The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Wednesday, March 13
Birmingham, Ala. / Mary Bowers Field
6 P.M.
UAB
vs
Samford
UAB Prepared to Host Samford for Crosstown Showdown
3/12/2019 8:01:00 PM | Softball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB softball team will be back at home for the first time this month on Wednesday, hosting Samford at Mary Bowers Field. First pitch for the inner-city matchup is slated for 6 p.m.
"Any time you have a weekend like we just had, not playing our best ball, the first thing that your thought process as a coach and as a team goes to is, 'Hey, let's get on the field again,'" said coach Jimmy Kolaitis. "We have an opportunity to do that tomorrow against a Samford team that's playing well. They're across town, and it should be a competitive battle. We're excited to get going. We just want to get back on the field. We had a good practice today. We'll take a little BP tomorrow morning, and then we'll get ready to roll. I think we're ready to get back on the field. It's always nice to play at home, so I hope we have a pretty good crowd and can get it going tomorrow."
UAB (8-15) comes into the game following its conference opening series at UTSA. The Blazers were unable to pull out a win on the road, but improved steadily over the weekend. UAB drew within a run with runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh before falling in the series finale, 4-3.
Freshman outfielder Faith Hegh currently leads the Blazers at the plate, posting a .387 batting average with 24 hits and seven RBI for a .516 slugging percentage to date. Junior outfielder Natalie Erwin is also a major contributor with a bat in her hands, notching a .370 batting average with 17 hits and six RBI. Erwin brings speed and power to the table with a team-leading three home runs to go with a .609 slugging percentage and three stolen bases on only three attempts. Freshman pitcher Sarah Cespedes leads UAB in the circle, firing 30 strikeouts in six games for a 4.38 ERA and a 3-3 record on the season.
Samford (9-17) will tread into Blazer territory after splitting four game at the Racer Classic, hosted by Murray State in Murray, Ky., last weekend. The Bulldogs took down Purdue Fort Wayne, 5-2, and edged Northern Iowa in nine innings, 6-5, but were unable to defeat host Murray State, falling in a pair of matchups, 4-1 and 5-1, respectively.
Senior utility player Madison Couch leads the Bulldog bats with a .311 batting average and a .554 slugging percentage after picking up 23 hits, four home runs and 14 RBI on the year. Sophomore pitcher Emily Barnett has had the most success for Samford in the circle, accumulating 12 strikeouts with a 2.80 ERA and one win this season.
The Bulldogs will look to chip away at the Blazers' all-time series lead as UAB current holds a 28-6 advantage. Since March of 2005, the Blazers have dominated the matchup, compiling an 18-2 record over that span. UAB has also won the last two matchups, most recently defeating Samford in an eight-inning thriller, 4-3, on April 18, 2017, at home at Mary Bowers Field. The Bulldogs' last win over the Blazers came in the form of a 6-1 win on March 2, 2016, at their home, the Samford Softball Field.
UAB's next action will be hosting its first conference series of the season as Louisiana Tech comes to town for a three-game weekend series at Mary Bowers Field. The Blazers and Bulldogs will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, then wrap up the series on Sunday. First pitch for game one of the doubleheader is set for 3 p.m., followed by a 5 p.m. start for game two on Saturday. The series finale is slated to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
General admission tickets are on sale for $5 for adults and $3 for youth and chairback seats are available for $10 for adults and $6 for youth. Tickets can be purchased at the gate, online at uabsports.com, or by calling the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.
Fans can receive access to every softball, women's basketball and baseball game for the entire 2018-19 season by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB softball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_SB).
"Any time you have a weekend like we just had, not playing our best ball, the first thing that your thought process as a coach and as a team goes to is, 'Hey, let's get on the field again,'" said coach Jimmy Kolaitis. "We have an opportunity to do that tomorrow against a Samford team that's playing well. They're across town, and it should be a competitive battle. We're excited to get going. We just want to get back on the field. We had a good practice today. We'll take a little BP tomorrow morning, and then we'll get ready to roll. I think we're ready to get back on the field. It's always nice to play at home, so I hope we have a pretty good crowd and can get it going tomorrow."
UAB (8-15) comes into the game following its conference opening series at UTSA. The Blazers were unable to pull out a win on the road, but improved steadily over the weekend. UAB drew within a run with runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh before falling in the series finale, 4-3.
Freshman outfielder Faith Hegh currently leads the Blazers at the plate, posting a .387 batting average with 24 hits and seven RBI for a .516 slugging percentage to date. Junior outfielder Natalie Erwin is also a major contributor with a bat in her hands, notching a .370 batting average with 17 hits and six RBI. Erwin brings speed and power to the table with a team-leading three home runs to go with a .609 slugging percentage and three stolen bases on only three attempts. Freshman pitcher Sarah Cespedes leads UAB in the circle, firing 30 strikeouts in six games for a 4.38 ERA and a 3-3 record on the season.
Samford (9-17) will tread into Blazer territory after splitting four game at the Racer Classic, hosted by Murray State in Murray, Ky., last weekend. The Bulldogs took down Purdue Fort Wayne, 5-2, and edged Northern Iowa in nine innings, 6-5, but were unable to defeat host Murray State, falling in a pair of matchups, 4-1 and 5-1, respectively.
Senior utility player Madison Couch leads the Bulldog bats with a .311 batting average and a .554 slugging percentage after picking up 23 hits, four home runs and 14 RBI on the year. Sophomore pitcher Emily Barnett has had the most success for Samford in the circle, accumulating 12 strikeouts with a 2.80 ERA and one win this season.
The Bulldogs will look to chip away at the Blazers' all-time series lead as UAB current holds a 28-6 advantage. Since March of 2005, the Blazers have dominated the matchup, compiling an 18-2 record over that span. UAB has also won the last two matchups, most recently defeating Samford in an eight-inning thriller, 4-3, on April 18, 2017, at home at Mary Bowers Field. The Bulldogs' last win over the Blazers came in the form of a 6-1 win on March 2, 2016, at their home, the Samford Softball Field.
UAB's next action will be hosting its first conference series of the season as Louisiana Tech comes to town for a three-game weekend series at Mary Bowers Field. The Blazers and Bulldogs will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, then wrap up the series on Sunday. First pitch for game one of the doubleheader is set for 3 p.m., followed by a 5 p.m. start for game two on Saturday. The series finale is slated to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
General admission tickets are on sale for $5 for adults and $3 for youth and chairback seats are available for $10 for adults and $6 for youth. Tickets can be purchased at the gate, online at uabsports.com, or by calling the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.
Fans can receive access to every softball, women's basketball and baseball game for the entire 2018-19 season by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB softball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_SB).
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