Expectations Remain the Same for Samford Baseball
Hope springs eternal as it is time for Samford baseball. Samford is back at it coming off their third straight winning season finishing 2025 with a 30-27 record. The Bulldogs fell short of the NCAA Tournament losing in the championship round for the second consecutive season.
Samford enters year five of the Tony David era with the same expectations as the previous four, win the Southern Conference and get into the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Samford came in second in the regular season to ETSU who then beat Samford in the SoCon Tournament championship round. Samford last made the NCAA Tournament in 2023.
The other Southern Conference coaches agree as Samford was predicted as the regular season title in the preseason poll. Seven Samford Bulldogs were named to the All-SoCon preseason teams which tied Mercer for the most. The Bulldogs led the way with six players named to the All-SoCon first team.
Last season, Samford had to replace seven position player starters. This season, Samford returns eight starters highlighted by senior 2B Jeffrey Ince and C Cade Carr. You should also include 3B Parker McDonald in that group who was first team All-SoCon a season ago. All three were named to the All-SoCon preseason first team with OF Jake Souders and SP Mason Blasche. OF/DH Trey Higgins was named to the All-SoCon second team.
CF Michael Gupton and C Matthew Strand have moved on. Gupton is now with the Memphis Tigers and Strand is a Duke Blue Devil for his final collegiate season. OF Angelo Prieto also entered the transfer portal and ended up at Edward Waters University, a D-II in Florida.
On the pitching side, Mason Blasche returns to anchor this Samford rotation. Blasche is the only one returning from the group as Samford has to replace many pieces from a season ago. He has been picked as the 2026 Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Blasche led Samford starters last season with a 3.24 ERA and finished with a 13-0 record.
Friday starting pitcher Miller Riggins has graduated and so has SP Josh Leersen who transferred in from Birmingham-Southern last season. SP Cameron Keshock was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 12th round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Those three started 45 of Samford’s 57 games a season ago. Other departures include Samford’s best reliever from a season ago, Evan Steckmesser who led the team in ERA. He transferred to Alabama then reliever Cullen Horowicz transferred to South Carolina.
So to recap, Samford’s veteran lineup will be the strength of this team as per past years. Then there are more question marks with the pitching staff outside of Mason Blasche. Per D1 Baseball, Samford ranks 20th in the country in returning plate appearances and 249th in returning innings.
Samford head coach Tony David is used to losing key pieces to the transfer portal and then to bigger programs. He will lean on his experienced lineup. He told D1 Baseball in the fall that these returners know what to expect.
“Our returnees understand our tradition here. We have finished either first or second in the league since 2018. And in the last 13 years, we have been first or second in the tournament nine times. That means something to the guys.”
The lineup will be led by the leadoff man in 2B Jeffrey Ince. Ince had a .342 AVG, .879 OPS along with 10 homers and 34 RBI. He will work the count and excels at getting on base. While Ince sets the table for the rest of the lineup, Samford’s best hitter might be C/DH Cade Carr. Carr led Samford in RBI with 48 while having a .333 batting average.
Samford DH/C Cade Carr
Going around the diamond, 1B Jackson Harris returns for his junior season. While not being the biggest first baseman in the world at 5-feet, 10-inches, he is one of the best defenders in the SoCon. Harris also finished with a .333 batting average and 46 RBI. Harris will hit in the two-hole again.
SS Gus Gandy has also returned who started every game during his freshman season last year. Like Harris, Gandy is a great defender. His bat will continue to improve after hitting .254. Gandy is also Samford’s fastest player after the departure of Michael Gupton from last season. His high contact rate should help him improve at the plate.
3B Parker McDonald is back. After starting just four starts over his first two seasons, McDonald started 53 of 54 games last season. His development is a testament to this coaching staff and that’s how Samford continues to build winners year in and year out. McDonald made All-SoCon first team last season after hitting .286 with 13 home runs, 50 RBI and 16 doubles. He is also another good defender in this Samford infield.
As we transition to the outfield, there will be some new pieces out there but one returnee highlights the group. OF Jake Souders is back after a loud freshman season. Souders started every game as a true freshman hitting .327 with eight home runs and 46 RBI. He is only going to get better. As an added bonus, Souders is a Samford legacy as his Dad, Brooks, played at Samford.
