March 26, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University softball team will square off against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in a midweek Ohio Valley Conference matchup Tuesday at 6 p.m., at Bulldog Field. The meeting will be the first between the in-state rivals this season.

Attendance is free and fans not able to attend the game in person can follow the action live at 91.1 FM or via the Internet at www.al.com/wvsu.

Samford (16-12, 3-3 OVC) heads into the pivotal conference matchup looking to build upon its series win against Eastern Illinois over the weekend. The Bulldogs were victorious in 2-of-3 games versus the Panthers and improved their home record to 5-3 this season.

After two full weeks of OVC play, Samford sits in fourth place in the conference standings and only trails Austin Peay by one game for the third position. The Bulldogs will square off against Austin Peay in a three-game road series this weekend.

Sophomore Jessica Owens, the Bulldogs' speedy leadoff hitter, posted a team-high .429 batting average last week as she helped lead Samford to its pair of wins against Eastern Illinois.

A native of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Owens went 3-for-7 at the plate and scored a pair of runs in the three-game series. She also earned a team-high three walks and posted a stellar .600 on-base percentage. Owens is in the midst of a four-game hitting streak and is batting .444 since March 17. She is a perfect 8-of-8 in stolen base attempts this season.

Jacksonville State (14-11, 3-3 OVC) enters Tuesday's matchup in the midst of a three-way tie for fourth place in the standings along with Samford and Southeast Missouri.

The Gamecocks have been defeated in three of their previous four contests and are coming off a 1-2 performance at Eastern Kentucky last weekend. Jacksonville State won the opener of the three-game series 12-9, but lost the final two contests by identical 4-3 scores.

Prior to its recent slump, Jacksonville State had won 7-of-8 games, including a doubleheader sweep of Middle Tennessee on March 14.

Jacksonville State heads into Tuesday's game as the top hitting team in the conference. The Gamecocks own a .305 team batting average and lead the OVC in both on-base percentage (.362) and slugging percentage (.520).

Junior outfielder Rachel Fleming is leading the OVC with a .453 batting average. She is also a perfect 10-of-10 in stolen base attempts.

Samford has already hit 16 home runs this season and is being led by the school's all-time home run leader Shelley Stanley.

The Bulldogs' senior right fielder has powered seven of the team's 16 deep flies this season and recently increased her career record to 32. Stanley has already surpassed the previous school record of 21 home runs and set the single-season mark last year with 10.

Samford's team record for home runs in a season is 29 and was set during the 2003 campaign.

Junior Emily Deaux is currently second on the team with four home runs and is followed by senior Jenna Dempski's three round-trippers. During the 2007 Samford Bulldog Bash, both Owens and true freshman Amanda Barrs hit the first home runs of their careers.

Both of the homers came against Alabama State on March 10. Barrs' homer went to deep center field, while Owens' was an inside-the-park number down the left-field line.

The Bulldogs own a 17-24 all-time record against Jacksonville State.

Since head coach Beanie Ketcham took control of Samford's softball program in 2003, the Bulldogs are 6-5 versus the Gamecocks, but have dropped four of the previous six meetings. Last season, the Bulldogs went 1-2 against Jacksonville State and finished the annual series with a 1-1 mark at home.

Following Samford's single game against Jacksonville State on Tuesday, the Bulldogs will next be in action Saturday at Austin Peay as they begin a three-game series versus the Lady Govs in Clarksville, Tenn.

The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 4 p.m., followed by a noon matchup Sunday.