April 15, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- After a week off from competition, the Samford softball team will return to the diamond this weekend as it plays host to Elon for a three-game Southern Conference series. The Bulldogs and Phoenix will face off in a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Saturday will be the last installment of Samford softball's Senior Days as the Bulldog program will honor senior shortstop Amanda Jordan. Jordan has been a four-year starter and has had a significant impact on the program, especially in the last two years. In her junior season, Jordan emerged as one of the team's best hitters, solidifying her place in the clean-up spot in the line-up. This season, Jordan leads the team in RBI with 11 and home runs with six.
The Bulldogs (9-30, 5-7 SoCon) had the week off after winning two of its last five games. The last time Samford hit the diamond, it walked away with a split decision against Western Kentucky as the Bulldogs wrapped up a week-long road swing. Samford took the first game, 4-3, but dropped the second game, 8-0.
The last time out in conference play, the Bulldogs stunned Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga., in a nine-inning thriller on Sunday that ended with Samford as the 11-10 victor. The win came after two losses (2-1 and 5-0) to the Eagles on Saturday.
Samford currently ranks sixth in the league standings with a 5-7 record against SoCon foes. The Bulldogs started the season being swept by Chattanooga, but bounced back with series wins over Furman and Western Carolina in the following weeks.
Elon (19-17, 4-8 SoCon) ranks eighth in the conference standings, just behind Samford and College of Charleston and above Western Carolina. The Phoenix started the SoCon slate with a series win on the road at College of Charleston. They were then swept by Appalachian State and Chattanooga, and took two out of three from Georgia Southern last weekend.
Samford holds a 5-3 lead in the series with Elon. The first meeting of the Bulldogs and the Phoenix was in 2002 when Samford swept a doubleheader. The two teams did not meet again until Samford joined the SoCon. The Bulldogs won the series at home in 2009 while Elon won the series on its turf last season.
Robyn Harmon continues to lead all Samford starters at the plate with a .306 batting average. She also holds a team-high slugging percentage with four doubles, two triples and three home runs in 26 hits. Senior Whitney Terry is right behind with a .298 batting average followed by three freshmen in Julianne Surane, Lakan Smith and Nicole Bobrowski.
In the circle, Bobrowski holds the Bulldogs' lowest ERA (4.49). With a 2-7 record, she has pitched four complete games and has struck out 25 batters. Kayla Burris (6-12) leads the Bulldogs in strikeouts with 80 in 116.1 innings of work. She holds a 4.87 ERA and has pitched 12 complete games including two shutouts.
The Phoenix are led by four players who are batting over .300. Jackie Gonzalez, who holds a .364 batting average, leads the pack followed by Carleigh Nester with a .350 average, Camille Hill with a .344 average and Tomeka Watson with a .333 average. Nester and Watson are also two of the top four RBI-getters on the Phoenix roster. Emerald Graham boasts a team-high 31 RBI with the help of eight home runs, followed by Watson with 21 RBI, Nester with 17 RBI and Pam DelPizzo with 14 RBI.
Lauren Taylor and Erin O'Shea lead Elon in the pitcher's circle. Taylor boasts the team's best record of 10-7 and holds a 3.28 ERA along with 85 strikeouts in 96 innings of work. One hundredth of a point separates Taylor and O'Shea in the ERA column as O'Shea holds a 3.29 ERA. She also boasts a 7-8 record and 100 strikeouts in 110.2 innings of work. O'Shea has pitched 11 complete games for the Phoenix with Taylor has pitched eight. Each of them owns three of Elon's six shutouts.
Saturday's doubleheader will start at 1 p.m. at Bulldog Field, and Sunday's game will start at 1 p.m. as well. The weekend's action will be available via live video streaming on www.samfordsports.com. A full recap and box score will also be posted upon the completion of each day's games.