Samford OF Jake Souders
After suffering a season-ending injury last season, OF/DH Trey Higgins is back. Higgins suffered a broken leg against VMI but is back healthy after also missing the fall season. He did hit nine home runs last year in 36 starts.
Two newcomers who will feature into the outfield plans are Shelton State CC OF Pierce Dutton and State College of Florida OF Luke Boykin. Dutton could start in centerfield as he .346 last season with 16 doubles and 41 RBI. Boykin started his collegiate career at Georgia before hitting 18 home runs at SCF.
Samford’s lineup is loaded once again and has the fewest questions of this Samford team. Now onto the question mark in regards to the unknown of this pitching staff.
One pitcher that Samford has zero questions about is Mason Blasche. Blasche’s 3.24 ERA ranked second in the SoCon and his 10 wins led the league. He walked just 13 batters in 72.1 innings pitched and had 56 Ks. Blasche was named the preseason Pitcher of the Year by D1 Baseball and the other SoCon coaches. He was also named to the National College Baseball Writers Association All-American second team.
Samford P Mason Blasche
While the lineup is experienced, Samford might lean on some youth in the rotation. That is where true freshman Michael Fredette comes in. Fredette will be interesting to watch as a pitcher just standing tall at 5-foot, nine-inches and 185 pounds. He is from Kennesaw, Georgia and projects to be Samford’s Saturday starter. He was named the preseason Freshman of the Year by D1 Baseball.
Two other newcomers will be featured in former Jacksonville State P Ryan Vermillion and former Jones CC P Andrew Marble. Vermillion pitched in just six games last season for Jax State due to injury. He could also play in the back end of the bullpen. Marble had a 2.60 ERA in 65.2 innings pitched.
A couple other returning options for midweek starts are P Joseph Lee and P Noah Berry. Both stand at six-feet, six-inches and they combined for 24 innings pitched last season.
Another newcomer who will feature in the bullpen is Kentucky transfer Zak Spurrier. Spurrier threw just 2.2 innings last season but was the fifth ranked recruit by Perfect Game in Kentucky in the 2024 recruiting class. Look for returners Drew Druckenmiller and John Whitney also in the bullpen. Druckenmiller had a 4.67 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched and Whitney had a 7.20 ERA in 15 innings pitched. State College of Florida transfer P Palmer O’Beirne is the other transfer arm for Samford. He had a 5.53 ERA in 53.2 innings a season ago for SCF.
It will be interesting to watch how the Samford pitching staff progresses throughout the season. Let’s see how Samford head coach Tony David and pitching coach Tyler Shrout navigate having to find production from new places.
Here is how the rest of the Southern Conference preseason poll shook out with the first place votes in parentheses.
Samford (4)
Mercer (3)
ETSU (1)
The Citadel
Western Carolina
UNCG
VMI
Wofford
Samford’s non-conference and midweek slate will feature some SEC foes. For their big series of the year, Samford will travel to Athens, Georgia to play a three-game set at Georgia. The Georgia Bulldogs were picked to finish ninth in the SEC. Samford will play five other games against the SEC with games against Alabama, Auburn then a home midweek contest against Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs will primarily stay in-state when it comes to the other midweek opponents. Samford will play a home-and-home with Troy, North Alabama, Alabama A&M and Jacksonville State. The lone midweek series outside of the state of Alabama will be against West Georgia.
Samford does have an intriguing home weekend series against Little Rock. Little Rock made the NCAA Tournament and subsequently were one win away from advancing in the Baton Rouge Super Regional a season ago. The first SoCon series will be at Western Carolina from March 20-22. Then Samford’s first home series will be a big one against ETSU from April 2-4.
It may be a new season for Samford baseball but the expectation remains the same. Can Samford get back to the NCAA Tournament? Samford’s lineup will undoubtedly produce but the main question will be if the pitching staff get Samford over the hump.
To quote the legendary Pete Rose when asked about the opening day of baseball season, “It’s like Christmas, except it’s warmer.” Baseball season is upon us.
