By: by Scott Lipsky
Live Stats:
Friday, 2/18:
Owls vs. Pacific, 2 p.m. EST
Owls vs. Drake, 4 p.m. EST
Saturday, 2/19:
Owls vs. Arizona, 6 p.m. EST
Owls vs. Texas A&M- Corpus Christi, 8 p.m. EST
Sunday, 2/20:
Owls vs. Drake, 11 a.m. EST
TUCSON, Ariz. – Following a promising start to the 2011 season last weekend, the Kennesaw State Owls softball team heads west for a five-game tilt at the Hillenbrand Invitational, hosted by the University of Arizona.
The Owls (4-0) play two games apiece on Friday and Saturday followed by a single game on Sunday. They kick things off on Friday at 2 p.m. EST with a match-up against the University of the Pacific, then take on Drake at 4 p.m.
Saturday features a game against the hosts of the tournament, Arizona, who after a 5-1 start to the season are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation according to the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. The Wildcats will be the first of three teams the Black and Gold have on their scheduled that were ranked in the top 25 nationally to start the season. The start time for that game is 6:00 p.m. EST
Head coach Scott Whitlock’s club also faces Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. EST, and concludes the weekend on Sunday at 11 a.m. EST with a second game against Drake.
“We got off to a great start to our season last week, and this will be a great opportunity for us to continue to challenge ourselves and see where we are as a team,” Whitlock said. “There is some great some great competition at this event, obviously in Arizona as one of the top teams in the country, but the other teams playing this weekend are also all very talented. We’re honored to be playing in a great event at one of the most storied venues in college softball.”
The Owls one a pair of games each against Southern Mississippi and Central Arkansas last weekend at the Southern Miss Mizuno Invitational, with sophomore Sharon Swanson leading the way at the plate with a 6-for-15, 10 RBI performance over the four games. Junior Jessica Cross had a solid week at the plate and in the pitcher’s circle, going 4-for-10 with two home runs and six RBIs while pitching two complete games.
In this weekend’s competition, the cream rises no further to the top than in the hosting Wildcats (5-1), who began the season ranked No. 1 in the country before a loss at last weekend’s Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Wildcats return 2010 First Team All- Americans Brittany Lastrapes, a senior outfielder, and Kenzie Fowler, a sophomore pitcher, as well as Second Team All-American Stacie Chambers, a senior catcher, to a squad that was the national runner-up last season. Fowler won four of the five games for Wildcats last weekend, sporting a 0.53 ERA in the process, while Lastrapes hit three home runs in their opening games.
The University of the Pacific are off to a 2-0 start to their campaign after sweeping Saint Mary’s last weekend. They were picked to finish fifth in the Big West this season after finishing fourth in 2010, and return three All-Big West honorees from last season, including Freshman Pitcher of the Year Nikki Armagost and outfielders Megan Horn and Lindsey Pierce.
The Drake Bulldogs finished 32-22 last season and went 12-13 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Like the Owls, they are off to a 4-0 start to their season, with senior pitcher Jenna DeLong tossing a pair of shutouts and freshman Nicole Randel and junior Torey Craddock getting off to hot starts at the plate.
Texas A&M- Corpus Christi is picked to finish fifth in the Southland Conference in 2011 after a 35-22 campaign last season. They had six player receive preseason all-conference honors. Their 4-1 start to the season has been led at the plate by senior infielder Lauren Dodson, who is 7-for-14 thus far this season and pitchers Vianca Pesina, a senior, and Jordan Trujillo, a junior, who each have a pair of wins this season for the Islanders.
Live stats will be available throughout the tournament.
