BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –   The Samford softball team will hit the road this week for the 2022 Southern Conference Championship with your No. 2 seeded Bulldogs kicking off the tournament against No. 7 seeded ETSU at 11:30 a.m. (central) on Wednesday, May 11 at the UNCG Softball Stadium. 
 
Samford closed out its first regular season under the tenure of Head Coach Kimball Cassady with an overall record of 31-17, including a 15-3 finish in the league. The Bulldogs faced UNC Greensboro this past weekend for the final weekend series of the year with the Spartans claiming a 2-1 series win and the SoCon Regular-Season Champions title. After falling to UNCG in game one, 7-3, Samford bounced back with a 2-0 win to split the doubleheader. The following day, both teams battled out on the diamond, pushing the game into extra-innings until the Spartans capitalized off two runs in the top of the eighth to lock in a 4-2 victory. 
 
Upcoming opponent, East Tennessee State, finished its regular season with an 8-46, 4-14 (SoCon) mark, ranking last in the Southern Conference standings. The Buccaneers found their four wins in conference play against Western Carolina, Mercer, and Furman. ETSU secured its one and only series win this past weekend against the Paladins, recording the doubleheader sweep with 4-2 and 5-3 victories before falling to Furman in eight innings, 4-3, in Greenville to close out the weekend. Senior Andrea Sarhatt leads the Buccaneers at the plate with a .291 clip after knocking a team-high 46 hits her 158 at-bats. Sarhatt has recorded 21 runs, five doubles, a league-hight four triples, and 14 RBIs. 
 
The full SoCon Championship Tournament schedule and times (ET) are listed below. 
 
2022 SoCon Softball Championship
Greensboro, N.C. – UNCG Softball Stadium
(Times listed is ET)
 
Wednesday, May 11
Game 1: No. 4 Furman vs. No. 5 Mercer – 10 a.m. 
Game 2: No. 2 Samford vs. No. 7 ETSU – 12:30 p.m. 
Game 3: No. 3 Chattanooga vs. No. 6 Western Carolina – 3 p.m.
 
Thursday, May 12
Game 4: Game 2 loser vs. Game 3 loser – 10 a.m.
Game 5: No. 1 UNCG vs. Game 1 winner – 12:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner – 3 p.m.
Game 7: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 loser – 5:30 p.m.
Game 8: Game 1 loser vs. Game 6 loser – 8 p.m. 
 
Friday, May 13
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner – 12:30 p.m. 
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner – 3 p.m.
Game 11: Game 10 winner vs. Game 9 loser – 5:30 p.m. 
 
Saturday, May 14
Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 11 winner – 1 p.m.
Game 13: (if necessary): Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser – 3 p.m.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:
 
After 48 contests, Samford is hitting .271 as a team with 29 home runs, 193 runs scored on 354 hits and 167 RBIs. The team is slugging .387, holds a .340 on-base clip and has swiped 48 bases on 56 attempts. 
 
COVERAGE:
 
All SoCon Championship Tournament action will be available to watch on ESPN+, while fans can also follow along via live stats. Coverage links are available on the Samford softball schedule page, https://samfordsports.com/sports/softball/schedule.
 
SERIES HISTORY:

• Samford holds a 17-6 series advantage over East Tennessee State after sweeping the Buccaneers earlier this season in Johnson City. The Bulldogs found 3-1 and 7-3 (8 inn.) victories to lock in the doubleheader sweep before edging ETSU by a 1-0 final decision in game three. 

 
BULLDOGS TO WATCH:

• Senior Mary Katherine Tedder has been named the Southern Conference Player of the Year after her dominant performance out on the diamond. The Texas transfer closed out the 2022 regular season leading the SoCon with a .386 batting average and 18 doubles, firing off 54 hits in 140 at-bats. Tedder started in all 48 contests for the Bulldogs, recording 31 runs, two triples, seven home runs, and a team-high 41 RBIs. 
• Freshman McKenzie Newcomb is this year's Southern Conference Freshman of the Year after dominating in the circle throughout her rookie season. The Meridianville, Ala., native made 23 starts and 31 overall appearances, earning a win-loss record of 20-8 to go along with one save and 11 complete games. Newcomb logged a 2.19 earned run average during the regular season, while striking out 151 batters in her 168.2 innings of work. 

 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford softball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordSB (Twitter), and @SamfordSB (Instagram).