BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team will open the 2021 season with a three-game series against UT Martin next weekend, beginning with a Friday game at 4 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
The 2021 Samford roster boasts an experienced and talented pitching staff. The staff is led by returning starters Samuel Strickland, Zach Hester and Jesse McCord. Samford head coach Casey Dunn talked about what he expects from the staff.
 
"It's encouraging, it really is," Dunn said. "When you look at those three guys, when they've been at the top of their game, they're all Pitcher of the Year candidates. Zach was Pitcher of the Year two years ago, Sam was Freshman of the Year (2018), Jesse's got better stuff than both of them. When those guys are at their best, they give us a good shot."


 
Dunn said he feels good about the depth of the pitching staff in addition to Strickland, Hester and McCord.
 
"The most encouraging part of that is, last year, Zach made one start and threw four innings, Jesse made one start and threw one inning, because he was just starting the rehab process coming back," Dunn said. "Sam was really the staple in what was a good start because you had Hamp Skinner and Jalon Long to fill in those gaps for us. So, we really feel like we have five guys with starting experience that can give us a shot on the weekends."
 
The majority of the offensive starters will return as well this season. The group is led by preseason SoCon Player of the Year Brooks Carlson and preseason first team All-SoCon selection Sonny DiChiara. Dunn said he is encouraged by the experience that group returns with this season.
 
"It's a veteran group for sure," Dunn said. "Obviously, you know Brooks and Sonny, those guys are going to hit. Regardless of how they start, you know at the end of the year they're going to have good offensive years. And then there's a lot of experience. I challenged the guys that, if this is your fourth year or your fifth year, we need to see progress, we need to see some growth. For us to be a good offensive team, especially as we face the arms we're about to see, those guys have to grow."
 
Defensively, Dunn said he expects most of the players to be in the same spots they were in last year, with just a few exceptions.
 
"I really think the only couple of changes will kind of be in the corner outfield spots, and really they'll still be a lot of familiar faces," Dunn said. "Ayrton (Schafer) is going to play a decent amount in left. But, freshman Colton Ledbetter is a really special player that's a left-handed hitter, and I think you'll see him and Schafer platoon a lot in left field, especially early on. I think having Colton with his upside is great, but being able to protect him, left-on-left early with a guy that has a lot of experience and has hit successfully will help.
 
"And then we'll have Ryan Crockett and Towns King in right field as a left-right platoon that worked fairly well for us last year," Dunn said. "When you look at those spots, it will be a little more in and out, probably than we've had in the past, but that will give us some flexibility with left and right-handed bats. I think the only other change will be Will David will play third base. Last year he was kind of in a rotating roll, but he's kind of anchored that spot for us and really makes us a much better defensive team with his athleticism over there."
 
The Bulldogs will once again play a challenging schedule this season. The non-conference slate includes 11 games against SEC opponents. The Bulldogs will play three-game series at Florida and Texas A&M, home-and-home series with Auburn and Alabama, and a single game at Mississippi State. Florida is the preseason No. 1 team in all of the preseason polls. Dunn talked about that challenge.
 
"We're going to roll down there to face a consensus No. 1 team." Dunn said. "Not often on college baseball do you have everybody say, this is the best team. But with the depth on the mound, the depth in their lineup, I think they could have as many as four of five first-rounders in the next couple of years off that roster. That will be a challenge, but it will be exciting.
 
"We're going out to Texas A&M, which we feel like is one of the best environments in college baseball," Dunn said. "Who knows with the COVID crowds how that will be, but I think that will be a great experience for our guys, getting to play in a different venue that they're not familiar with, that is really one of the iconic college baseball stadiums."