A-SUN PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM | A-SUN RELEASE | TICKETS
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State softball team had a trio of Owls earn Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason accolades, as senior
Sharon Swanson (Canton, Ga./Cherokee HS) and sophomore
Kaylee Williams (Kennesaw, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain HS) were named to the A-Sun Preseason All-Conference Team, the conference announced Thursday. Junior
Amanda Henderson (Covington, Ga./Eastside HS) was also selected as the Fan Voted Pitcher of the Year.
"I am very happy for the honor that Sharon and Kaylee both have been bestowed,” said Head Coach
Scott Whitlock. “They both had great years last year, so it really was not a surprise that they were named preseason all-conference. They are both outstanding players. Hopefully we will have some players surprise some folks and at the end of the year when the all-conference team is named, not only will Sharon and Kaylee be on it, but a few others too.”
One of the most decorated student-athletes on the squad, Swanson nabbed her second-consecutive National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-South Region Second-Team and A-Sun First-Team honors in 2012. The senior ended the season tied for third in the conference and ranked 35th nationally with a team-leading 15 home runs. Swanson owned a .333 batting average, which ranked third on the team and 11th in the conference. She finished sixth in the league with 37 RBI and fourth in total bases with 110.
Williams earns preseasons accolades after a stellar rookie season, which saw her named to the All A-Sun First-Team, as well as a unanimous selection to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team. One of only five players to appear in all 57 games a year ago and starting all but one, Williams tallied a .273 batting average with 41 hits, including four doubles, two triples and five home runs. She registered a .971 fielding percentage with 89 putouts and 79 assists, while only tallying five errors on the season.
Henderson, one of four A-Sun First-Teamers for Kennesaw State in 2012, was the backbone of the Owls pitching staff last year. She posted a team-high in wins with a 14-7 record in 32 appearances in the circle, while registering an ERA of 2.81 in 153.2 innings. Ranked 16th nationally with a league-leading four saves, as well as tallying 14 complete games. Henderson led the staff with 200 strikeouts and ranked in the top 12 in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings with 9.1. The junior improved her ERA to 1.63 in conference play, finishing second in the league in that category.
"Amanda is just an outstanding pitcher," said Whitlock. "She is a fantastic competitor, has a great personality and has great presence on the mound. Any time she is honored, I am not surprised; I am just grateful and happy about it."
The threesome helped lead Kennesaw State to a share of the 2012 regular-season A-Sun championships and a trip to the A-Sun Conference Tournament title game, before falling to Florida Gulf Coast.
As a team, KSU was picked to finish second in both the Preseason Softball Coaches Poll and the Preseason Softball Facebook Fan Poll, with 89 and 40 votes, respectively. FGCU earned the top position in both polls with 100 votes, including all 10 first-place votes in the coaches poll and 60 votes in the Facebook poll. USC Upstate (73), Lipscomb (67) and Jacksonville (58) round out the top five in the coaches poll, while North Florida (36), Lipscomb (30) and Jacksonville (23) wrapped the top five in the Facebook fan poll.
"As to being picked second, it is somewhat of a surprise," noted Whitlock. "I thought maybe we would be a little lower than that. Certainly Gulf Coast should be the number one pick, but it is what it is. In two weeks it all goes back to zero-zero for everybody and we will just take it from there."
The Eagles’ Chelsea Zgrabik was named the Preseason Player of the Year and the Fan Voted Preseason Player of the Year, while teammate Shelby Morgan was tabbed Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Season tickets are now available for just $39 for all 24 home games, a savings of over $100. Single game tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for youth (ages three to 12) and $3 for groups of 10 or more, with advanced purchasing required for group tickets. All tickets are general admission at Bailey Park in the Bobbie Bailey Athletic Complex. Season or single-game tickets
HERE or by calling the Kennesaw State Athletic Ticket Office at 770-423-OWLS (6957).
The Owls open the 2013 season with a five-game homestand, as KSU co-hosts the Georgia Tech-Kennesaw State Invitational at Bailey Park Feb. 8-10. Kennesaw State welcomes Missouri State on Friday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. ET in the season opener, followed by a 5 p.m., contest versus Coastal Carolina. The tournament also will include home games against Eastern Michigan and Butler.
