By: by Scott Lipsky
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Kennesaw State Owls softball team will kick off their conference schedule on Wednesday, when they take on the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in the first two games of a seven-game road trip in the state of Florida.
The Owls (12-5) have won their last four games and eight of their last 10, and are coming off of a 4-1 weekend at the Buzz Classic at Georgia Tech. Redshirt sophomore Jessica Cross has been the star for the Black and Gold, as she had two complete game victories during the Buzz Classic, including her performance in their 6-1 against Seton Hall when allowed just one unearned run. At the plate, she is 14-for-30 during the Owls 8-2 streak, hitting six home runs and registering 16 RBIs. Her 1.14 earned run average is fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference as of Tuesday.
Scott Whitlock’s club has not only won, they have won against several well-known programs during their run. Taking down Big East member Seton Hall this past Saturday was just after their March 4, come-from-behind, 6-5 triumph over Big Ten program Minnesota. Their 5-3 victory over Tennessee-Martin on Friday was also notable, since the Skyhawks are currently receiving votes as a top-25 ranked team nationally.
Kennesaw State will have the chance to do some more damage against the power conference schools when they take on Penn State on March 14 in Clearwater, Fla., in the final game of the USF Under Armour Showcase, hosted by South Florida. They will also take on Toledo, Southern Illinois, Drake, and Stony Brook during their participation in the event.
Florida Gulf Coast (9-11) is coming a 2-3 showing in USF’s Under Armour Invitational, which included victories against Austin Peay and Villanova. They feature three particularly dangerous bats in seniors Lauran Ziegler and Jessica Gary and junior Courtney Platt. Ziegler currently leads the team with a .373 batting average, which stands eighth in the A-Sun. Gary and Platt stand not too far behind, with averages of .352.
The Eagles hold a 4-0 all-time advantage in the season series, as they swept the Owls, 8-0 and 4-0, last season, and won both games in Fort Myers in the teams’ inaugural meeting in 2008.
First pitch for Wednesday’s doubleheader is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
