ETSU looks to move up in the SoCon standings against the current league leader

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 29, 2016) – The ETSU softball team will host SoCon-leading Samford for three games this weekend at Betty Basler Field. The Bucs and Bulldogs will take part in a doubleheader Saturday and wrap up the three-game set with a single game Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. both days.  

Bullets on the Bucs

• The Bucs went 3-2 overall in last week’s action. ETSU began the week by sweeping a non-conference doubleheader from Gardner-Webb Wednesday. Following the sweep, the Bucs went 1-2 against UNCG over the weekend.
• Danielle Knoetze (San Diego, Calif.) was a major cog in the Bucs’ offense last week hitting .357 with two home runs and four RBI. With the pair of long balls, Knoetze now leads the team with nine home runs, which is the four-most by a Buc in a single-season.
• Lindsey Fadnek (Coalfield, Tenn.) picked up two of the three wins in the circle for the Bucs last week. With the pair of victories, Fadnek improved her record to 10-4 this spring becoming just the eighth pitcher in program history to reach double figures in wins for a season.

Bucs by the numbers

2 – ETSU, which has hit 42 home runs this season, needs just two more long balls to tie the program record for home runs in a single season. The Bucs have seven players with three or more long balls and  three of those players have more than six.

9 – The Bucs have already set the program record for saves in a season with nine. Five different pitchers have notched saves in 2016 with Kelsey Smith (Tucson, Ariz.) leading way with four.   

3 – There are three current Buccaneers that rank in the top 10 on the program’s all-time home run list: Taylor Carter (3^rd, 20 home runs), Kelsey Smith (5^th, 19 home runs), Danielle Knoetze (7^th, 17 home runs). Not only do all three players rank in the top 10 but they also have at least one year of eligibility remaining with the Bucs.

Scouting the Opponents

Samford: The Bulldogs head into this weekend’s series with the Bucs leading the conference in team batting average (.329) and team ERA (3.59). Samford, who is 32-17 overall and 10-2 in conference play, has won seven straight games with its last loss coming at Western Carolina April 16.

Samford has a versatile offensive team as it has hit 50 home runs and has nearly stolen as many bases (49). Hannah Trombley and Callie Brister lead the Bulldogs with 10 home runs each, while Shelby Maze paces the team with 17 stolen bases.

Mollie Hanson has been the Bulldogs top pitcher in 2016 with a record of 17-8 with an ERA of 2.91. Hanson has not been Samford’s only dependable pitcher, however, as five others have registered at least one win in the circle.  

Series Histories vs. Opponent

This weekend’s series will be the first ever trip for Samford to Johnson City. In total, the Bucs and Bulldogs have met four times with all four matchups occurring last season. Samford not only swept the three-game set in Birmingham but also won a game against ETSU in the conference tournament.

Following options for both doubleheaders

The three-game series against the Bulldogs will have live stats available and the links can be found on the Bucs’ schedule page. Fans can also follow @ETSUSoftball on Twitter for in-game updates.

FOLLOW THE BUCS

• Receive live game updates and behind-the-scenes access of ETSU Softball by following @ETSUSoftball on Twitter or ETSU Softball on Facebook
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