Wofford concludes the regular season with a trip to Birmingham, Ala., to face Samford for three games. The Terriers are 33-16 (10-7 SoCon) after defeating ETSU twice over the weekend, and Samford comes in at 33-18 (13-5 SoCon) after dropping two-of-three to UNCG on the road. Neither team played a midweek contest. Wofford did not have one scheduled, and Samford's match-up against Auburn was canceled due to rain. The all-time series between the programs dates back to 2009 with the Bulldogs holding a 26-22 lead in the series. The squads split six games last season with Wofford taking two-of-three at home in the regular season before Samford won two-of-three in the SoCon Tournament. Both teams will turn to their aces on Thursday to open the series in a match-up of the top-two pitchers in the league. Wofford's RHP Zac Cowan (7-1, 2.93 ERA) will square off against Samford's RHP Michael Ross (11-0, 2.77 ERA). In game two, Wofford will start RHP Camden Wicker (2-3, 3.99 ERA), and the Terriers have not yet named a starter for game three. The Bulldogs have not yet named starters for games two or three.
 
QUICK HITS
• Wofford tops the country in triples (29) while ranking second in batting average (.345), OBP (.452) and scoring (10.6).
• The Terriers are outscoring their opponents 518-289 this season with those 518 runs a new program record.
• Wofford's comeback from down 10-0 to win against ETSU on May 12 marks the first-ever 10-run comeback in the program's Division I era.
• Seven of the eight qualified Terriers are hitting over .300, and Marshall Toole (.392) is knocking on the door of .400.
• Wofford's 127 stolen bases are currently seventh in the nation.
• Marshall Toole's 36 steals are fourth in the nation, and he is three shy of Wofford's single-season record.
• With 29 triples this season, the Terriers have set a new program record for triples in a season. Marshall Toole's nine three-baggers are a new program record for a season.
• Jack Renwick has broken Wofford's career program records for stolen bases (91) and runs scored (183).
• The Terriers have four of the top-11 batting averages in the SoCon with Marshall Toole topping the league.
• Brice Martinez collected his 200th career hit at Presbyterian, becoming the 15th Terrier to join the exclusive club.
• Zac Cowan's 95 punchouts top the SoCon and rank 20th in the country.
• Zac Cowan (2.93) and Camden Wicker (3.99) have the second- and fourth-best ERAs, respectively, in the conference.
• With 127 steals this season, Wofford has now stolen 100 or more bases in 11-straight full seasons dating back to 2013, the longest active streak in Division I.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Samford has hit the most doubles (119) in the conference and owns the most shutouts (three). The Bulldogs are hitting .314 as a squad with 82 home runs and 448 total runs scored. On the mound, Samford pitching puts forth a team ERA of 6.08 with 388 strikeouts. Garrett Howe leads the team offensively with a .383 average, 68 runs scored, 23 steals and 41 walks drawn. Garrett Staton is the power threat with 17 homers, and his 59 RBI tie John Anderson for the team lead. Michael Ross is the ace of the squad, owning an 11-0 record with those 11 wins tying for the most in the nation. He adds 81 strikeouts, a 2.77 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 81.1 innings. The closer for the Bulldogs is Carson Lore, who owns seven saves, second most in the league.
 
RECORD WATCH
A few program records have already been topped this season with more currently in jeopardy. Marshall Toole has broken the single-season program record with nine triples, and he is on the verge of taking three more marks. With 78 hits, he is 11 shy of the single-season record of 89, set three times prior and most recently in 2018 (McClain Bradley). Toole's 69 runs are four shy of the top mark of 73, set twice by Brandon Waring (2007) and Ryan Galanie (2023). With 36 steals, Toole is closing in on a decades-long record set by Tim Renfrow in 1981 with his 39 swipes. Toole isn't the only one in striking distance of the hits record, as Brice Martinez touts 77 knocks this season and finds himself neck-and-neck with Toole in the race to 89. Dixon Black is looking to set the program's RBI record for a season, currently boasting 66 runs knocked home. The record is 75 set by Mac Doyle in 2010.
 
