Softball 3.21.23

Softball Heads To North Alabama For Final Midweek Before SoCon Play

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the final tuneup before Southern Conference play begins, the Samford softball team hits the road for a midweek contest at the North Alabama Lions on Wednesday.

The first pitch between the in-state foes is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on Wednesday and can be streamed on ESPN+. Samford's game notes can be found here.

Coming off of a historic weekend, Samford brings an 11-18 record into the midweek matchup.

Despite going 2-3 on the weekend at the Rebel Invitational, The Bulldogs knocked off host Ole Miss. The win was the first Samford victory over Ole Miss since 2001 and the first over an SEC team since 2007.

North Alabama sits at 17-6 on the year after sweeping Jacksonville State during the opening weekend of A-Sun play.

Samford and North Alabama are meeting for the 12th in program history with the lions holding a narrow 6-5 lead. The two squads met earlier this season during the Samford Bulldog Classic, North Alabama won the game 2-1.

During the 2022 season, the Bulldogs went 2-5 against in-state foes. Entering the midweek, Samford is 2-3 against Alabama teams this season.

McKenzie Newcomb is once again leading the Bulldog pitching staff as the sophomore ranks 10th nationally with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 9.90. Newcomb has also accumulated 99 strikeouts which ranks 27th nationally and an ERA of 1.66, good enough for 77th in the country.

Newcomb leads a pitching staff that ranks 51st in the country with 165 strikeouts on the season. The Bulldog team ERA ranks 80th at 2.82. Bulldog pitchers enter the midweek ranked 34th nationally with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.11.

On the offensive side of things, the power-hitting duo of Logan Champion and Grier Bruce pace the Bulldog offense. Champion has collected a team-best ten doubles on the season, which ranks 16th nationally. Bruce leads the team with seven home runs and ranks second in the SoCon and 52nd nationally. The sophomore duo had a combined 38 at-bats as freshmen in 2022 and in 2023 they have a combined 33 RBIs.

Champion enters the midweek game against North Alabama riding a season-high eight-game hitting streak.

Bruce's seven home runs on the year have already tied Mary Katherine Tedder and Timberlyn Shurbutt's team-leading home run total from last year in 24 fewer games.

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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).

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Players Mentioned

#8 Timberlyn Shurbutt: INF; 5' 7"; Senior; R/R

#4 Grier Bruce: INF; 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R

#25 Logan Champion: C; 5' 4"; Freshman; R/R

#24 McKenzie Newcomb: P; 5' 5"; Freshman; R/R

#22 Mary Katherine Tedder: UTL; 5' 8"; Graduate Student; R/R

Players Mentioned

#8 Timberlyn Shurbutt
: 5' 7"; Senior; R/R
: INF

#4 Grier Bruce
: 5' 8"; Freshman; R/R
: INF

#25 Logan Champion
: 5' 4"; Freshman; R/R
: C

#24 McKenzie Newcomb
: 5' 5"; Freshman; R/R
: P

#22 Mary Katherine Tedder
: 5' 8"; Graduate Student; R/R
: UTL

Samford University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned