By: by Mark Toma
Live Stats
KENNESAW, Ga. – Head Coach Scott Whitlock and his Owls conclude the regular season on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader against longtime rival North Florida and on the line is a berth to the Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Softball Championship next week.
Currently, Kennesaw State (24-24, 9-9 A-Sun) stands in a tie with Campbell for the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament. Both the Owls and the Camels have 9-9 records as five teams are battling for the four remaining tournament spots.
North Florida (23-25, 9-7 A-Sun) is also among the teams in the hunt for the A-Sun tournament. The Ospreys have a 9-7 record and would have the three seed should the tournament begin today. USC Upstate and Jacksonville are both at 10-8 in the league and a game ahead of the Owls. UNF will have to play at Mercer on Friday evening in Macon before having to turn right around and play the Owls in a 1:00 doubleheader on Saturday.
The Owls enter the game looking to snap their four game winless streak. Kennesaw State was swept by Stetson and Jacksonville in doubleheaders even though they have received solid pitching from Jessica Cross and Abbey Meixel. The two have allowed an average of two earned runs over the last six games and just over one earned run over their last three games.
Cross has been consistently effective for the Owls, posting a 13-10 record with a 1.98 earned run average. She has two shutouts and two saves on the season and has held opponents to a paltry .210 batting average. Meixel has been pitching well of late. The freshman has won four her last six decisions and has a 2.22 ERA over her last 34 innings as she lowered her earned run average by more than a half run.
The rookie is coming off an career-high 11 strikeout performance against Jacksonville. The strikeout number was the most by a KSU pitcher this season and the highest number since Apr. 19, 2008 when Brittany Matthews struck out 14 batters against Campbell.
Offensively, the bats have labored to score runs as they have averaged two runs over their last six games, but have scored just one run in their last three contests, including getting shutout in both ends of a doubleheader against Jacksonville.
Two-time A-Sun Player-of-the-Week Ashlee Burkett continues to lead the Kennesaw State offense, hitting at a .355 clip. Fellow freshman Sharon Swanson is batting .303, as the two rookies are the only players hitting over .300 on the year.
There has been no shortage of power in the Kennesaw State lineup as the Owls are closing in on the single-season home run record. The Owls have hit 44 home runs this season, led by Cross and her 10 homers. Burkett and senior catcher Jenna Closner have hit eight while Kelsey Kulk has six longballs. The Owls are the only team in the A-Sun that has four players with six or more home runs.
The Ospreys started off the season dropping 12 of its first 14 games, but since then they have posted a 21-13 record including a doubleheader sweep of Florida Gulf Coast and wins over Ohio State and Memphis.
The key for North Florida is solid pitching. Devyn Findlay leads UNF with a 17-12 record and 2.06 earned run average. The right-hander has thrown six shutouts in here 12 complete games and has 237 strikeouts in 200 and two-third innings.
The UNF offense however has struggled this season with a .216 team average. Caroline Torre leads the Ospreys with a .306 average and is the only player topping the .300 mark this season. The next highest average comes from shortstop Britanie Block, who is hitting .270 with a team-high 13 doubles.
The Owls and the Ospreys have met 40 times heading into Saturday’s doubleheader with Kennesaw State leading the all-time series, 30-10, including wins in seven of their last eight meetings.
Saturday’s twinbill is also Senior Day as the Owls honor the careers of Jenna Closner, Hollie Huffman and Kelsey Kulk. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with the Senior Day ceremony beginning at 12:40 p.m. Live stats will be available.
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| Coach Whitlock talks about Saturday's upcoming matchup against UNF |
