May 2, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford softball team will play host to the Mississippi State Bulldogs Tuesday afternoon as it wraps up the non-conference slate for the 2011 season. The meeting will serve as a makeup game for both teams as each squad had previous games rained out earlier in the season.
Mississippi State (23-29, 9-16 SEC) holds a 12-2 lead over Samford (11-37, 7-14 SoCon) in the all-time series. The last time both Bulldog squads faced off was in 2007 when Samford shut out MSU, 3-0, snapping a four-game skid. Before that, Samford's only other win came in a 2-0 victory in 2000. MSU had won all eight of the previous matchups.
The Samford Bulldogs come off a tough Southern Conference weekend in which they were swept by the Spartans of UNC Greensboro. Samford lost 12-4 and 4-1 on Saturday before getting edged out, 3-2, by UNCG on Sunday.
Brianna Chambers led the Bulldogs throughout the weekend, going 5-for-9 at the plate with three runs scored and a home run. Nicole Bobrowski and Robyn Harmon still sit at the top of the Bulldogs' batting statistics. Bobrowski improved her batting average to .310 with a 3-for-7 performance over the weekend against the Spartans. Bobrowski also boasts four doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI on the year. Harmon holds a .306 average at the plate and leads the team in doubles (6) and triples (2) and is second in home runs with four.
Kayla Burris (8-14) continues to be Samford's most consistent pitcher. She holds a 4.45 cumulative ERA and leads the team in strikeouts with 91. She has started 23 of the 28 games she has played in and pitched 16 complete games and 140 innings.
Kaili Smith leads Mississippi State at the plate with a .346 batting average followed by Ali Bainbridge (.336) and Courtney Nesbit (.308). Bainbridge also leads the team in doubles with 13 and stolen bases with 20 on 25 attempts. Nesbit is the Bulldogs' home run leader with eight bombs on the year and she also boasts a team-high 42 RBI. All three Bulldogs are also the only three players to have played and started in all 52 games for MSU.
Kylie Vry (8-11) boasts a team-low 4.13 ERA for MSU. She is the Bulldogs' strikeout leader with 83 followed closely behind by Stephanie Becker (7-9) with 81. Vry has started 18 of 36 games played and pitched four complete games including two shutouts.
Although Mississippi State was swept by LSU over the weekend, the Bulldogs clinched the eighth seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
First pitch for Tuesday's matchup is set for 4 p.m. at Bulldog Field. A full recap and complete box score will be available on www.samfordsports.com upon the completion of the game.
