FULL GAME NOTES (PDF)

SAMFORD TO HOST IN-STATE RIVAL, JACKSONVILLE STATE
Samford softball will host in-state rival Jacksonville State on Tuesday, March 26 for a midweek matchup.  Due to continued construction on the Samford Softball Stadium, the game will be played at Spain Park High School in Hoover.  First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.

OPPONENT SCOUTING REPORT
Jacksonville State (17-14, 4-3 OVC) - The Gamecocks are 17-14 on the season, falling in four of their last five games.  The lineup is hitting just under .300 as a team, led  by sophomore Sara Borders at .366 (34-93) while senior Krystal Ruth (.357) leads the team in hits (41) and doubles (12).  Junior Kalee Tabor, a transfer from Seminole State College, has been their power hitter with a team-leading seven home runs and 27 RBI.  Junior Tiffany Harbin has been their workhorse in the circle, owning a 10-6 record and 2.68 ERA over 115.0 innings of work with 157 strikeouts.

ALL-TIME VERSUS JACKSONVILLE STATE
Tuesday's game will be the 53rd meeting between the teams, with Jacksonville State holding a 35-18 record in the all-time series.  The two teams spent five seasons (2004-08) as conference rivals in the OVC, where the Gamecocks went 10-6 against the Bulldogs.  Since joining the SoCon in 2009, Samford has not defeated Jacksonville State in five-straight games.  Last season, a 2-2 tie game in Jacksonville was called in the top of the fifth due to weather.

ABBY ADAMS HITTING HER STRIDE
Sophomore shortstop Abby Adams, a preseason All-SoCon honoree, has turned it around at the plate after a cold streak in the first half of the season.  Heading into the Appalachian State series, she was hitting .133 with only six hits in 45 at-bats.  Since, she has hit safely in six of her last eight games with eight hits, including two doubles, for a .320 batting average over that stretch.  Four of her ten RBI this season have come in those eight games and she has cut her strikeout percentage nearly in half.

BICE ADDS POTENT ARM TO DEPLETED BULLPEN
Due to a season-ending injury to Mollie Hanson, Samford needed arms to fill its depleted bullpen.  Freshman Caitlin Bice has answered the call and more, turning into a formidable option for the Bulldogs in the circle.  Over 19.0 innings of work in six appearances, including two starts, she leads the team with a 2.21 ERA.  She has allowed two or less hits in four of those appearances, has only walked three total batters and has shut out the opponent in three appearances lasting at least 3.0 innings.

SAMFORD SPLITS OPENING DOUBLEHEADER, FALLS IN RUBBER MATCH TO WESTERN CAROLINA
Samford won its opening game against Western Carolina in last weekend's three-game series but dropped the final two  over a rain-soaked weekend at UAB Softball Field.

Samford's lone win of the weekend was a 5-1 victory in game one, as Shelby Scott earned her first win of the season in the circle behind a nine-hit performance by the offense and three costly fielding errors by the Catamounts, which led to three unearned runs.

Western Carolina bounced back in game two, as the offense pounced on Samford with six unanswered runs and a two-run bottom of the fourth would prove too little, too late for Samford in the 6-2 loss.

Game three was a low-scoring affair, as a RBI double in the top of the first for Western Carolina would prove enough to hold on for the tight 1-0 victory.

TUESDAY WEATHER OUTLOOK
Tuesday, March 26 - Hoover, Ala.
Partly Cloudy
High 48, Low 29

UP NEXT
This weekend, Samford travels to Baton Rouge, La., to take on #13 LSU in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 30.  First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.