GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball team begins a seven-game home stretch, starting with a three-game series against The Southern Conference foe Samford.

Currently, UNCG is 30-11 overall and 7-2 in SoCon and the Bulldogs are leading the conference with an 8-1 mark, and they are 27-15 overall.

Last year, Samford swept the series in early April in Birmingham, Alabama, but then the Spartans defeated the Bulldogs, 13-5, in a SoCon Quarterfinal game.

All regular season softball home games are free admission. The concessions at UNCG Softball Stadium are open. Bringing in outside food is not permitted and pets are not allowed into the stadium.
 

Saturday, April 12 Opponent: Samford Where: Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Softball Stadium Time:  1:00 p.m. Promotions: The first 100 UNCG students will receive a free cooler bag! Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)   Time: 3:00 p.m. Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)

Sunday, April 13 Opponent: Samford Where: Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Softball Stadium Time: 1:00 p.m. Promotions: Softball Bingo & buy one get one free hot dogs! Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)

 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPARTANS

• UNCG fell to Radford, 1-0, on Wednesday in Virginia.
• Grace Loftin had the Spartans' lone hit.
• Jorde Chartrand pitched 5.0 scoreless frames out of her 6.0 innings of work. She struck out three batters.

RUNDOWN ON THE SPARTANS

• UNCG is nationally ranked in the top 25 in home runs (9^th/66), home runs per game (9^th/1.61), RBI (18^th/256), slugging percentage (22^nd/.555), RBI per game per game (25^th/6.24) and total runs (25^th/271).
• Kaylyn Belfield is leading the Spartans with a .430 batting average and has successfully stolen 12-of-14 bases.
• Belfield is 66th nationally with her hitting clip.
• Loftin is leading the Spartans with 51 hits, swinging .398 at the plate in 41 games played with a team-high 40 RBI. She also paces the team with nine doubles, three triples and 11 home runs.
• Her 51 hits are 57th in the nation and her 40 RBI are 68th.
• Jessie Shipley is second on the team with nine homers, while Hadley Gardner has eight homers. Chartrand, Macy Michael and Rylie Williams each have seven home runs.
• Along with Loftin, Chartrand and Beck each have nine doubles.
• Along with Loftin, nine other Spartans have double-figure RBI, with eight totaling 20 or more. Chartrand is second on the team with 31 and Shipley is third with 30 RBI.
• Salem Ward leads the pitching staff with 79 strikeouts. She is second with a 2.42 ERA and has a 12-3 record with three saves in 26 appearances.
• Ward is nationally ranked 27th in saves, 46th in victories and 62nd in pitching appearances.
• Chartrand, in 20 appearances, leads the pitching staff with a 2.16 ERA with a 6-5 record and three saves. She has kept opponents to a .224 batting average. Chartrand is 27^th in the nation with her three saves.
• Ward earned SoCon Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 17 after going 4-0 in the Spiro Invitational.
• Gardner earned SoCon Player of the Week, while Chartrand was tabbed SoCon Pitcher of the Week after the Spartans' 4-0 weekend at the CSU Round Robin.
• This season, the Spartans have walked off in six games: vs. Toledo (16-14), Iona (5-3), Fairfield (4-2), Radford (2-1), Wofford (2-1 and 9-8).
• The Spartans are leading the SoCon in eight categories, including home runs, home runs per game, RBI per game, RBI, scoring, slugging percentage, win/loss percentage and walks.
• Head Coach Janelle Breneman earned her 400^th win at the helm of the Spartans following a 7-2 win over Saint Francis on Feb. 16.
• UNCG was chosen to finish second in the SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Spartans received one first-place vote.  
• Loftin was named to the SoCon Preseason First Team, while Betsy Eatmon and Chartrand were voted to the Preseason Second Team.
• The Spartans concluded the 2024 season 33-26 overall and 13-8 in the SoCon.
• It was the fifth-straight season with 30 or more wins.
• It was also the ninth year with 30 or more wins under the direction of Breneman, who is in her 13^th year with the Blue & Gold.
• The Spartans reached the SoCon Championship game for the sixth-straight year in 2024, excluding the COVID 2020 shortened season, falling to Chattanooga in the double elimination game.
• UNCG added four freshmen and two transfers.

RUNDOWN ON SAMFORD

• Samford finished the 2024 season 24-32 overall and 12-9 in the SoCon.
• The Bulldogs are on a four-game win streak, which includes a 7-5 midweek victory over West Georgia and a three-game sweep over ETSU.
• Samford was voted to finish fourth in the 2025 SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Logan Champion and Olivia Shaw were named to the 2025 SoCon Preseason All-Conference First Team, while Jordyn Partain, Sarah Squillace and McKayla Cothran were voted to the Second Team.
• Shaw is leading the team with a .384 batting average and 15 doubles.
• Her 15 doubles are seventh in the nation
• Champion has hit a team-best nine home runs and Shaw is second with eight homers.
• Joi Hubbard has successfully stolen 25-of-28 bases. She is 16^th in the nation in total stolen bases.
• Partain has pitched 98.2 innings and have struck out 49 batters. She has kept batters at a .237 batting average and has a 12-8 record with a 3.48 ERA.
• Partain is 12^th nationally with four shutouts.
• Samford is leading the SoCon in batting average (.320), doubles (71), doubles per game (1.69), hits (357), shutouts (9), stolen bases per game (1.52), total runs (272), total sacrifice flies (16) and total stolen bases (64).

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UP NEXT 
The Spartans will continue its homestand hosting Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, April 15 at the UNCG Softball Stadium with a 5:00 p.m. first pitch.

All regular season softball home games are free admission. The concessions at UNCG Softball Stadium are open. Bringing in outside food is not permitted and pets are not allowed into the stadium.