BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Baseball Team will take on the Trojans of Troy University on Tuesday, April 11 in midweek action.
First pitch from Troy, Ala. Is set for 6:00 p.m. (CST), with the contest streaming live on ESPN+.
Samford (18-14, 7-2 SoCon) took two of three games against UNCG at home this weekend to improve to 7-2 atop the Southern Conference Standings.
The Bulldogs knocked five homers in their 9-2 win on Friday and claimed the series finale on a walk-off home run by senior catcher Kaden Dreier that won the game 4-2 in 10 innings. Dreier drove in all four runs on a pair of two-run blasts in the clincher.
Stephen Klein comes in as the Bulldogs' leading hitter with a .383 batting average that ranks sixth in the SoCon. Garrett Staton leads the squad with 31 runs scored while John Anderson leads the club and SoCon with nine home runs and sits sixth with 31 RBI.
Freshman infielder Jayden Davis has hit safely in his last 16 games. Davis went 6-10 last week to bolster his batting average to .352.
On the mound, Ben Petschke leads the SoCon with 16 relief appearances and ranks second with six saves on the season. The junior closer is holding opposing hitters to a .214 batting average while posting 28 strikeouts over 26 innings pitched.
Turner Thompson tossed the final 2.1 innings against UNCG on April 6 to earn his first save as a Bulldog. Jake Holifield and Alex Gaeto have both been impressive in recent midweek work, with Gaeto having not allowed a run in five midweek outings this season and Holifield working five-consecutive scoreless relief appearances.
Samford trails the Trojans 45-26 in their series history, which dates back to 1957. Despite falling 10-8 against Troy in their most recent meeting on May 3, 2022, the Bulldogs have won two of their last three against the Trojans.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to start Jacob Newman on Tuesday evening, while the Trojans will trot out Kristian Asbury.
Newman will be making his sixth midweek start of the season and is coming off a season-high three innings of work a North Alabama on April 4. Asbury will be making his 16th appearance and second start of 2023, with his previous coming against Florida A&M on March 22.
Troy (22-11, 6-6 SBC) most recently took two of three games at Arkansas State this past weekend to claim its second Sun Belt Conference series of 2023.
The Trojans have clubbed 61 home runs this season, with Shane Lewis (15) and William Sullivan (14) ranking first and second in the Sunbelt, respectively. Lewis's home-run tally currently ranks fourth in the nation while his 48 RBI ranks sixth nationally
Closer Noah Manning leads the Trojans with 18 appearances and paces the Sun Belt with six saves.
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