By: by Scott Lipsky
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Kennesaw State will open up the 2010 USF Under Armour Showcase with a pair of games on Friday afternoon taking on Toledo and Southern Illinois in the three-day, 26-team tournament at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
The Owls (12-7) will conclude their seven-game Florida road trip with a pair of games on Saturday against Drake and Stony Brook before battling Penn State on Sunday afternoon’s finale.
Kennesaw State is in the midst of a 12-game road trip and has won four of seven games thus far. The Owls began the road trip in strong fashion as they won four of five games at the Buzz Classic last weekend in nearby Woodstock, Ga. The four wins included a 6-1 victory over Big East squad Seton Hall and a 5-3 victory over Tennessee-Martin, who has received votes this season in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25.
They then traveled to Fort Myers, Fla., to take on Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday in their opening games against an Atlantic Sun Conference opponent in 2010. They lost two closely contested games, dropping the opener 4-3 in eight innings, and the second game 4-2, with the game ending on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to break a 2-2 tie.
There was plenty of room for the young squad to improve on those close misses, as they committed a total of five errors over the two games, including four in the first game, and leaving a combined 21 runners on base.
A huge key to the Owls’ success will be the continued high-level of performance by redshirt sophomore Jessica Cross and freshman Ashley Burkett.
Cross, a pitcher and shortstop, has returned to the Owls lineup after missing most of 2009 with an injury and has made her presence felt in the early part of the season, batting .327 with six home runs and 18 runs batted in. In the pitcher’s circle, she has not allowed more than three runs against her in any of her eight starts this season
Burkett, for her part, has found her groove at the plate over the last two weeks, and is currently on a nine-game hitting streak. She is batting .552 over that stretch (16-for-29) with a home run and seven runs batted in.
The Black and Gold open up the weekend against Toledo (2-12) on Friday afternoon. The Owls and the Rockets will be meeting for the third time with Toledo leading the series 2-0 after sweeping a doubleheader from the Owls in 2006, Kennesaw State’s first Division I season.
Southern Illinois (13-7) will be playing the Owls for the second time this season. The Salukis beat the Owls, 4-0, on Feb. 20 at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial.
This weekend features three first-time opponents for the Owls. Drake (9-5), Stony Brook (3-6) and Penn State (13-7) will all have their inaugural meetings with head coach Scott Whitlock’s club this weekend.
2010 USF Under Armour Showcase
Friday, March 12
4:00 p.m. - Toledo vs. Kennesaw State
6:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State vs. Southern Illinois
Saturday, March 13
3:00 p.m. - Drake vs. Kennesaw State
5:00 p.m. Kennesaw State vs. Stony Brook
Sunday, March 14
11:30 a.m. - Kennesaw State vs. Penn State
