GAME NOTES--SOCON TOURNAMENT (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford baseball team enters the Southern Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Bulldogs will open play in the event on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) at Fluor Field against the winner of the ETSU-UNCG game played Wednesday morning.

The winner of Wednesday night's game will play again Thursday at 11:30 a.m. (CT) against Western Carolina. The loser of the game will play Thursday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. The championship game for the SoCon Tournament is set for Saturday, May 23, at 6:30 p.m. (CT).

Samford and ETSU have met 42 times, with ETSU holding a 22-20 series lead. ETSU won two-of-three games earlier this season at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Samford and UNCG have met 58 times, with Samford leading the series, 38-20. Earlier this season, Samford swept the series played in Greensboro, N.C.
 
Samford comes into the tournament with a record of 28-24 overall and 12-9 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs won two-of-three games from Wofford over the weekend.

Samford has been led at the plate so far this season by Jake Souders, hitting .356 (72-of-202) with 11 home runs and 44 RBI. Luke Boykin leads the team in home runs with 17 and in RBI with 53. Cade Carr is hitting .349 (68-of-195) with nine doubles, 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Gus Gandy is hitting .320 (56-of-175) with 11 doubles, three home runs and 23 RBI. Boykin is hitting .307 (58-of-189) so far this season.
 
Since joining the Southern Conference prior to the 2009 season, Samford has an all-time record of 38-21 in SoCon Tournament games. Samford has won four tournament titles, winning the event in 2012, 2018, 2021 and 2023. Samford has reached the finals in nine of the 15 SoCon Tournaments in which the Bulldogs have played. Samford has a record of 4-5 in SoCon Tournament championship games.
 
This marks the 10th-straight year and 12th time in the last 14 seasons the SoCon Tournament has been held at Fluor Field. In the 12 tournaments Samford has played in the facility, the Bulldogs have posted a record of 28-15.
 
Samford's record against each team in the SoCon Tournament is: Appalachian State (3-1), Davidson (1-0), ETSU (2-3), Elon (0-2), Furman (5-0), Georgia Southern (1-2), Mercer (8-2), UNCG (2-2), Western Carolina (7-3) and Wofford (9-6).
 
ETSU comes into the SoCon Tournament with a record of 30-22 overall and 10-11 in SoCon play. The Bucs were swept in a three-game series by Mercer last weekend.
 
ETSU has been led at the plate so far this season by Tristan Curless, hitting .376 (76-of-202) with 13 doubles, 15 home runs and 63 RBI.
 
UNCG currently has a record of 22-31 overall and 7-14 in SoCon action. The Spartans dropped two-of-three games at Western Carolina over the weekend.
 
UNCG has been led at the plate by Tanner Berry, hitting .336 (46-of-137). Jacob Dilley and Jacob Budzik share the team lead in home runs with 10 each, while Budzik leads the squad in RBI with 41.
 
All tournament games until the championship can be seen live on ESPN+. The championship game will air live on ESPNU. Live stats will also be available for all tournament games. For links to follow all of Samford's games this season, click on the following link: 2026 SCHEDULE.
 
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