FULL GAME NOTES (PDF)

SOFTBALL TO TAKE ON DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION ALABAMA
Samford's 13th game of the 2013 season is a midweek road trip to take on the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. CT.

OPPONENT SCOUTING REPORT
#2 Alabama (16-0) - The Crimson Tide won their first-ever national title last year by defeating Oklahoma in four games at the College World Series.  This season, they are undefeated and currently ranked #2 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.  Freshman outfielder Haylie McCleney has started all 16 games and is batting an incredible .604 with 32 hits in 53 at-bats, including six doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI.  The Tide have five players with averages over .400 so far this season and are batting .338 as a team with 118 runs scored.  In the circle, they are led by SEC Pitcher of the Year and the Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player, Jackie Traina.  She has a perfect 8-0 record and a 0.82 ERA over 51.1 innings of work with 75 strikeouts, while Leslie Jury (5-0, 1.32 ERA) and Lauren Sewell (3-0, 1.78 ERA) round out the strong rotation.

ALL-TIME VERSUS ALABAMA
This will be the 21st meeting between the two teams as Samford holds a 2-18 all-time record against the Crimson Tide.  The Bulldogs' two wins both came in 1997 as the Bulldogs won 5-1 and 8-6.

SOFTBALL GOES 3-1 AT BLUES CITY CLASSIC
Samford played four tightly-contested games at last weekend's Blues City Classic, winning three.  The Bulldogs opened the weekend with two wins on Saturday, defeating Wright State, 4-2, and SEMO, 2-1.  They fell in their opening game Sunday to Wichita State, 4-1, but rebounded with a walkoff comeback victory over Belmont, 5-4.

Against Wright State, Samford held a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth but a pair of unearned runs by the Raiders would tie the game.  With their backs against the wall, an RBI single by Megan Dowdy and a sacrifice fly by Madison Dickey would give the Bulldogs the 4-2 lead, which would prove final.

Both Samford and SEMO would tally a run in the first inning but neither offense could muster much of anything the rest of the game, as the contest stretched to extra innings, still tied 1-1.  In the top of the eighth, Alex Adams hit a sacrifice fly to bring home the go-ahead run as Samford held on to win 2-1.

Samford's lone loss of the weekend came against Wichita State.  Samford held a 1-0 lead for most of the game after an RBI double by Kayla Shaffer in the first, but a late three-run homer and an RBI single by Wichita State would eventually help the Shockers to a 4-1 victory.

Samford closed action at the tournament with a thrilling game against Belmont.  Down 4-0, the Bulldogs rallied to score five unanswered in the final three innings, including a game-tying three run homer by Misha Aldridge.  Abby Adams was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, which brought home the game-winning run for an unconventional walkoff win.

12-GAME STRETCH, 2012 VS. 2013
Through 12 games this season, the team has already improved over a number of categories from the same time frame last year.  Last year, Samford owned a 3-9 record through its first 12 games while this year's team is 6-6.  In nine less at-bats during that stretch this season, Samford has already equaled the number of doubles (14) and runs (36) while surpassing the RBI total with 35 as opposed to last year's 34.

The biggest changes have come in the pitching and defense however.  Last season, Samford had a 3.25 team ERA, as opposed to this season at 1.86.  Samford has only allowed 21 earned runs, as opposed to last year's 39, and has nearly tripled the amount of strikeouts with 86 this year and 31 last year.

In the field, Samford has commited half as many errors as last year, with nine this season as opposed to 18 at this point last year.

SAMFORD VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
The matchup against #2 Alabama is tied for the highest-ranked opponent any Samford team has played so far this season.  Men's basketball played at #2 Louisville earlier this year.

This is already the third nationally-ranked softball team the Bulldogs have faced this season, playing against #10 USF and #13 Michigan in the opening weekend.  Samford has a future double-header date with #11 LSU in Baton Rouge while South Alabama is also receiving top-25 votes.

Football is the only other sport at Samford to face four ranked teams this season, facing four ranked FCS opponents, the highest being #6 Wofford.

WEDNESDAY WEATHER OUTLOOK
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Wednesday, Feb. 27
Mostly Sunny
High 60, Low 35
10-15 mph winds

UP NEXT
Samford will serve as the host for the Magic City Classic Tournament this weekend, welcoming four other teams for 11 games over three days, starting Friday, March 1.

Due to continuing construction on the brand-new Samford Softball Stadium, the tournament will be held at UAB Softball Park.

The Bulldogs will play three games during the weekend.  Samford opens the weekend against Nicholls State on Friday, March 1 at 5 p.m., faces UAB on Saturday, March 2 at 5 p.m. and concludes with South Alabama on Sunday, March 3 at 5 p.m.