April 11, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In what has arguably become its most important Ohio Valley Conference series of the 2008 season, the Samford University softball team will host the Southeast Missouri Redhawks in a three-game set beginning Saturday at 1 p.m., at Bulldog Field.

The teams, which are both fighting to secure one of the coveted six spots in the 2008 OVC Tournament, will play a series-opening doubleheader Saturday, followed by a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.

Samford (13-23, 5-10 OVC) heads into the weekend tied for eighth place in the conference standings along with Tennessee State. The Bulldogs have 12 OVC contests remaining this season and are currently three games out of sixth place. Only the top six teams in the final OVC standings will qualify for the league's postseason tournament.

With its hard-fought 9-8 loss to Jacksonville State on Wednesday, Samford suffered its sixth defeat in seven games.

The Bulldogs have played their previous seven OVC matchups away from home and recently completed a four-game road trip. Following a 4-0 loss to the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at home, Samford took to the road and compiled a 1-3 record in games against Eastern Illinois and Jacksonville State.

Southeast Missouri (18-19, 7-7 OVC) enters this weekend's key conference series as one of the hottest teams in the OVC.

The Redhawks have been victorious in seven of their previous 10 games and are currently the fifth-place team in the league standings. Southeast Missouri has won each of its last three OVC series' and is coming off a 2-1 record against Tennessee State last week. The Redhawks picked up wins of 5-2 and 6-3 versus Tennessee State.

Southeast Missouri boasts the No. 4-ranked hitting team in the OVC. The Redhawks also feature the top two hitters in the conference.

Senior infielder Megan McDonald is currently the best hitter in the OVC and owns a phenomenal .435 batting average. She has already tallied 50 hits this season and has powered six home runs. Fellow-senior Michelle Summers is also batting over .400. She enters the weekend with a .408 average and 11 home runs.

Samford's offense has been paced by junior Jessica Owens.

The Bulldogs' speedy leftfielder from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., leads the team with a .353 batting average. She has already recorded 42 hits and has tallied eight stolen bases. Earlier this season, Owens became Samford's all-time stolen base leader, and she recently increased her career total to 42.

Since the Bulldogs joined the OVC in 2004, Samford has accumulated a 9-5 record against Southeast Missouri.

Two years ago, the teams played their annual series at Bulldog Field and Samford rallied for a three-game sweep. The Bulldogs have never been defeated by the Redhawks in Birmingham, and Samford owns a 6-0 mark when playing at Bulldog Field.

Last season, Southeast Missouri took two out of three games in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Following Saturday's doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m., the teams will play the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m., at Bulldog Field.

GameTracker - Game One
GameTracker - Game Two