May 11, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Samford softball players Amanda Barrs and Jeslyn Metcalf were officially named to the All-Tournament Team of the 2008 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Sunday after the pair helped guide the Bulldogs to their first OVC semifinal appearance.

Samford finished the six-team, three-day tournament with a 2-2 record and picked up victories against Eastern Kentucky 8-6 and Morehead State 4-0. The Bulldogs rattled off 36 hits in the OVC Tournament and scored 19 runs in four games. As a team, Samford turned in a stellar .313 batting average.

Metcalf, the Bulldogs' senior centerfielder from Dothan, Ala., paced the squad with a .467 average and scored three runs. She tallied a team-high seven hits and also finished the OVC Tournament with a stolen base.

On Saturday, Metcalf went 3-for-3, tripled and scored a run against Tennessee Tech. She reached base safely in all four games of the tournament and turned in a 2-for-4 outing versus eventual champion Jacksonville State on Friday.

Sophomore Amanda Barrs went 6-for-15 at the OVC Tournament and also pitched a two-hit shutout for the Bulldogs.

Barrs, Samford's multi-talented sophomore from Harrisburg, N.C., started all four games in the circle for the Bulldogs and also went 6-of-15 at the plate. She finished the tournament with a team-high four RBI and hurled a two-hit shutout against Morehead State on Thursday.

In the complete-game victory, Barrs tallied a season-high seven strikeouts and added a 2-for-3 performance at the plate. She also blasted a two-run homer in the 4-0 victory. Against Eastern Kentucky in the opening game of the tournament, Barrs went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Bulldogs finished the season with a 25-29 overall record and as the sixth-place team in the conference. In its final year as a member of the OVC, Samford advanced to the semifinal round of the conference tournament for the first time in school history.

In 2009, Samford will move to the Southern Conference and the future looks bright for the Bulldogs. Samford will return eight starters from this year's team and will also add a talented crop of freshmen to the roster.

2008 OVC All-Tournament Team

Megan Nelson, Eastern Illinois
Shyenne Hussey, Eastern Kentucky
Korey Ellis, Morehead State
Amanda Barrs, Samford
Jeslyn Metcalf, Samford
Stephanie Fischer, Tennessee Tech
Amanda Glover, Tennessee Tech
Maddie Schmissrauter, Tennessee Tech
Nikki Prier, Jacksonville State
Allie Barker, Jacksonville State
Ashley Eliasson, Jacksonville State
Rachel Fleming, Jacksonville State (MVP)