BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Baseball Team's 2023 season will commence on Friday, Feb. 17 when they take on The University Memphis in the first game of a three-game set against the Tigers.
 
First pitch from Memphis, Tenn. is set for 2:00 p.m., with Friday's contest streaming live on ESPN+.
 
The Bulldogs are coming off a 2022 campaign that saw them finish 28-29 overall and 12-9 in Southern Conference play in year one of the Tony David era and earning them the No. 3 seed in the SoCon Championship last May.
 
"I think for us heading into the second year is about knowing where we are and what we're doing, not that we didn't know what we were doing with that transition period," David said. "It was a little more interesting than you would like. I think from a depth standpoint, we went into last year with a number of guys that have been on the roster but haven't done it a lot at this level. We feel like we've got some good really good position battles ongoing, which breeds competition and certainly more depth on the mound when we have all of our guys out there."
 
Returning starting pitchers Michael Ross (7-1) and Jacob Cravey (5-3) combined for 12 wins and 159 innings pitched last season. Bishop State Community College transfer Jake Holifield and sophomore Will Lynch will also compete for a spot in the weekend rotation.
 
"Will Lynch who took over in that Sunday role at the very end of last season," David said. "We were in the finals of the winner's bracket in the tournament when he got the start. He gave us a chance. He left that game and was up three to two in the middle innings against Wofford. He's in the mix and most likely is going to be the Sunday guy. Jake Holifield is a junior college guy that had a really good fall for us and is doing well right now. Those two guys will both see significant time on the weekends, whether it's starting or in long relief. As we go into this weekend, Will will start on Sunday.
 
Closer Carson Hobbs, who led the SoCon with 10 saves last season, returns as the Bulldogs' ninth-inning man while relievers Alex Goff and Brody Westbrooks both bring 20-plus appearances of experience with them from 2022. Florida Southwestern State transfer Ben Petschke will join them as one of the Bulldogs' top late-inning options.
 
"Both those guys (Hobbs and Goff) you know not only had great years last year, but with our depth concerns, we had to be cognizant of when we used them," David said of Hobbs and Goff. "We feel like we've got more depth there. Ben Petschke is a junior college guy that's coming in that's doing really well. Brody Westbrooks was a guy for us last year that pitched a fair amount and will return. Brody's a guy that can get up and hot in the flash. He can start, can come in middle relief and extend, or he could come in and get us out of the jam. Jacob Newman is a guy that's seen significant time on the mountain last year as a true freshman that's working his way back and Trey Sanders had a really good finish of the fall for us and is a guy we expect to help us out."
 
 
The Bulldogs return three-quarters of their infield in first baseman Stephen Klein, second baseman Garrett Staton and shortstop Garrett Howe. Klein led the Bulldogs in both batting average (.331) and on-base percentage (.452) while Howe leads all returners with 64 hits and 45 runs scored in 2022.
 
Senior backstop Kaden Dreier returns as one of the most experienced Bulldogs, with 151 career games under his belt and nine homers belted in 2022. Georgia Tech transfer John Anderson comes in as the incumbent at third base while freshmen Jayden Davis, Joseph Massa, Nicholas Noto, and Parker McDonald are all making a push for significant playing time on the infield.
 
"We knew last year with a lack of depth that any chance we had of success was going to be through a great defensive team," David said. "We couldn't afford to just be good. Klein is back and we have those two guys in the middle in that Garrett-Garrett combo who had a great year last year for us. John Anderson from Georgia Tech really drives the ball well and will hit the middle of the order for us. He has really handled the third base spot well. Jayden Davis is an incoming freshman that has swung it well from day one for us. He's done a really good job defensively as well. Massa, McDonald, and Noto all round out that core of what is a really good freshman group in the infield.
 
In the outfield, Maurice Hampton Jr., Andrew Bennett, and Blake Bortak all saw significant playing time, with Hampton Jr. clubbing nine homers last season. Converted catcher Kace Garner has segued smoothly into his new role while Hinds Community College transfer Josh Rodriguez will be relied on as one of the top bats in the Bulldog lineup. David noted that the Bulldogs' depth in the outfield has produced some fierce position battles in practice.
 
"You want the competition to make people better and you want the job because you play better than him," David said. "You don't want the job because he's played worse than you. Those guys have pushed each other and that'll be where we have guys moving in and out. Kace Garner was a guy that was primarily a catcher for us last year and has become a great outfielder. Junior college transfer Josh Rodriguez has come in with some high expectations for us as a guy that can throw, hit, run, defend, and hit for power."
 
The Bulldogs compiled an impressive non-conference slate for 2023, taking on power-five opponents Alabama (March 7, April 25), LSU (March 10-12), Mississippi State (March 28), Auburn (April 18, May 9), and Kansas (May 11-13) to name a few.
 
"The thing that stands out the most is the LSU trip," David said. "I think they're pretty close to a sellout already all weekend down there. It's a great challenge for our guys. They are the overwhelming consensus number one in every poll and the team that right now the majority of college baseball expects to be the team to win it all. We want to challenge our guys with the schedule. There's a lot of unknown certainly every year when you go into the season with the way rosters are turning over now. We want our guys to be challenged and we want that schedule to help us hold the recruiting side of things, but it needs to make us better for SoCon play."
 
Samford begins SoCon play on March 24 with a three-game series at ETSU. The Bulldogs will host The Citadel (March 31-April 2), UNC Greensboro (April 6-8), and Western Carolina (May 5-7) while traveling to Wofford (April 21-23), VMI (April 28-30), and Mercer (May 18-20) to close out the regular season.
 
"I think we're kind of been probably the top three in the league for quite some time as well as Mercer and Wofford consistently," David said. "They do such a great job in both places. Greensboro had a great finish down the stretch in the regular season and they got hot in the Right there off the top you've got those four teams. Western got a new coaching staff there that will do a good job ETSU's got a good team, so it's a good league throughout. There are no gimme weekends in the league, and that's I think what separates it from a lot of other places. The top is good, but you know you're not going to roll the ball out there any given weekend and expect to be able to have success."



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