April 18, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University softball team will begin a critical Ohio Valley Conference series against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Saturday as the teams are scheduled to play at series-opening doubleheader at 1 p.m., at Bulldog Field.

Samford (16-24, 7-11 OVC) heads into the matchup having won four of its previous six games. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a two-game winning streak and are coming off a key OVC series victory against Southeast Missouri last week.

During the stretch, Samford's Amanda Barrs was named the OVC's player of the week after she paced the Bulldogs' offense with a stellar .500 batting average.

A sophomore pitcher from Harrisburg, N.C., Barrs also extended her team-high hitting streak to six-consecutive games and increased her RBI total to 28. Against Jacksonville State, she turned in a 2-for-4 performance at the plate and blasted a first-inning grand slam.

Tennessee Tech (22-23-1, 6-7 OVC), the two-time defending OVC champion, heads into this weekend's three-game series as the sixth-place team in the conference.

The Golden Eagles have not played a game since April 9 and are only 1-3 in their previous four matchups. Tennessee Tech was swept in a midweek doubleheader against Lipscomb on April 8, before defeating OVC-foe Tennessee State 4-2 on April 9.

Last week, the Golden Eagles were scheduled to play a weekend series at Eastern Illinois, but all three games of the set were canceled due to cold, rainy weather.

Tennessee Tech's last road game was March 30 at Morehead State. The Golden Eagles have struggled on the road this season and are 3-8 when playing outside of Cookeville, Tenn.

Senior Stephanie Fischer leads Tennessee Tech's offensive attack with a .431 batting average. The Golden Eagles' infielder has powered a league-high 15 home runs this season and has accumulated 42 runs batted in. Fellow-senior Sarah Street has pitched in 29 games this season and has compiled a 1.71 earned run average and an 11-14 record.

In the all-time series between Samford and Tennessee Tech, the Golden Eagles own an 18-10 advantage. Last season, the teams split a pair of games held in Cookeville, Tenn.

Following Samford's doubleheader against Tennessee Tech on Saturday, the teams will play the series finale at 1 p.m., Sunday.

Sunday's game will be Samford's final home contest of the 2008 season and fans are urged to arrive 15 minutes early as the Softball Program recognizes the following Bulldog seniors: Emily Deaux, Tracey Deaux and Jeslyn Metcalf with a special "Senior Day" presentation.

GameTracker - Game One
GameTracker - Game Two