BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Baseball Team will play host to a three-game series this weekend against the Skyhawks of UT Martin.
 
The series will begin with a 6:00 p.m. contest on Friday, followed a 2:00 p.m. game on Saturday and a 1:00 p.m. series finale on Sunday. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
Samford holds a 26-9 series advantage over UT Martin. In their most recent series, the Bulldogs completed a three-game sweep over the Skyhawks to open the 2021 campaign (Feb. 19-21).
 
The Bulldogs rallied from down six runs to top Columbia 10-8 at home their last time out on March 15. Freshman Lucas Steele belted the eventual game-winning three-run home run as part of a six-run seventh inning to help clinch the victory.
 
Freshman Alex Gaeto (1-0) earned the win on Wednesday, giving up just one hit over three innings and striking out five en route to his first collegiate victory. Junior Ben Petschke (2) tossed the final two scoreless innings to pick up his second save of 2023.
 
The Bulldogs are scheduled to start Jacob Cravey in game one, Brody Westbrooks in game two, and Will Lynch in game three.
 
Cravey comes into the weekend leading the SoCon with an opponents' batting average of .162 while ranking third in the league with 27 strikeouts. Opposing hitters are batting just .190 against Lynch.
 
Steele enters the weekend leading the Bulldogs in batting average (.364), RBI (14), extra-base hits (9), and homers (4). The freshman outfielder ranks second in the SoCon with a .773 slugging percentage and is batting .476 at home with four homers, 10 RBI, a 1.143 slugging percentage, and a .607 on-base clip.
 
Petschke leads the SoCon with nine relief appearances on the season. Petschke enters weekend play with two saves and a record of 2-1 for the Bulldogs to go along with a 4.50 ERA.
 
UT Martin is coming off a 6-2 setback at home to the Salukis of Southern Illinois on Tuesday, March 14. The Skyhawks outhit the defending Missouri Valley Conference regular season champions while a combination of six pitchers struck out 11 hitters on the day.
 
The Skyhawks are projected to start senior righty Seth Petry in game one and senior right-hander Jordan Armstrong in game two. They have yet to name a starter for game three.
 
Petry (1-1, 3.57 ERA) ranks in the top five in the Ohio Valley Conference in both opposing batting averages (.185) and batters struck out (21).
 
Junior outfielder Will Smith (.321) is the Skyhawks' leading hitter while Zac Rice ranks fifth in the OVC with 20 hits and leads the league with seven doubles.
 
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).