FULL GAME NOTES (PDF) | MAGIC CITY CLASSIC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

SOFTBALL TO CO-HOST MAGIC CITY CLASSIC
Samford and UAB will co-host for the Magic City Classic tournament this weekend, being held at UAB Softball Field.  Five teams will play 11 games over three days, beginning on Friday, March 1.  Samford will play three games this weekend: Nicholls on Friday, March 1 at 5 p.m., UAB Saturday, March 2 at 5 p.m. and South Alabama Sunday, March 3 at 5 p.m.

OPPONENT SCOUTING REPORT
Nicholls (7-7) - The Colonels are an even 7-7 this season after a 3-1 weekend at the Blues City Classic with wins over Indiana State, SEMO and Belmont.  They are a young team under second-year Head Coach Angel Santiago, sporting 11 freshmen on a roster of 21.  Their leader at the plate is senior Leah Andrus, hitting .333 (14-42) while fellow senior Ashley Bertot is not far behind at .306 with a team-leading 15 hits.  Their No. 1 pitcher is senior Ashton Bennett (5-2), who owns a 1.11 ERA over 44.0 innings.

UAB (6-4) - The Blazers are 6-4 this season, though they are coming off back-to-back losses to UT-Martin and Alabama.  UAB is coming off its third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012 with a veteran lineup, including seven seniors.  Junior infielder Kristen McGrath has started all ten games this season and leads the team with 14 hits in 35 at-bats, including four home runs and 11 RBI.  Junior Leigh Streetman (4-3) has seen the most time in the circle, throwing 26.2 innings while allowing 12 earned runs.

South Alabama (13-1) - The Jaguars will have to make a quick turnaround to this weekend's tournament, as they face Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Thursday night and then the very first game of the tournament Friday.  South Alabama opened the season 1-1 but have since won 12 straight and are receiving top 25 votes in the latest ESPN.com/USA Today national rankings.  Seven Jaguars are in double-digits in hits, led by sophomore Blair Johnson with 17, including five doubles and 11 RBI.  Junior Hannah Campbell (5-1) is sporting a stellar 0.71 ERA over 39.1 innings while sophomore Farish Beard (5-0, 1.58 ERA) has a team-leading 43 strikeouts in 31.0 innings.

ALL-TIME VERSUS WEEKEND OPPONENTS
Historically, the Bulldogs have struggled against two of its three opponents this weekend, holding a 6-36 combined record against UAB and Nicholls.  Samford has only defeated Nicholls once in 12 meetings, back in 2007.  Samford's last win against UAB came in 2004 as the Bulldogs hold a 5-25 all-time record against their crosstown rivals.

Samford holds a winning all-time record against South Alabama, defeating them in two of their three meetings.  The Bulldogs won contests in 2010 and 2012 while the Jaguars won in 2011.

Samford Falls to #2 Alabama, 11-0, in five innings
Samford ran into a very strong Alabama team Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, as the second-ranked Crimson Tide shut out the Bulldogs, 11-0, in five innings.
 
Samford (6-7) wouldn't earn a hit until the final half-inning, while the defense didn't help their cause by committing four fielding errors that led to five unearned runs.  Mollie Hanson (4-6) got the start in the circle and took the loss, throwing 2.1 innings and allowing seven runs, three earned, off six hits.
 
Alabama's (17-0) potent offense was on display Wednesday as they tallied 10 hits, including three doubles and a home run.  Starting pitcher Leslie Jury (6-0) went the distance, giving up a no-hitter in the top of the fifth inning but ultimately earning the shutout victory to stay undefeated.

FRESHMEN FIVE
With Caitlin Bice making her first career start this past weekend, all five of Samford's freshmen have now made at least one start this season.

The five have accounted for 30 of the team's 73 hits so far this season, with Callie Brister and Megan Dowdy earning nine each.  Caroline Wilder is the only freshmen to start all 13 games so far this season, playing as a middle infielder.

WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK
Birmingham, Ala.
Friday, March 1 - Mostly Cloudy, High 47 Low 34
Saturday, March 2 - Possible Rain, High 40 Low 29
Sunday, March 3 - Sunny, High 45 Low 29

UP NEXT
Next weekend, Samford opens conference play with a road trip to Greensboro, N.C., to take on the SoCon-leading UNCG Spartans (11-2) in a three-game series.  The teams will play a double header on Saturday, March 9 at 1 p.m. ET and will wrap up the series with a single game on Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m. ET.

This weekend, the Spartans play five games at the Winthrop Tournamnet before a midweek trip to Blacksburg, Va., to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies.