By: by Scott Lipsky
Live Stats
DELAND, Fla. – Kennesaw State Owls softball begins their quest for the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship on Thursday morning, when they face the USC Upstate Spartans at 9 a.m. at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla. in the first game of the tournament.
Head coach Scott Whitlock’s club earned the number three seed in the tournament by way of locking down an 11-9 record in conference play this season, and have some momentum heading into this week. The Owls (26-24, 11-9 A-Sun) had to play hard all the way to the finish line in order to lock up their bid, as they entered Saturday, the final day of the regular season, with their tournament status up in the air.
The Owls swept North Florida, 3-0 and 2-0, to make it into the tournament for the first time in the team’s history since they began competing in the A-Sun in 2006. This is the first year they are eligible for the tournament since the athletic department successfully completed the NCAA’s mandatory, four-year re-classification period.
Regardless of the Owls’ eligibility, this was likely going to be a new experience for a large portion of this team, as they have relied heavily on several freshmen this season, both in the pitcher’s circle and in the field. Rookie first baseman Ashlee Burkett and fellow newcomer Sharon Swanson, who plays left field, have the two top batting averages on the team heading into the tournament, at .342 and .304, respectively.
Their play has caught the eye of many around the league, as Burkett, who ranks in the top 10 in nine offensive categories in the A-Sun heading into this week, was named the conference’s freshman of the year of Tuesday, with Swanson being named to the All-Freshman team for her efforts. Burkett’s stellar play also led to her being named to the All A-Sun First Team, as well.
In the pitcher’s circle, the team’s hope will lie heavily upon freshman Abbey Meixel and redshirt sophomore Jessica Cross, who combined have started 42 of the team’s games this season. Cross, who is an All-Atlantic Sun Conference First Team selection, leads the team with a 1.89 earned run average, eighth in the conference, on her way to a 14-10 record. Meixel for her part is 10-10 with a 2.98 ERA, garnering All-Freshman honors within the conference. Both are coming off of strong outings last Saturday, as they each tossed complete game shutouts against UNF during the critical doubleheader.
USC Upstate (38-13, 11-9 A-Sun), is the number four seed in the tournament, and has some star power of their own. They boast All A-Sun First Team selections Morgan Childers and Crislyn Chewning. Childers, a junior, ranked second in the conference in both earned run average (0.94) and opposing batting average (.128). For her part, Chewning, a senior, ranks third in the conference in batting average at .363 and is statistically the third toughest batter to strike out in the nation coming into this week, having struck out just five times in 160 at-bats this season.
The two squads are very familiar with one another, but in current and historical terms. This season, the two clubs met at Upstate’s home in Spartanburg, S.C. on April 16, and split their doubleheader against one another, the Spartans taking the first contest, 2-1, while the Owls bounced back in the nightcap with an offensive onslaught, winning 10-2 in six innings.
Both Cross and Meixel had similar outings, giving up two earned runs over six innings, except Cross went up against Childers, who only allowed just one run on three hits in a complete game win. Burkett, Brittany Moore and Klair Wells had two hits apiece in the second game for the Owls, with Burkett and Moore hitting home runs in the nightcap, while Wells scored the team’s only run in the first game with a solo shot of her own. Chewning had a successful evening against the Owls, going 4-for-6 with a pair of RBIs during the twin bill.
Historically, the Spartans and Owls have known one another on the softball field for many years, well before the USC Spartanburg Rifles became the USC Upstate Spartans in 2004. During the two club’s days in Division II, they were ardent Peach Belt Conference rivals, and faced each other in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament twice, as well as in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional.
The Spartans are also playing in their first-ever A-Sun Tournament, as they are eligible for the first time, as well. Though this is only their department’s third year in the Division I re-classification process, they chose to “fast-track” softball, meaning they only had to sit out of postseason play for two years before becoming fully eligible.
Though the Owls have won all four of their prior postseason meetings with the Spartans and have a 32-4 record against them in the all-time series, they have split all three doubleheaders with them at the Division I level since 2007 and are not being taken for granted by the Owls.
“USC Upstate has always been a very worthy opponent of ours, all the way back to the Division II days, and we have to take them very seriously,” said Whitlock on Monday. “They’re definitely not afraid of us, and they are one of the better teams in the conference. We’re looking forward to the challenge this week.”
Live stats will be available for all games during the tournament.
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| Owls head coach Scott Whitlock discusses the upcoming A-Sun Tournament |
