Nov. 11, 2008

2009 Softball Schedule

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University softball program officially released its 2009 spring schedule Tuesday as the Bulldogs' head into a new season with many new opponents to face along with some old acquaintances. The Bulldogs' upcoming 54-game slate features a brand new conference schedule including 24 league contests and match-ups with top teams from several conferences including the SEC, C-USA, Missouri Valley, OVC and Big Ten.

Samford's 2009 schedule boasts 23 home games including four conference weekends and two tournaments. Head Coach Beanie Ketcham is excited about several aspects of this season's schedule, especially the opportunity to play at home so much.

"We have a lot of home games so it is always fun to play in front of our fans and on our field; I think we have some home field advantages," Ketcham said. "I also like the diversity of our schedule. We are playing several top teams from a variety of conferences including Alabama, Arkansas, Southern Illinois, Michigan State, UTEP, Southern Miss and our old buddies, defending OVC champs, Jacksonville State, to name a few. I think the schedule is balanced in terms of RPI. It's not too top or bottom heavy. And finally, we are getting a change of scenery again in getting to travel to UTEP. I think it is a great experience for our players and adds a little excitement beyond the familiar bus trip."

The Bulldogs will open the season at home on a Thursday evening when they take on Mississippi Valley State in a 5 p.m. match-up at Bulldog Field. They will then hit the road for their first tournament at the University of Southern Mississippi where they will play Southern Miss, Arkansas and Central Arkansas in a weekend of play on Feb. 7-8.

When it returns home from Mississippi, Samford will head to Jacksonville State for a midweek contest against an old rival in the defending Ohio Valley Conference Champions on Feb. 11.

The Bulldogs will then host their first tournament of the season - the annual Bulldog Bash. This year's tournament features Southern Illinois, Austin Peay, Gardner Webb and, of course, Samford. It will be a Valentine's Weekend affair as the event is set for Feb. 13-14.

Next, the Bulldogs will head westward to El Paso, Texas, to take part in the UTEP Softball Invitational. Samford will start play in the four-day event on Feb. 20 with a late afternoon match-up with Northern Colorado followed by an evening meeting with New Mexico State. On Feb. 21, Samford starts early with a 9 a.m. game against Cal State Northridge and will then play UTEP at 3:30 p.m. The Bulldogs will wrap up play on Feb. 22, with a contest against San Jose.

Samford will return home to host Troy University on a Wednesday (Feb. 25) and then will participate in the Magic City Classic at Spain Park High School. The tournament will be hosted primarily by UAB this year, but Samford will act as a co-host as well. In this tournament (Feb. 7-8), the Bulldogs will face Northern Illinois, Michigan State, UAB and Alabama State.

Ketcham said the most important home games will come when the conference season starts.

"The biggest home games this year will be our conference opponents. We have a lot of homework and learning to do with these new teams; the home conference games will allow us to set the tone."

Southern Conference action starts as the Bulldogs begin on the road against Appalachian State (March 7-8). That road trip will be followed up by a four-game homestand starting with a midweek double-header hosting St. Louis University (March 10) and ending with a weekend hosting College of Charleston (March 14-15).

A road weekend at Chattanooga (March 21-22) continues league play after Spring Break and then the Bulldogs head to Tuscaloosa to take on the 2008 SEC regular season champions in the University of Alabama (March 25).

Next on the conference slate is a home weekend against Furman (March 28-29) before Samford hits the road for back-to-back conference away weekend, first at Georgia Southern (April 4-5) and then at UNC Greensboro (April 10-11).

Memphis will be Samford's final midweek non-conference opponent on April 15 as the Bulldogs and Tigers will meet for a double-header. Then Samford will host Western Carolina on April 18-19 and Elon on April 25-26. During the Elon weekend, Samford will honor its seniors with a special celebration and ceremony. The Bulldogs will wrap up regular season play at Mercer (April 29-30).

The Southern Conference Tournament will be held in Chattanooga, Tenn., May 6-9.

"We are excited about forming new rivalries and traveling to new markets and bigger cities! With a healthy team, I think we can compete right away in the Southern Conference. Based on past history, I think Chattanooga and Georgia Southern are the top dogs in the conference, so we look forward to the challenge of seeing what they bring to the table. However, we will take no one for granted as I know we will have a huge target on our backs. No one wants the new kid to win. We are definitely going to have to execute the little things and play our game to compete well."