BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the final non-conference weekend of the year, the Samford softball team hits the road for the Ole Miss-hosted Rebel Invite. 
 
The three-day event starts on Thursday as the Bulldogs take on the Purdue Boilermakers at 6:30 p.m. CT.
 
Friday will feature a doubleheader as Samford takes on St. Thomas at 10:30 a.m. before a 3:30 p.m. showdown with host Ole Miss. The Ole Miss game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
 
To conclude the weekend, the Bulldogs will play North Dakota State at 10:30 a.m. and St. Thomas at 1 p.m. on Saturday. 
 
Samford's game notes can be found here. 
 
The Bulldogs and Purdue are meeting for the second time in program history as the Boilermakers took the lone game in the series back in 2014. Samford and North Dakota State have only met once and that was in the 2021 Ole Miss Classic. The Bison won the game 4-3.
 
Ole Miss holds a 14-3 series lead over Samford heading into the weekend and The Bulldogs have not beaten the Rebels since 2001. Samford and St. Thomas have never met on the Softball diamond.
 
Samford has not beaten an SEC team since downing Mississippi State in 2007. The last Power Five foe that the Bulldogs beat on the softball diamond was Georgia Tech in 2020.
 
The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 9-15 record after dismantling the Alabama State Hornets in the midweek by a score of 11-5. 
 
Despite a 3-5 record on the season, McKenzie Newcomb has been one of the best pitchers in the country over the first month of the season. The sophomore has tallied 84 strikeouts against just eight walks in 75.2 innings of work. Newcomb's 84 strikeouts rank her 26th in the country with
a Top 100 ERA of 1.57.
 
Newcomb's Strikeout-to-walk ratio of 10.50 ranks among the absolute in the country at 15th nationally. 
   
To go along with Newcomb in the circle, Logan Champion has been the best Bulldog position player in the early going of the season. 
   
The Bulldog catcher ranks either first or second in nearly every offensive category including batting average (.329), hits (24), doubles (8), triples (1), total bases (46) and slugging percentage (.630). Her eight doubles are also 24th nationally. 
 
Champion has also been a weapon behind the plate throwing out 13 runners on the year to tie for the national lead. 
   
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).