TRIPLE THREAT
The Terriers have been hitting triples with ease this season, posting 29 three-baggers to top the nation, three ahead of the next-closest squad (Northern Kentucky, 26). Those 29 triples are now a program record for a season, topping the previous mark of 22 set twice prior in 1985 and 2016. Individually, nine Terriers have a triple with five boasting at least three triples. Marshall Toole touts the most with nine, most in the SoCon and second in the country. Dixon Black adds five for third in the league and 24th nationally, and Brice Martinez boasts four at fourth in the conference. Toole's total is a new single-season program record, besting Mac Doyle's seven from 2011. The Terriers have so many triples that if Toole's nine were removed from the team's total, the new mark of 20 would still lead the SoCon, one above UNCG's 19, and the Terriers would still clock in at eighth nationally. Wofford has hit a triple in five of its last 11 games.
 
YARD WORK
The Terriers hit 66 home runs in 2017, the most since hitting 74 in 2008. Since then, Wofford's long ball numbers had been decreasing. The Terriers had 49 home runs in 59 games in 2018. The team only hit 28 home runs in each of 2019 and 2021. Wofford hit 51 homers in 2022, the most since that 2017 season, sparking a turnaround in regards to the dinger. The Terriers tallied 58 homers last year, led by Ryan Galanie with 17. In 2022, only nine different Terriers hit a long ball, but 11 different players clubbed one for Wofford last season to showcase a more balanced power stroke. So far in 2024, Tyler Hare paces the squad with 13 homers as one of nine with a long ball. But Dixon Black is not far behind with 11 round-trippers of his own, and Marshall Toole adds nine to sit two shy of Black. The Terriers own 61 homers this season and have put up two games with six long balls clubbed. Wofford is currently on pace to hit 64 homers this season, which would be the most for the Terriers since the 66 of 2017.
 
COWAN THE K MAN
Sophomore Zac Cowan has been a key piece of the Wofford rotation, proving every bit deserving of the Preseason All-SoCon Team selection he received after an All-Freshman Team nod as a rookie. The right-hander has been the staff's K man, tallying 95 punchouts for first in the SoCon and 20th in the nation. He tossed 13 strikeouts against Lafayette, a career high at the time. But he outdid himself at Mercer on April 19 with 14 punchouts in 9.0 innings of work. Those 14 punchouts are the fifth most in a game in program history and his new career high, earning him SoCon Pitcher of the Week honors. He boasts three total double-digit strikeout efforts. He needs just five more strikeouts to become the 10th Terrier ever with 100 or more punchouts in a season, and he would be the first since 2021 when Elliot Carney recorded 107. With a strikeouts per nine innings rate of 10.30, he is second in the league. Cowan is 7-1 over his 13 starts thus far with those seven wins fourth in the conference. Cowan has tossed 83.0 total innings with a 2.93 ERA, allowing only 31 runs (27 earned) on 72 hits. Of note, he has issued just 23 walks to his 95 strikeouts, and he is holding opponents to a .232 average against. That ERA is the second best in the SoCon. Cowan's 4.13 strikeout-to-walk ratio checks in at second in the conference, and his 1.14 WHIP is also second. With a walks per nine clip of 1.49, he ranks sixth in the league. He boasts three unofficial complete games, tossing all 7.0 innings in three run-rule triumphs. He shutout VMI on March 29 before going the distance against Western Carolina on April 26 and the replicating the feat against ETSU on May 10. Alongside his pitcher of the month honor for March, Cowan has twice been named SoCon Pitcher of the Week (April 22 and May 13).
 
CONSISTENCY IN THE SOCON
Since the 2015 season, only one school has posted .500 or better records in SoCon play every season - Wofford. The Terriers were 13-10 in 2015, 12-12 in 2016, 13-11 in 2017, 15-9 in 2018 and 14-9 in 2019. In 2021, the Terriers were 21-9 and finished 16-4-1 in 2022. With a sweep of The Citadel in the final series of 2023, the Terriers finished with a 12-9 league clip to keep the streak alive, extending it to eight seasons in a row with a .500 or better SoCon record. As Wofford enters the final weekend of the 2024 campaign, the Terriers boast a 10-7 conference record, which guarantees the streak extends to nine seasons in a row regardless of the outcomes against Samford.
 
ON DECK
The Terriers will begin their quest for a Southern Conference Championship with the SoCon Tournament in Greenville, S.C. The event is once again held at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive. The event runs from Wednesday, May 22, to Sunday, May 26. Seeding is still in question, so the date of Wofford's opening contest is still to be determined depending on the outcomes across the league this weekend.