BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (April 1, 2026) – The ETSU baseball team will begin the month of April with a three-game series at Samford. The three-game set will run Thursday through Saturday from Birmingham. Game one of the three-game set is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. eastern time on ESPN+.
Probable Pitching Matchups
RHP Stratton Scott (ETSU) vs. RHP Joseph Lee (SAM) – Thursday @ 7 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
LHP Tadan Bell (ETSU) vs. RHP Mason Blasche (SAM) – Friday @ 6 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
RHP Michael Harpster (ETSU) vs. RHP Noah Berry (SAM) – Saturday @ 2 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
Last Time Out – The Bucs won two of three games against VMI last weekend at Thomas Stadium. ETSU won the first two games by scores of 6-5 and 4-3 before the Keydets took the series finale, 5-4. With those results, the Buccaneers are 19-7 overall and 4-2 in SoCon action this season.
Michael Harpster Named SoCon Pitcher of the Week – For the second time this season,
Michael Harpster was named the SoCon Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Harpster turned in his best start of the season on Saturday against VMI. The Lynchburg, Virginia native threw a season-high seven inning innings and allowed one run (not earned) on three hits and a walk. Harpster also struck out seven Keydet hitters in the win. The victory was Harpster's fourth of the season to boost his record to 4-1.
On the road again – This weekend's series at Samford will be the third road series for the Bucs this season. A trio of ETSU hitters have fared very well in games away from Thomas Stadium in
Tristan Curless (Batting .400, five home runs, 12 RBI),
Nate Conner (Batting .333, four home runs, eight RBI) and
Luke Matlock (Batting .471, two home runs, six RBI). These three players have combined for 75 percent of the team's home runs, and 54.1 percent of the team's RBI on the road this spring.
Six is the magic number – The number six has been the magic number for the Bucs this season. When ETSU scores six or more runs, it is 17-0 compared to a 2-7 mark when it scores five or fewer. Similarly, on the pitching side when the Bucs hold their opponents to five runs or less, they are 17-1 against a 2-6 record when the other team scores six or more.
Locking in when it matters most – Part of ETSU's success this season has been its performances in the biggest moments. Offensively, the Bucs are hitting .358 with the bases loaded, .338 with runners in scoring position, and have driven in 86 runs with two outs (40.7 percent of team's RBI total). ETSU's pitching staff has been up to the task in those areas holding opposing lineups to a .143 batting average with the bases loaded, .209 with runners in scoring position and .217 when there are two outs on the scoreboard.
About Samford – The Bulldogs enter the series with the Buccaneers sporting a 13-14 overall record, which includes a 1-2 mark in conference play. Samford is coming off a dominant midweek win at West Georgia on Tuesday, 16-1. A strength for the Bulldogs this season has been their play in the field as they rank seventh in all of Division I baseball in fielding percentage (.985).
Series Rewind vs. Samford – The all-time series between ETSU and Samford has been competitive with the Bucs holding the slight edge, 20-19. The Buccaneers won four of the five games between these two programs a season ago with the last two coming in the SoCon Tournament en route to ETSU winning the title.
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