By: KSU Sports Information
Live Stats
Owls Softball Weekly Release
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WOODSTOCK, Ga. – It will be déjà vu all over again for the Kennesaw State Owls this weekend, when they head up to Twin Creeks Softball Complex for the third time in this young season, this time as guests at the Buzz Classic, hosted by Georgia Tech. The Owls will play five games, beginning with two on Friday against Tennessee-Martin at 2:30 p.m. and Elon at 5 p.m.
The Owls (8-5) hosted a pair of tournaments at Twin Creeks during the month of February, kicking off the 2012 season with a 3-0 performance during the KSU Classic and then a 2-2 showing at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial last weekend. Overall, the Black and Gold are 19-9 at the state-of-the-art facility going back to 2009.
This will be the fourth consecutive season in which the Owls will take part in the Buzz Classic, and they have been consistently successful in the event, compiling a, 10-3, mark as participants since 2009. They were a perfect 3-0 in 2011, topping Boston University and Niagara at Twin Creeks before bad weather forced them to move their game against Austin Peay to Bailey Park, where they were triumphant, 1-0, to cap off a perfect weekend.
Following their pair of games on Friday, the Black and Gold, who have dropped four in a row, will take part in two more contests on Saturday, first with Western Kentucky at 11 a.m. and then Alabama State at 1 p.m. The Owls have already faced Alabama State this season at Twin Creeks, defeating the Hornets, 11-0, in their opener in the Phyllis Rafter Memorial last Friday. Scott Whitlock’s club wraps up their participation in the event on Sunday with Tennessee Tech at Noon.
Live stats will be available throughout the weekend.
About the Opponents:
Tennessee- Martin Skyhawks (8-7)
Friday, Mar. 2- 2:30 p.m.
All-Time Series: Owls Lead, 1-0
Last Meeting: 3/5/10- W, 5-3; Woodstock, Ga.
Leading performer (2012 stats): Leah Taylor, Jr., UTL- .462, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 11 RBI
Elon Phoenix (8-2)
Friday, Mar. 2- 5:00 p.m.
All-Time Series: Owls Lead, 1-0
Last Meeting: 3/28/97- W, 1-0
Leading performer (2012 stats): Erin O’Shea, Sr., P- 4-1, 1.52 ERA, 29 SO
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (10-3)
Saturday, Mar. 3- 11:00 a.m.
All-Time Series: First-ever Meeting
Leading performer (2012 stats): Kim Wagner, Jr., P- 5-1, 1.36 ERA, 39 SO
Alabama State Hornets (2-10)
Saturday, Mar. 3- 1:00 p.m.
All-Time Series: Owls Lead, 2-0
Last Meeting: 2/24/12- W, 11-0- Woodstock, Ga.
Leading performer (2012 stats): Sosefina Toilolo, Jr., INF- .265, 2 HR, 9 RBI
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Sunday, Mar. 4- 12:00 p.m.
All-Time Series: Owls Lead, 8-4
Last Meeting: 4/7/10- L, 6-5- Chattanooga, Tenn.
Leading performer (2012 stats): Holly Thomas, Sr., P- 4-4, 2.60 ERA, 38 SO
Vickery Making the Most of Her Opportunities: Owls freshman pitcher Monica Vickery has made just three short-relief appearances so far in her inaugural campaign, but hasn’t disappointed in any of them. The Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe HS standout from Rossville, Ga. most recently appeared in both games at UAB on Tuesday, allowing just an inherited runner to score on an error in an inning of work in the opener before retiring all six batters she faced in the second game. The freshman has thus far tossed three and two-thirds innings of no hit ball.
Early Offense Stalls: The Owls scored 60 runs during their first nine games of the season (8-1) for a staggering 6.7 runs per game, on the strength of 15 home runs during that span, but have struggled as of late, having plated just eight runs over their last four contests while going yard just once. A big reason for some of that involves the absence of senior Lindsay Vollmer and junior Sharon Swanson from the lineup in both of their games at UAB on Tuesday, defeats by the scores of 6-1 and 4-0, due to academic obligations. The duo are tied for the team lead with five home runs and sport batting averages of .464 and .429.
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.
Owls Enjoy Fast Start to 2012: Prior to their current four game slide, 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.
The Dynamic Duo….AND The Terrific Trio: Heading into Friday, Lindsay Vollmer and Sharon Swanson rank one and two in the Atlantic Sun Conference in slugging percentage (1.071, 1.000). Vollmer and Swanson are joined by senior teammate Jessica Cross, as the tandem have batting averages of .464, .429 and .415 to rank second, fifth and eighth in the league.
That Was Almost Really Cool: Cross was the starting pitcher for the second game of the Owls doubleheader at UAB on Tuesday, while her younger brother, Colton, was set to start that evening for the Owls baseball team at Georgia Tech. Alas, rain in midtown Atlanta postponed the baseball game to the following evening, and derailed what would have surely been a very memorable evening for Cross family and the entire Owls athletic program.
