BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team will play at Jacksonville State Tuesday at 6 p.m., and will then host VMI in a three-game SoCon series, Friday and Saturday at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

THE RUN DOWN
Opponents: at Jacksonville State (11-11, 4-2 OVC) and vs. VMI (6-14, 2-4 SoCon)
Dates: March 30 and April 2-3, 2021
Site: Jacksonville, Ala. (Jim Case Stadium), Birmingham, Ala. (Joe Lee Griffin Field)
Time: 6 p.m. CT (Tuesday), 2 p.m. CT (Friday-DH), 1 p.m. (Saturday)
TV: ESPN+: Links here: BASEBALL SCHEDULE PAGE
Live Stats: Links here: BASEBALL SCHEDULE PAGE

SERIES HISTORY

• Samford and Jacksonville State have met 75 previous times, with JSU holding a 48-27 series lead. The teams met earlier this season, with Samford earning a 10-9 win at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
• Samford and VMI have met 22 previous times, with Samford holding a 16-6 advantage in the series. The teams did not meet last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the last meeting came in 2019, with Samford winning two of the three games in Lexington, Va.   

 
FOCAL POINT

• The Bulldogs look to continue their current hot streak, as the team has won six of its last seven games.

 
BULLDOGS TO WATCH

• Sonny DiChiara currently ranks second in the SoCon in home runs with seven so far this season.  
• Towns King leads the team in batting with a .305 batting average so far this season.
• Left-handed pitcher Blake Bortak will start on the mound for Samford Tuesday night at Jacksonville State. Bortak has a record of 1-1 and a 4.42 ERA.

 
NEWS & NOTES

• Samford currently ranks first in the Blue Division of the Southern Conference with a 5-1 league record.
• In the meeting with Jacksonville State earlier this season, Samford trailed, 9-1, but scored two runs in the sixth inning and seven more in the seventh inning to take the 10-9 win.
• Samford head coach Casey Dunn, already the winningest coach in Samford history, enters the week with 511 career wins, making him the first Samford coach in any sport to win 500 games. Dunn has won four conference titles, and has posted 12 30-win seasons during his 16-plus seasons at Samford.
• Entering this week, Samford junior pitcher Samuel Strickland is tied for second in school history in wins. Strickland currently has 21 wins. The current record holder is Josh Martin with 24 career victories.

 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford baseball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordBaseball (Facebook), @SamfordBaseball (Instagram) and @SamfordBaseball (Twitter).