Samford University Athletics

Mandy Burford-Johnson recently wrapped up her ninth season as the head coach of the Samford softball team. She was promoted to head coach in 2012 after serving as an assistant coach in 2011.
 
Burford-Johnson currently has 219 career wins, the most in program history as she passed the previous record of 198 by Beanie Ketcham during the 2019 season.
 
During the 2019 campaign, the Bulldogs finished second in the SoCon, posting an 11-6 league record. Junior Whitney Hinton set the program single-season record for home runs with 15 and was named second team All-SoCon.
 
In the 2018 season, Burford-Johnson’s team produced the Southern Conference Player of the year for the second time in the last three years, as center fielder Shelby Maze took home the award.
 
The 2017 team produced a second-straight appearance in the Southern Conference Tournament championship game. After falling in the first round to Mercer, Samford reeled off threestraight wins over Chattanooga, UNCG and Mercer to reach the title game for the second-straight season. After the tournament, Samford’s Grey Adams, Madison Couch, Shelby Maze and Kelsey Royalty were named to the AllTournament team.
 
Maze, the 2017 team’s center fielder, set a school record and led the nation with 90 hits. She also led the SoCon in batting with an impressive. 423 average. Maze was named first team All-SoCon and third team NFCA AllRegion at the conclusion of the season. Maze was joined on the first team All-SoCon squad by teammates Couch and catcher Abby Sweeney. Additionally, infielder Whitney Hinton was named to the SoCon’s All-Freshman team.
 
Burford-Johnson, 2016 SoCon Coach of the Year, took the Bulldogs to new heights in 2016 as she led the program to its first ever NCAA Championship Tournament appearance with a trip to the Tuscaloosa Regional and eventually ended the season with a school record 40 wins. Samford recieved the Southern Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after the team had secured its first ever SoCon Tournament Championship as well as winning the SoCon regular season title with a 15-3 SoCon record.
 
The Bulldogs also garnered their first ever SoCon Player of the Year and SoCon Pitcher of the Year awards thanks to outstanding play from outfielder Megan Dowdy and pitcher Mollie Hanson. Dowdy went on to become the first Samford softball player to earn a spot on the NFCA All-Region First Team in the South Region, which is arguably the toughest region in the country. Hanson was tabbed All-Region Third Team along with third baseman Callie Brister.
 
Dowdy, Hanson and Brister were also named first team All-SoCon in 2016. Caitlin Bice, Abbie Miranda, Lexie Higgins and Maze were named second team All-SoCon that season.
 
In 2015, Burford-Johnson guided the Bulldogs to a 33-22, 11-7 SoCon record and finished as SoCon runner ups in the regular season. Samford tallied seven SoCon All-Conference selections which included 2015 Freshman of the Year Shelby Maze. Burford also coached junior outfielder Megan Dowdy who recieved the Bulldogs first ever NFCA All-Region Award after making the third team.
 
Burford guided the Samford softball program to its’ most successful season in the program’s 28 year history in 2014 when the team won the most games ever after a 38-18 season. The wins record was not the only one to be broken that season as multiple fell behind a very talented Bulldog squad. Samford also racked up numerous individual accolades by the years end.
 
At the end of the 2013 season, Burford-Johnson guided the team to one of the most successful conference tournament runs in Samford history. The ninth-seeded Bulldogs advanced all the way to the SoCon semifinals, outscoring their first four opponents 19-3. Sophomore pitcher Shelby Scott and senior outfielder Kayla Shaffer were both named to the All-Tournament team. Samford is the only ninth-seed in SoCon history to advance to the semifinals.
 
During the 2013 season, Samford was the only team in the conference to throw two no-hitters, as Mollie Hanson downed UNCG on March 9 before Shelby Scott did the same to Elon on April 20. Both pitchers were named SoCon Pitcher of the Week following their performances and they were the first no-hitters at Samford since 2006.
 
The Bulldogs have earned a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman team in every season under Burford-Johnson as well, with Madison Dickey in 2012, Megan Dowdy in 2013, Grey Adams 2014, Karsin Spinks and Shelby Maze (Freshman of the Year)in 2015 along with Kelsey Royalty and Hannah Trombley in 2016, and Whitney Hinton in 2017.
 
Prior to coming to Samford, Burford-Johnson spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Birmingham-Southern. At BSC, she helped lead the Panthers to a combined record of 57-14 in her two seasons on the coaching staff. In 2009, BSC posted an impressive record of 32-5, breaking 13 team records, including the record for number of wins.
 
Burford-Johnson served as radio color analyst for Alabama softball before joining the BSC softball program. As a graduate student at Alabama, Burford assisted the Crimson Tide Sports Marketing department, and also served on the event management team for the Alabama/Auburn Shoot for Life project, sponsored by The University of Alabama and the Cancer Wellness Foundation of Central Alabama.
 
As a player for the Crimson Tide, Burford-Johnson was team captain in 2007, batting .325. She helped lead Alabama to the Women’s College World Series in both 2005 and 2006, as well as Regional and Super Regional appearances in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. She helped Alabama to the Southeastern Conference title in 2006, was named Tournament MVP of the Bama Bash in 2007 and received Academic All-SEC honors in 2004 and 2005.
 
Burford-Johnson, a native of Anniston, Ala., graduated with a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Alabama in 2007. She also received her Master of Science in marketing in May 2008, also from UA.
 
Burford-Johnson married Alan Johnson in January of 2019. The couple resides in the Birmingham area.