Samford University Athletics

Baseball Opens 2008 Season Friday At Kennesaw State

Feb. 21, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford baseball team will open the 2008 season with a three-game series at Kennesaw State, beginning Friday afternoon.

The teams will play single games Friday at 3 p.m. Cenral, Saturday at 12 p.m. and Sunday again at 12 p.m. The series opens the season for both teams.

The Bulldogs return just four position starters and two regular starters on the mound from last year's team, which posted a record of 32-28 overall and 14-13 in Ohio Valley Conference play, giving the Bulldogs a fourth-place finish in the OVC. The winning record marks the first time Samford has posted back-to-back winning seasons in over 40 years.

The Owls return eight position starters and nine pitchers from last year's team that posted a 32-23 overall record. The Owls were 13-14 in the Atlantic Sun, good for a fifth-place finish in the league.

Samford is led by pre-season All-OVC shortstop Michael Marseco. Marseco led Samford with a .350 batting average and 84 hits. He also had 13 doubles, scored 47 runs and had 33 RBI. Senior Bear Burnett will be making the transition from outfield to catcher this season. Last season, Burnett batted .297 with a team-high 17 doubles last season.

Also returning as a starter is senior left fielder John Morgan. Morgan batted .226 with nine doubles and 17 RBI as a junior.

Samford is scheduled to start Trent Hill (Fri.), David Knapp (Sat.) and Jonathan Stephens (Sun.) on the mound. Last season, Hill posted a record of 6-6 with an ERA of 4.35. He struck out 51 batters and he held opponents to a .271 batting average. Knapp was 3-4 last season with a 4.42 ERA.