By: by Scott Lipsky
Live Stats
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls softball team will once again step on the field against one of the top teams in the nation on Wednesday night when they welcome the No. 9-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to Bailey Park for the club’s second meeting against one another this season.
Kennesaw State (20-17, 6-4 A-Sun) continued their great play on their home field this weekend, sweeping Belmont in a doubleheader on Friday before splitting a doubleheader on Saturday with A-Sun leader and No. 25 Lipscomb, to run their record to 13-2 at Bailey Park.
Perhaps most encouraging was the play of freshman Abbey Meixel during the weekend. The Canton, Ga. native, who came into Friday with a 5-8 record, tossed a complete game shutout against Belmont in the team’s second game of the evening, a game in which she struck out 10 batters. She followed that up the next day with a gutty, six and two-thirds innings performance against Lipscomb to lead the Owls to a crucial, 5-3, win.
Freshmen performing well have been nothing new for the Owls this season. While Meixel complements redshirt sophomore Jessica Cross on head coach Scott Whitlock’s pitching staff, newcomers Sharon Swanson and Ashlee Burkett have been two of the key cogs to the Owls success at the plate this season. The duo rank first and second on the team in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage, in alternating order, while Burkett leads the club in runs scored and is second behind Cross in runs batted in.
In order for the Owls to be successful on Wednesday, it will take an entire team effort against the Yellow Jackets (37-6, 11-1 ACC), who come into the game ranked ninth in the country in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll. Redshirt senior infielder Jen Yee has been a handful all season long for opponents, as the four-time ACC Player of the Week enters Wednesday leading the nation in batting average at an incredible .587 clip.
The Owls were hardly spared from Yee’s offensive prowess when the two teams met on February 24th on Georgia Tech’s campus, as she went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in the Yellow Jacket’s 8-3 victory. Kennesaw State did make it a game, however, as Cross and freshman Karlie Gillam both hit home runs and the Owls were able to bring the tying runs to the plate before the Yellow Jackets pulled away with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Scott Whitlock’s club is 4-4 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, with their last win coming in 2008, when they were triumphant, 6-3.
Overall, the Owls are 1-3 this season against nationally ranked opponents. They split two games with Lipscomb this past Saturday, and also dropped an 8-3 decision at No. 8 Georgia on March 31 in addition to their defeat at Georgia Tech in February.
First pitch on Wednesday evening is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available at www.ksuowls.com by clicking here.
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| Head Coach Scott Whitlock talks about Wednesday night's game |
