BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 10, 2025) – The University of North Alabama baseball team travels to face the Samford Bulldogs in Birmingham, Ala. on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field. This is the third straight season with a home-and-home series between the two programs dating back to 2023.
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast, while streaming is made capable by ESPN+.
North Alabama at Samford
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
3:00 p.m.
Live Stats
NOTES
THE RUNDOWN: North Alabama recently battled with the No. 1 ranked LSU Tigers inside Alex Box Stadium. The Lions fell 13-2, 6-2 and 11-5 in three game series over the weekend. In the final game, North Alabama recorded the most hits that they had all season with 11, the next highest were Army and Tennessee with nine. Alex Wade secured his first collegiate homerun and Matthew Delgado tied the team high for hits in a game with three.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 18th all-time meeting between Samford and North Alabama. Since 1984, UNA is 12-5 in this matchup, only allowing one win before the Division I transition. The Lions have played Samford five times during the Division I era, only winning one game, 11-10 in 2023. Their most recent matchup came in 2024 in Birmingham, with the Bulldogs winning 12-3. This season becomes the third straight home-and-home slate between the programs.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: The Bulldogs are an even 8-8 on the season, dropping their final game to UT Martin during their recent weekend series. Samford has six run-rule wins on the year, two of which came in the eighth inning. Some common foes are the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers and the Auburn Tigers. The Bulldogs got the opportunity for a weekend series in Knoxville, losing only by four runs the first two games. They played Auburn the week after UNA did, dropping that one 15-8. Samford has double dipped into ASUN opponents with a midweek game against West Georgia on March 4, where they won in Carrollton 11-7.
PITCH COUNT: Head coach Jad Prachniak has kept his weekend rotations primarily the same. Typically, the starters run as Brycen Parrish, Tripp Patterson and Anthony Pingeton for the Friday through Sunday games respectively. However, freshman left-handed pitcher Tripp Patterson and senior right-handed pitcher Dylan Morrill are 2-0 when pitching in the same game this season. Patterson has 2.45 ERA for best on the team-- minimum of one inning per game. Between the two, 40.1 innings have been pitched while they are tied for the lead on the team in strikeouts with 15. Among qualified pitchers, both have the lowest batting average for opposing batters when they are on the mound.
LINEUP LIMBO: The Lions have played 14 games in the young season. Thirteen of those games have seen at least one new player inserted into the lineup outside of the mound. Prachniak has moved a ton of pieces around, only leaving three players as full-time starters which are second baseman Jonathan Lane, shortstop Leighton Jenkins and first baseman Petey Craska. Prachniak has placed different players in each of the outfield spots, catcher, third base and even designated hitter. For those positions, there have been eight different players to work through them in the 13 games.
ROAD WARRIORS: North Alabama is in the process of building Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium, which is currently scheduled to be ready in April. The Lions will play on the road and at neutral site venues until then. For more information, click here.
UP NEXT: UNA finds itself with a home battle next, however, the home will be at the UAB Young Memorial Field for the March 14-16 series against conference opponent Central Arkansas to open ASUN play. The Friday afternoon game will begin at 4 p.m.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
