April 19, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University softball team will begin play in its final home series of the 2007 season Friday as the Bulldogs host the Tennessee State Tigers in a key Ohio Valley Conference beginning at 4 p.m., at Bulldog Field.

The teams will play a series-opening doubleheader Friday, followed by the "Senior Day" finale at 1 p.m., on Saturday. Fans not able to attend the games in person can follow live via the GameTracker featured on www.SamfordSports.com.

Samford (26-17, 11-7 OVC) heads into this weekend's series with a three-game winning streak.

The Bulldogs have won 10 of their previous 13 contests and are riding the positive momentum of three-straight conference victories. Last week, Samford swept second-place Eastern Kentucky with thrilling home wins of 2-1, 8-7 and 2-0.

The Bulldogs have compiled a 12-6 record at home this season and are 7-3 against OVC opponents. Samford has won five of its previous six conference games held at Bulldog Field.

With three weekends remaining in the regular season, the Bulldogs are currently tied for third place in the OVC standings with an 11-7 record. Samford trails Tennessee Tech by four-and-a-half games for first place, but is only a half game behind Eastern Kentucky for the second spot.

The top six teams in the final conference standings will qualify for the OVC Tournament where the first and second-place squads receive an opening-round bye.

Tennessee State (29-19, 7-11 OVC) enters Friday's doubleheader as the seventh-place team in the conference. The Tigers split a pair of midweek contests against Memphis on Wednesday and snapped a three-game losing streak. Tennessee State dropped the first game of the doubleheader 8-0, but then rallied for a 1-0 victory in the nightcap.

The Tigers have struggled offensively this season and are only averaging 2.8 points per game. Since April 10, Tennessee State has been outscored by a total of 31-7.

Despite their hitting woes, the Tigers enter this weekend's series with the top pitching staff in the conference. Tennessee State currently leads the league with a 2.11 earned run average and is ranked second in strikeouts (320).

Junior Amanda Vaught (13-7) has arguably been the best pitcher in the OVC this season and is leading the league in ERA (1.19), opponent's batting average (.179) and saves (5).

Samford also boasts one of the top pitchers in the conference in sophomore Stephanie Royall. The Bulldogs' native of Mill Valley, Calif., has already been named the OVC's Pitcher of the Week three times this season.

On Feb. 12, she earned OVC Pitcher of the Week honors after being named to the Seminole Classic All-Tournament Team. She compiled a 2-1 record in the prestigious season-opening tournament after earning a two-hit, complete-game victory against Florida A&M.

The next week, Royall earned OVC Pitcher of the Week honors again as she tallied a perfect 3-0 record and led Samford to the championship title of the Georgia Southern Invitational. Royall concluded the weekend with a miniscule 0.33 ERA and three complete-game victories.

Last week, Royall picked up his third OVC Pitcher of the Week award after registering a 3-0 record and striking out 10 batters in a 3-0 shutout victory against Mississippi State. She finished the week with a miniscule 0.32 earned run average and 18 strikeouts.

Currently, the Bulldogs boast the OVC's Player of the Week in freshman Amanda Barrs. She finished last week's seven-game stretch with two home runs and nine RBIs en route to a 5-2 record.

A native of Harrisburg, N.C., Barrs compiled a .364 (8-of-22) batting average and tallied four runs, two doubles and a stolen base. She also spent time in the circle and picked up a critical victory against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.

Samford heads into this weekend with a 9-1 all-time record against Tennessee State.

Since the Bulldogs joined the OVC in 2004, Samford has rattled off an 8-1 mark versus the Tigers, including victories in the first seven meetings between the teams. Last season, the Bulldogs won two out of the three games held in Nashville, Tenn.

Following Friday's series-opening doubleheader between the teams, Samford will host Tennessee State again Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be the Bulldogs' final home contest of the season and will be preceded by a special "Senior Day" presentation.

The following four Samford seniors will be honored prior to the game: Jenna Dempski, Susanna Meyer, Liz Pearse and Shelley Stanley. Admission is free to Bulldog Field and fans are encouraged to arrive early for Saturday's "Senior Day" honors.