GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG softball team (32-21, 9-6 SoCon) is coming off a weeks rest after sweeping Chattanooga (27-25, 6-9 SoCon) for the first time since 2003 last weekend. The Spartans head to Samford (34-18, 12-3 SoCon) for the final Southern Conference series of the season with one thing on their minds, a Southern Conference Title. In a pivotal league match up, a sweep for UNCG, who sits in second in the league, would secure the program's first-ever regular season SoCon title.
UNCG boasts a 9-6 record in league play while Samford is 12-3. A sweep for the Spartans would give both teams matching league records in the final weekend but since the Spartans take the head-to-head series, UNCG would capture the crown and earn No. 1 seed in the Southern Conference Tournament next week.
This is not a series you want to miss. The top two teams in the league face off in the final games of the season. Arguably on of the conference's top pitchers, Mollie Hanson goes head-to-head one last time in the regular season with UNCG's all-time hits and home runs leader, Lindsay Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood), in both of their last conference series' of their careers.
Thomas, who earned SoCon Player and Student-Athlete of the Week honors earlier this week, leads the SoCon and ranks 21st in the nation in batting average (.438). She's slugging .843 this season and has blasted 14 home runs this season en route to shattering the Spartans' program record for career home runs. On her tail is Megan Dowdy; the Bulldogs top hitter who's batting .420 with a league-leading 23 doubles this season.
Samford leads the conference with a .330 team batting average while UNCG is in second batting .308 with a conference-high 59 home runs. Each team has four players in the top-10 for batting average in the SoCon this season. Joining Thomas for UNCG is third baseman Danielle Vega (Rialto, Calif./Aquinas) and Nicole Thomas (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) who are hitting .389 and .388, respectively. Rounding out the top-10 is Spartan freshman Stephanie Bryden (Orlando, Fla./East River) who is hitting .353 this season with 12 extra base hits and a .539 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Bryden is 12-11 with 124 strikeouts, ranking third in the SoCon. Alicia Bazonski (Sheffield, Mass./Mount Everett) is 18-7 in 36 appearances and holds a 3.05 earned run average. Bryden has held opponents to a .255 batting average this season while Bazonski has held opposing hitters to a .250 average.
Fans can watch the series live on the SoCon Digital Network or follow live stats at UNCGSpartans.com. First pitch of Saturday's doubleheader is slated for 2 p.m. (EST) at the Samford Softball Field.
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