BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Head Coach Kimball Cassady and the Samford softball team will kick off the 2022 spring season this weekend, Feb. 11-13, as the Bulldogs travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi for a three-day tournament hosted by the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
 
"We are excited. Our kids have scrimmaged each other so much at this point, and we are just ready to get the ball rolling. Our players are getting anxious and excited, so it is going to be a good weekend I think," said Kimball Cassady.

SoCon preseason favorite, Timberlyn Shurbutt, returns for her fifth season in 2022 and looks to continue her impressive performance at the plate and third base. The Alexandria, Ala. native appeared in all 45 games for the Bulldogs last season, recording 143 at-bats, 22 runs, a team-high 13 doubles, and one triple. In the field, Shurbutt tallied 54 putouts while registering 119 assists and executing nine double plays from third.

"Timberlyn was the first one to approach me when I took the job. She has an outgoing personality that brings a lot to our team as far as the leadership side of it goes, and she is one of the hardest workers out there. Constantly getting extra cuts and taking extra ground balls," said Cassady. "We are excited at the fact that she was picked Preseason All-Conference, and we look for her to do big things for us this year."
The Bulldogs are returning nine additional players, including sophomore Amanda Briskin who led the team last season in batting average. The Alpharetta, Ga. native started in 42 games for Samford, recording 42 hits in 132 at-bats, while ranking third on the team in runs with 17. The Bulldogs also welcome back Ansley Yantis, Abigail Dorsett, Jordan Moore, Kolby Holcombe, Ally Bigham, Lindsey Nelson, Merritt Cahoon, and Grace Robertson.

"What's so special about it is that we are pretty much too deep at each position besides pitchers and catchers. It's been a really good dynamic to see how they all push each other and work together really well," said Cassady. "Those kids, the sophomores that you mentioned that are coming back, they just bring a lot to the program. They've been there and they've done that, so they have been gracious in accepting us and the new philosophy and mission we are trying to build."

Samford fans will also see several new faces out on the diamond this season, including three new pitchers in the circle, McKenzie Newcomb, Jordyn Partain, and Jordan Walters. Newcomb is a true freshman from Meridianville, Ala. where she attended Hazel Green High School. Jordyn Partain and Jordan Walters are both transfers with Partain joining Samford from Florida International and Walters from Shelton State Community College.

"We have what I consider a number one and number two, and then you have a middle reliever in Jordan Walters. It works at well for us because Walters can come and throw some off-speed, drop balls, and keep batters off balance," said Kimball Cassady. "You can expect some high velocity from Newcomb, and then from Partain, a little bit of high velocity, but she mixes the ball around well and throws some off-speed."

Kimball Cassady enters her first season as the head coach of the Samford softball team, joined by newly appointed assistant coaches, Jeff Gillespie and Taylor Baynes. Gillespie joins the Bulldogs from Birmingham Southern where he assisted Kimball Cassady for four years with the duo earning the program's first-ever NCAA Regional title during the 2021 season. Taylor Baynes comes to Samford from the University of West Florida, a DII institution located in Pensacola, Fla. where he worked as an assistant coach for the Argonaut softball program from 2016 to spring of 2021.

"Those are probably the two best coaches, we really lucked out there. Jeff really buys in and wants the best out of this program. He brings a lot of philosophy and knowledge of the game to our staff," said Cassady. "Then you have Taylor Baynes who is young and energetic. He is always here at 7:45 a.m. and getting things ready, doing the field for us, so he brings a lot of energy to our program."

The Bulldogs recently tied for fourth with the Bears of Mercer University in the 2022 Southern Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Samford tallied 18 points after posting an overall record of 18-27, 7-11 SoCon last season under the tenure of former head coach Mandy Burford-Johnson. UNC Greensboro was picked as the preseason favorite with 35 points and five first-place votes, while Western Carolina followed with 30 points and one first-place nod. Behind Samford and Mercer were the Paladins of Furman University with a total of 12 points and ETSU with just nine points.

"I have nothing to base anything off of at this point. From what I can tell from our team, the scrimmages we've had, and work we've put it, in my mind I have no reason to believe we can't win 40 games this year. That's our goal and push this season. If you win 40 games, we should win our conference. We have a lot of high expectations but with the way we've been working and the talent that we have, I think the sky's the limit for us," said Kimball Cassady.

Fans can gear up for the upcoming season by visiting the Samford softball schedule page, visit https://samfordsports.com/sports/softball/schedule.

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