BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team will play at Auburn Tuesday night at 6 p.m., and the Bulldogs will host Mercer in a three-game Southern Conference series this weekend at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Samford and Mercer are scheduled to play a single game Friday at 4 p.m., and a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Samford enters the week with a record of 22-14 overall and 12-3 in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs dropped two-of-three games at Western Carolina last weekend.

THE RUN DOWN
Opponents: at Auburn (14-18) and vs. Mercer (20-15, 8-4 SoCon)
Dates: April 20, and April 23-24, 2021
Site: Auburn, Ala. (Plainsman Park) and Birmingham, Ala. (Joe Lee Griffin Field)
Time: 6 p.m. CT (Tuesday), 4 p.m. CT (Friday), 1 p.m. CT--DH (Saturday)
Broadcasts: Find links at: Baseball Schedule
Live Stats: Find links at: Baseball Schedule

SERIES HISTORY

• Samford and Auburn have met 98 previous times, with Auburn holding a 73-24-1 advantage in the series. The teams did not play last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The teams last met on April 24, 2018, with Auburn earning a 7-2 win at Plainsman Park.  
• Samford and Mercer have played 81 previous times, with Mercer holding a 44-37 series lead. The teams did not play last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The teams last met in the 2019 SoCon Tournament. Samford won a second-round game, 11-0, but Mercer took a later elimination game by a score of 4-3.

 
FOCAL POINT

• The Bulldogs enter the week looking to bounce back after dropping three-of-four games last week

 
BULLDOGS TO WATCH

• Entering this weekend, Samford's Garrett Howe has reached base in a team season-high 25-straight games. Howe has gotten a hit in 19 of those 25 games, while drawing a walk in the other six. He has seven multi-hit games in the streak.
• Max Pinto has stepped it up this season at the plate. He currently leads the team with 12 multi-hit games, including six two-hit games and six three-hit games. For the season, Pinto is hitting .304 with a double, a triple, three home runs and 18 RBI. Pinto also leads the team with 15 stolen bases in 19 attempts.
• Jacob Cravey will get the start on the mound for Samford. He has a 2.33 ERA and a record of 0-1 in 19.1 innings of work.

 
NEWS & NOTES

• Samford head coach Casey Dunn, already the winningest coach in Samford history, enters the weekend with 520 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.
• Samford enters the week in first place in the Southern Conference with a 12-3 league mark. The Bulldogs are at the midway point of the conference season with 15 league games left to play.

 
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).