April 9, 2007

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Samford softball player Stephanie Royall was named the Ohio Valley Conference's Pitcher of the Week Monday as the Bulldogs' sophomore hurler finished the week with a 3-0 record and registered a miniscule 0.32 earned run average.

Royall, a native of Mill Valley, Calif., picked up all three of Samford's wins last week and turned in a pair of complete-game victories.

The highlight of her week came in a 3-0 shutout win against Mississippi State on Wednesday in which she finished with a game-high 10 strikeouts. Royall only allowed one earned run in 21.2 innings last week and lowered her ERA on the season to 1.74.

Royall finished the week with 18 strikeouts and only gave up two bases on balls. Only a sophomore, she has already increased her career total in strikeouts to 280 and only needs 17 more to move into sole possession of fifth place on the school's all-time list.

She currently leads the team in wins (13), earned run average (1.74), complete games (17), shutouts (4) and strikeouts (136) this season.

Samford (21-15, 7-6 OVC) is in the midst of one of its best seasons in school history and is only eight wins shy of setting the record for wins. The Bulldogs have at least 18 more games to play this year and are on pace to win a school-record 29 games.

Royall has won three OVC Pitcher of the Week awards this season and is tied with Tennessee Tech's reigning OVC Pitcher of Year Bonnie Bynum for the league-high in weekly honors.

The Samford University softball team will next be in action Wednesday as the Bulldogs travel to Jacksonville, Ala., for an OVC doubleheader against in-state rival Jacksonville State beginning at 5 p.m.