By: KSU Sports Information
Live Stats
Weekly Releases: Owls A-Sun
Inside Owls Softball: 3/21
Owls Softball on Twitter: @KSUOwlsSoftball
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls will spend the weekend at Bailey Park, beginning on Saturday, when they host the Georgia Southern Eagles in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. The twin bill with the Eagles is the start of a three-game series, which concludes Sunday afternoon.
The Owls (16-12) are fresh off of a, 10-2, win in six innings over Samford on Thursday evening. The Black and Gold thrived off of a combination of solid pitching from sophomore Amanda Henderson, who struck out 11 and allowed just two hits in her seventh complete game of the season, and patience at the plate, with the squad drawing a Division I-program record 13 walks on the night. They scored four runs in the second inning and then again in the fifth to pull away.
Spend the Weekend at Bailey Park: This weekend at Bailey Park is filled with promotions, contests, and more, starting Saturday, with the first 500 fans to arrive receiving Owls water bottles. Softball Bingo will also introduced for the first time at Bailey Park on Saturday, with all fans invited to join in to win food and prizes.
Sunday is Sundae Fun Day at Bailey, with all youths at the game being invited to make ice cream sundaes in their very souvenir Owls mini-helmet. Owls bumper stickers will also be given to the first 300 fans in attendance.
Tickets to all Owls softball games are six dollars for adults and four dollars for youth in eighth grade or younger. All KSU students receive free admission to all Owls home events.
About the Match-up: The Owls hold a, 15-6, all-time advantage over Georgia Southern (17-10), and are 9-1 against the Eagles at Bailey Park, dating back to 1992. Since moving up the NCAA Division I ranks, the Black and Gold are 3-3 against the Eagles, splitting a doubleheader with them at Bailey Park on Apr. 20, 2010.
Last season, the Owls visited Georgia Southern for an Apr. 5 doubleheader, and struggled at the plate, scratching out just five hits during the twin bill in defeats by the scores of 4-2 and 7-2. They were held hitless in the second game until the sixth inning, when Sharon Swanson smacked a two-run home run to put the Owls on the board, also giving them their first hit of the game. Despite being tagged with the loss in the opener, Amanda Henderson struck out a then-career-high 11 batters in six innings of work.
The Owls are 1-3 this season against Southern Conference opponents, having fallen to College of Charleston
(2/18, 4-2); Elon (3/2, 5-0); and UNC Greensboro (3/4, 6-5) before their win over the Bulldogs on Thursday evening. Since joining NCAA Division I in 2006, the Black and Gold are 19-10 against current members of the SoCon.
Owls vs. Eagles- Since 2006 (Owls Division I-era)
4/5/11- L, 2-7 (Statesboro, Ga.)
4/5/11- L, 2-4 (Statesboro, Ga.)
4/20/10- W, 2-1 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
4/20/10- L, 6-8 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
2/11/06- W, 6-3 (Statesboro, Ga.)*
2/11/06- W, 11-7 (Statesboro, Ga.)*
*First-ever games the Owls played as a Division I program
This is the First One...Ever: The Owls three-game series with Georgia Southern will be the first scheduled three-game series ever played in the history of Owls softball, home or away. The closest thing they have experienced came in 1997, when they played three straight games against Coker in the 1997 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional.
Whitlock Two Away: Owls head coach Scott Whitlock enters Saturday with 1,098 career wins at Kennesaw State, including 153 victories at the slow pitch level before the program moved to fastpitch in 1991. His 945 fastpitch wins are the 26th most in history among all four-year college coaches.
Swanson Hard To Contain: Owls sophomore Sharon Swanson has showed that her Atlantic Sun Conference-leading 14 home runs in 2011 was no fluke. The Canton, Ga., native is second in the league in long balls with 10 so far this season, and was tied for 15th in that category nationally as of the last NCAA statistical update on Mar. 18. She enters Friday second in the A-Sun with an .827 slugging percentage and leads the Owls with a .370 batting average.
Amanda Sets a New Standard: The shining star last weekend was undoubtedly sophomore Amanda Henderson, who went the distance in the pitcher’s circle while fanning 16 Panthers in the Owls win. Her 16 strikeouts is the most in a game by any Atlantic Sun Conference pitcher this season. She enters Friday third in the A-Sun with 116 punch outs, while her 1.63 earned run average is among the top-10 in the league.
