Softball 5.1.23

Samford Set To Host Jacksonville State On Tuesday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Following a weekend off, the Samford softball team is slated to host in-state foe the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Tuesday at Samford Softball Stadium.

The conclusion of the season series with the Gamecocks is slated for a 4 p.m. CT first pitch and can be streamed on ESPN+. Samford's game notes can be found here.

Samford enters midweek action with an overall record of 20-28 after falling to Kennesaw State in a historic 13-inning game last time out.

Jacksonville State brings a 27-19 record and a five-game losing streak to Birmingham on Tuesday.

The Gamecocks and the Bulldogs have met on the softball diamond 70 times with Jacksonville State leading the all-time series 44-25. Samford downed the Gamecocks on March 11 by a score of 7-2. The Bulldogs have won five-straight home games in the series dating back to 2016.

Samford enters Tuesday's contest with a 1-6 record in midweeks and a 2-6 record against Alabama teams in the 2023 season.

McKenzie Newcomb is once again leading the Bulldog pitching staff as the sophomore ranks seventh nationally with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 7.74. Newcomb has also accumulated 147 strikeouts which ranks 50th nationally and an ERA of 2.11, good enough for tops in the SoCon.

Newcomb leads a pitching staff that ranks 82nd in the country with 253 strikeouts on the season. The Bulldog team ERA ranks tops in the SoCon at 2.96. Bulldog pitchers enter the midweek ranked 45th nationally with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.64.

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 14 doubles on the season, which ranks 34th nationally. Bruce leads the team with 11 home runs and ranks third in the SoCon and 80th nationally. The sophomore duo had a combined 38 at-bats as freshmen in 2022 and in 2023 they have a combined 56 RBIs.

Bruce's 11 home runs on the year are more than Mary Katherine Tedder and Timberlyn Shurbutt's team-leading seven home run total from last year in 17 fewer games. They are also the most by a Bulldog in a season since Whitney Hinton hit 15 in 2019.

With her three home-run performance against WCU, Bruce became the eighth Bulldog in program history with double-digit homers in a season and the first since 2018 to homer three times in a game.

Bruce enters Tuesday's game with Jacksonville State having reached base safely in each of the last 14 games, a team-best.

Merritt Cahoon has proven to be one of the hardest people to strike out. The senior only strikes out once every 16 ABs, which ranks second in the SoCon and 101st nationally.

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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

#17 Merritt Cahoon: INF; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

#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

#17 Merritt Cahoon
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#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