NORMAN, Okla. – The Samford University softball team is back in action today as the team takes on a pair of highly talented teams in Missouri State University and No. 6/5 University of Oklahoma in the Courtyard Marriott Tournament held at the OU Softball Complex on Marita Hynes Field.
The Bulldogs (14-5) will open play at noon against the Bears (8-7) to open play of the tournament. MSU hasn't seen competitive action in nearly two weeks but still have put up impressive numbers so far in the season.
Missouri State is led offensively by freshman standout Chelsea Thomas who is tied for the lead in the Missouri Valley Conference with six home runs and leads the league with a .784 slugging percentage.
Sophomore
Abby Sweeney has been on a hot streak since breaking out against Alabama State on Feb. 20. Sweeney leads the team since that game in batting average (.500), home runs (3) and RBI (9).
SU will have to have strong pitching efforts from
Mollie Hanson,
Grey Adams,
Rebecca Leonard and
Jessica Stone throughout the two day tournament to keep these talented offenses off balance.
The Bears are just as tough in the circle as they are at the plate. MSU sports a pair of talented pitchers in Erin Struemph (2.16) and Chelsea Jones (2.26) who both rank at the top in the MVC in ERA this season.
Samford's next opponent is stronger in nearly every aspect and that's why the Bulldogs will have to dig even deeper to compete with No. 6 University of Oklahoma (14-3) in its second game slated for 4:30 p.m.
The Sooners have four individuals batting over .400 on the year and are led by duo of seniors Lauren Chamberlain and Shelby Pendley. Chamberlain and Pendley have combined for a total of 142 total home runs throughout their career and have been dubbed the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of college softball according to an ESPNW.com article by Graham Hays.
The Bulldogs need to have strong showings in all areas to be successful against both the Bears and the Sooners. What Samford does have going its way is strong offensive lineup that ranks at the top in the Southern Conference in runs scored (107), hits (178), doubles (33), RBIs (98), total bases (262) and slugging percentage (.497).
Oklahoma will have live video feed of both games with a subscription of $9.99 or you can listen for free on KREF 1400 AM. All links for live stats, video and audio can be found here on SamfordSports.com
