GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman Paladins baseball team swings back into action this weekend when it plays host to Fordham in a three-game series beginning with Friday's 4:00 contest at Latham Stadium.

Saturday's game is slated for 1:00 p.m., and first pitch for Sunday's finale is scheduled for noon.

All three games will be live streamed via the SoCon Digital Network.  In addition, the contests will be broadcast over Fox Sports 1440 AM and Furman campus station WPLS 95.9 FM, as well as audio streamed via FurmanPaladins.com and Tune-In.com with Dan Scott, "The Voice of the Paladins," on the call.    Fans can also follow live stats via FurmanPaladins.com.

Furman and Fordham have met only once previously, that coming in 2016 at Greenville's Fluor Field.

The Paladins (5-3) will take a three-game winning streak into the Fordham series after having Tuesday's road contest at Presbyterian canceled due to wet field conditions.

Furman will play its next 17 games at home, including next Tuesday's clash versus South Carolina at Fluor Field.

Expected to get the starting nod for the Paladins in Friday's opener is freshman right-hander Stone Simmons (0-1, 2.70 ERA), followed by redshirt junior left-hander John Michael Bertrand (2-0, 0.75 ERA) on Saturday and sophomore right-hander Rob Hughes (1-0, 2.45 ERA) on Sunday.

Simmons allowed only one run while striking out six over five innings of work in his start versus Northern Kentucky.  The Houston, Texas, product appeared to be on the way to earning his first collegiate victory after departing with a 7-1 lead, but a late inning blowup by the Paladin bullpen led to a no-decision in the eventual 9-8 Furman victory.

Bertrand has been superb in his first two starts of 2020, working six innings and recording seven strikeouts in both outings.

Hughes moved into the rotation last weekend and collected his first victory of the campaign after delivering five innings of three-run, one run (unearned) work in the 13-4 Paladin triumph over the Norse.

Hitting just .180 as a team heading into play last weekend, Furman stepped up offensively versus NKU, scoring 31 runs in the three-game set and raising the team season batting average to .254.

After missing the season opening series against La Salle, redshirt junior right-fielder David Webel (.412, 0 HR, 3 RBI) has returned to lead the team at the plate.  He's followed by junior left-fielder MJ Sasapan (.318, 0 HR, 4 RBI), sophomore center-fielder Jordan Starkes (.310, 0 HR, 5 RBI), and senior designated hitter Trent Alley (.308, 2 HR, 6 RBI).

Sophomore second baseman Banks Griffith (.258) paces the squad with eight RBI.

Senior first baseman Dax Roper and junior third baseman Jared Mihalik, who had gotten off to slow starts at the pate, both collected their first home runs of the campaign on the weekend.

Fordham (2-6), which defeated Sacred Heart, 5-4, in 13 innings on Wednesday, was a preseason No. 2 pick in the Atlantic 10 Coaches Preseason Poll.  The Rams went 38-24 last year and won the Atlantic 10 to qualify for NCAA Tournament play.