By: KSU Sports Information
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Owls on Twitter: @KSUOwlsSoftball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Kennesaw State Owls make their first true road trip of the 2012 season on Thursday, when they visit the UAB Blazers at UAB Softball Field. The Owls are coming off of a 2-2 weekend as the hosts at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial.
Kennesaw State (8-3) won a pair of games on Friday at Twin Creeks Park, taking down Alabama State, 11-0, before topping Bradley, 10-1, both in five-inning, run-rule, affairs. Saturday didn’t provide the same result for the Owls, as they fell in eight innings, 5-4, to Robert Morris, before dropping a 4-3 decision to Saint Louis later that evening. The pair of losses snapped a three-game winning streak for the Black and Gold.
The Owls were buoyed on Friday by the hot hitting of senior catcher Lindsay Vollmer, who bashed three home runs in their two victories, including a grand slam against Alabama State, and batted .545 with eight RBI on the weekend, and enters Tuesday leading the league with 15 RBI this season.
In the circle, senior Jessica Cross tossed a five-inning complete game shutout against ASU, while Amanda Henderson , the reigning Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher of the Week, went the distance against both Bradley and Saint Louis, with all of the runs she gave up on Saturday vs. Saint Louis being unearned.
While they Owls have played one true road game this season, resulting in a, 4-2, defeat to College of Charleston, it was a part of their four-game participation in the College of Charleston Classic.
Listen Live on KSUOwls.com: Free, live audio of Tuesday’s action will be available on KSU All-Access, at
www.KSUOwls.com/Showcase. Fans can also follow the game with live stats, as well as on the Owls official Twitter handle, @KSUOwlsSoftball.
About UAB: Alabama-Birmingham (5-6) has dropped their last three contests and four of their last five, most recently falling to No.2- ranked Alabama in the Blazers’ home opener, 8-1, last Tuesday, their third ranked opponent of the season. Having been picked to finish third in Conference USA this season, the Blazers made their second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament last season, playing in the Athens, Ga. regional.
Batting just .225 as a team, the Blazers are led at the plate by senior catcher and two-time All C-USA selection Mandy Lowman, who is currently batting .400 with a .571 On-Base Percentage. Sophomore Kristen McGrath is batting just .258 on the season but has provided plenty of pop, leading the team with four home runs and seven RBI.
In the circle, UAB has depended heavily on senior Amber Torres and sophomore Lannah Campbell. Both are 1-2 on the season, with Torres sporting a team-best 1.79 ERA to Campbell’s 2.28, with Campbell holding opponents to a .186 batting average.
The Owls vs. The Blazers: UAB holds a 8-2 advantage in the all-time series over the Black and Gold, with the squads splitting a doubleheader in Kennesaw last season, UAB taking the opener, 2-0, with the Owls winning the second match-up, 6-0. Sara Sikes had three hits for the Owls in their win, including a triple, while Jessica Cross hit her 11
th home run of the season. In the circle, Henderson combined with Abbey Mixon for a five-hit shutout.
Scott Whitlock’s club is 1-3 all-time at UAB, their only victory there coming in the first game of a doubleheader on Feb. 19, 2008, by a score of 5-2. It was Cross, then a freshman, who hit a first-inning, two-run home run to give the Owls a lead they would never give back. They last visited UAB on Apr. 5, 2010, dropping decisions, 7-0 and 4-2.
The Owls vs. Conference USA: The Owls are an even 10-12 against current members of Conference USA since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 2006, and have won four of their last five match-ups. They most recently enjoyed a, 4-3, win over Marshall at the College of Charleston Classic on Feb. 17.
Owls Enjoy Fast Start to 2012: Prior to their pair of losses on Saturday, the Owls sported an 8-1 record, the first time since 2008 they have started out having won eight of nine contests, the only other time they have done so since joining Division I. In addition, three of their victories have come when they led by eight runs or more after five innings.
Black and Gold Towards Top of A-Sun Statistically: Entering play on Tuesday, Owls senior Lindsay Vollmer leads the A-Sun with 15 RBI, and is tied for second along with junior Sharon Swanson with five home runs on the season. Their respective batting averages of .464 and .429 rank third and fifth in the league.
Natalie Rhodes’ three sacrifice bunts are tied for the third most in the A-Sun so far.
Sophomore pitcher Amanda Henderson currently has a 0.51 ERA and has struck out 47 batters in 2012, good for third and fourth, respectively, in the conference. Incredibly, Henderson has walked just two batters thus far.
In the field, the sure-handed Owls have committed just seven errors thus far in 2012, tied for the second lowest in the league. Their .976 fielding percentage is also second best among their A-Sun foes.
Newcomers Make Immediate Impact: Four Owl newcomers, sophomore Carly Van Auken and freshmen Rhodes, Kaylee Williams and Olivia Rutledge have appeared in all 11 games for the Owls, with Van Auken and Rhodes having started in each of them. Van Auken is currently sporting a .281 batting average and .378 on-base percentage, while Rhodes has played every inning this season at second base while having not committed an error.
Isn’t That Grand: The Owls have already hit two grand slams this season, with Swanson providing the first during the opening weekend of the season in their, 9-0, win over Austin Peay on Feb. 12 in the KSU Classic. Vollmer followed suit against Alabama State this past Friday in their first game of the Phyllis Rafter Memorial, with both slams happening on Field 2 at Twin Creek Softball Complex in Woodstock, Ga.
Trio of Owls Named to Preseason All A-Sun Team: Cross, Swanson and Sikes were all named Preseason All A-Sun selections. Swanson was a First Team All A-Sun honoree in 2011, while Cross and Sikes were named to the Second Team. Swanson was also an NFCA All-South Region honoree.
