team will next be in action Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs begin play in a key three-game SoCon home series against the Mercer Bears 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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