College of Charleston
Samford
Cougars? softball heads to Samford for three-game SoCon series
3/13/2009 4:00:00 AM | Softball
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? College of Charleston softball resumes its Southern Conference schedule this weekend when the Cougars travel to Birmingham, Alabama to face Samford from March 14-15.
CofC takes on the Bulldogs in a double-header at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday, March 14 before a 2:00 p.m. game on Sunday, March 15.It is Charleston's first ever trip to Birmingham, Alabama to face Samford and only the second meeting in program history.
Team Capsules
College of Charleston Cougars
2009 Record: 7-12, 2-1
Streak: Win, 1 Game
2008 Record: 33-33, 12-8 (3rd in Southern Conference)
Charleston enters the weekend following a double-header against Charlotte on March 10 that saw the Cougars claim several records and split a pair of games with the 49ers.
With four strikeouts in the second game, a 9-0 victory, junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) became the all-time strikeout leader at the College of Charleston with 465 for her career while junior third baseman Kristie Shifflett (Virginia Beach, Va.) had a career day at the plate. After going 2-for-4 with two doubles and both RBIs in a 7-2 loss in the opener, Shifflett pounded Charlotte pitching with a 2-for-3 day that featured two home runs and a career-high five RBIs. On the day, she went 4-for-7 with four extra base hits and seven RBIs. Her two home run effort was the 20th time in program history that a Cougar has accomplished the feat. The record for a game is three, accomplished twice.
On the season, Shifflett leads the team with a .346 batting average, .692 slugging percentage, .433 on-base percentage, five home runs and 15 RBIs while senior designated hitter Shannon Howard is second on the team with a .296 average, three home runs and 11 RBIs. In the pitching circle, Howard is 3-5 with a 4.34 ERA while Mesko is 4-7 with 48 strikeouts in 60.1 innings.
In addition to their accomplishments in the Charlotte double-header, a pair of Cougars, Howard and Mesko, claimed the Southern Conference's weekly honors. Howard was the Player of the Week while Mesko earned Pitcher of the Week.
Samford Bulldogs
2009: 6-13, 0-3
Streak: Loss, 1 Game
2008: 25-29, 14-13 (Ohio Valley Conference)
The Bulldogs have opened 2009 with a 6-13 record and have yet to win a game in the Southern Conference following a sweep at the hands of Appalachian State last weekend in Boone, N.C. Samford notched three straight victories to open the season (8-7 over Mississippi Valley St., 6-5, Central Arkansas and 8-3, Southern Miss) before going 2-12 over their next 14 games. That stretched dropped them to 5-12. The Bulldogs snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 7-5 victory over Saint Louis on March 10.
Jessica Owens leads Samford with a .426 batting average and has drawn a team-high 13 walks while Katie England is tied for the team lead with three home runs and has 19 RBIs. Aaren Fisher has three home runs to go along with 13RBIs. In the pitching circle, Kayla Burris has a 2.80 ERA at 1-3 while Stephanie Royall is 3-5 with a 3.74 ERA. As a staff, the Bulldogs have given up 10 home runs and are allowing opposing batters a .317 average.
Series History vs. Samford
The College of Charleston and Samford have met only one time previous to this weekend's contest The Bulldogs earned an 8-2 victory 16 years ago on April 30, 1993 when the two teams met in the Trans America Athletic Conference Tournament in Bossier, Louisiana. This will be the first trip that the Cougars have made to Birmingham, Alabama to face Samford.
Charleston Series Records Against Samford
vs. Samford: 0-1 (Last Meeting: L, 8-2)
All-Time Series Results vs.Samford
SAMFORD
Date Winner Score
4/30/93 Samford 8-2
