GAME NOTES: FULL RELEASE - AUSTIN PEAY (02.19.14)

The Samford University softball team kicks off the week with a doubleheader against Austin Peay University on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Samford Field with first pitch slated for 3 p.m.

QUICK HITTERS

This will be the 39th meeting between the Bulldogs and the Lady Governors with Samford holding a commanding 26-12 overall record against Austin Peay. The last time these two teams faced off against each other the the Bulldogs came away with a 6-5 victory back in 2008.

SU has embraced the long-ball this season, already smashing 11 home runs through nine games, the 'Dogs only hit a total of 20 home runs during the entirety of the 2013 season. Callie Brister, Abby Adams and Abbie Miranda each have three home runs a piece while Arica Dykes and Hannah Taylor have each slugged one out of the park.

Aggressive base running has also been a successful attribute to this year's squad going 16-for-16 in stolen base attempts this season. Last year the Bulldogs only managed to swipe 26 bases out of 35 attempts.

Megan Dowdy has been as solid as it gets as a lead off batter for head coach Mandy Burford. Dowdy leads the team with a .355 avg (11-for-31) with 5 RBIs and six runs scored for the Bulldogs. When the speedster reaches base it is like automatically putting a runner into scoring position as she is also a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts so far this season.

Caroline Seay has burst onto the scene for the Samford softball team with her impressive presence at the plate. Seay is second on the team in batting average going 6-of-19 (.316) at the plate with four runs, three RBIs and is 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts. Last year Seay was only batting at a .225 clip with five RBIs and four stolen bases.

 ON DECK

Samford continues play at the Auburn Tournament which is set to begin on Friday, Feb. 21, against the host team Auburn University with first pitch slated for 6 p.m.  The Bulldogs will also take on Mississippi Valley State University and Purdue University on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 11 a.m and 1:15 p.m. The Bulldogs will conclue play with a rematch against MVSU on Sunday at 1:45 p.m.


"AA" BATTERY
Sophomore Abby Adams opened the season in the best possible way for the Bulldogs. The Hobart, Ind. native rank second on the team leader board with eight RBIs and is tied for the team lead with three home runs after going 7-of-28 (.250) at the plate this season; she is also slugging .607

HANSON'S HEAT
Junior Mollie Hanson picked up where she left off last season notching a 3-2 record so far this season  The Dothan, Ala. native has pitched a total of 26.0 innings with 31 strikeouts and only five walks through three starts.  Hanson currently holds a 3.46 ERA.

THE 9 HOLE
Freshman second baseman Abbie Miranda has proven her worth in the bottom of the batting order for head coach Mandy Burford.  The Vestavia Hills, Ala. native has provided production at the plate in some way every game this season. Miranda 2-of-20 (.300) at the plate has scored seven runs, five RBIs,  three home runs and a stolen base to start the season.

Miranda's best outing came on Feb. 07, against Mercer where she went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a solo home runs in a 9-8 victory over the Bears.

GREY MATTERs
Freshman Grey Adams was introduced to the collegiate softball realm on Feb. 08,  against Florida A&M where she tossed a complete-game. The Fairhope, Ala. native only gave up four hits and two earned runs while striking out four and only two walks to pick up her first career victory.

Adams through two starts holds a 2-0 record with 12 strike outs and only three walks through 16.1 innings pitched.

SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS
A trio of sophomores have picked up where they left off in their freshman campaigns. Caitlin Bice, Callie Brister and Hannah Taylor all have contributed to the Bulldogs in a significant way again this season.

Bice is currently 6-for-20 (.300) at the plate with a double,  a triple, two walks,  two RBIs and two runs scored nine games.

Taylor is 6-for-20 (.300) with a home runs, six RBIs, four runs scored and has an OBP of .364 and is slugging .450.

Brister has the hottest bat out of the trio right now hitting 7-of-27 (.259) with 11 RBIs, six runs scored, three walks, a double and three home runs. The Tuscaloosa, Ala. natives best game so far came on Feb. 14, against Belmont University where she went 2-for-4 with two home runs and tied her career high of four RBIs.

DICKEY LOOKS TO REBOUND
Junior Madison Dickey wants to put the 2013 season behind her after a devastating season-ending knee injury  on Feb. 23 against SEMO.  The Hoover, Ala. native played in all 56 games her freshman season and started in the first 10 of her sophomore year before going down. Dickey's bat will bring a big boost to the Bulldogs lineup as she has a career .539 slugging percentage with 31 runs and 34 RBIs, which 28 of both of those came during her freshman season.

BULLDOGS TABBED TO FINISH 6TH in SoCon
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Georgia Southern Eagles have been voted the preseason favorite to win the 2014 Southern Conference softball championships in voting conducted by the league's head coaches. UNCG sophomore Lindsay Thomas was named the preseason Player of the Year while Georgia Southern senior Sarah Purvis was named the preseason Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Georgia Southern, last season's tournament champion, tallied seven first-place votes for a total of 49 points. Purvis, last season's SoCon Pitcher of the Year, was named first-team preseason all-conference, along with teammate Kourtny Thomas. The Eagles totaled three all-conference team selections.

UNCG earned 40 points to take second place. Thomas, who was last season's Freshman of the Year, was one of five Spartans selected to the preseason all-conference teams, which were the most of any team. Appalachian State, last year's regular-season champion, received the final first-place vote and 35 points to earn the No. 3 spot. The Mountaineers placed a pair of players on the all-conference squads.

Chattanooga was picked fourth, receiving 31 points, followed by Furman and Samford, who earned 24 and 20 points, respectively. Elon was picked to finished seventh with 14 points and Western Carolina earned 11 points to take the eighth spot.

The 2014 Southern Conference Softball Championship is scheduled for May 7-10 in Greensboro, N.C.