By: KSU Sports Information
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Weekly Release #2
Owls Softball on Twitter: @KSUOwlsSoftball
Coach Whitlock Pregame
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Kennesaw State Owls begin Atlantic Sun Conference play on Wednesday, when they visit the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at the FGCU Softball Complex for a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
Fresh off of a disappointing, 2-3, weekend at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic not far from the Kennesaw State campus, the Owls (10-8,0-0 A-Sun) will face the Eagles (8-12, 0-0) in the first two contests of what will be a week-long junket through the Sunshine State. After Wednesdays twin bill, the Black and Gold will travel north to Clearwater for five games in the USF Under Armour Classic.
Listen to All of the Action Live: Free, live audio of Wednesday’s doubleheader will be available on KSU All Access at
www.KSUOwls.com/Showcase , with coverage beginning at 4:50 p.m.
About the Match-up:
FGCU has had Kennesaw State’s number since the two became conference rivals upon the Eagles’ arrival in the A-Sun in 2008. Overall, Florida Gulf Coast has a, 7-1, advantage in the all-time series, though two of those wins over Scott Whitlock’s club have come in extra innings. The Owls first win over them coming on Apr. 3 last season in Kennesaw, when Sharon Swanson hit two home runs and Ashlee Burkett hit a two-out double down the left field line with the Owls trailing by a run to drive in two and give the Black and Gold a, 6-5, victory in the second game of a doubleheader.
Scott Whitlock’s dropped the opener of last year’s twin bill, 2-0, after Abbey Mixon tossed struck out 12 batters in nine and two thirds innings, only to see the Eagles break the scoreless tie in the 10
th inning courtesy of two unearned runs.
Owls vs. Florida Gulf Coast-All-Time Series (FGCU Leads, 7-1):
4/3/11- W, 6-5 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
4/3/11- L, 2-0, 10 innings (Kennesaw, Ga.)
3/10/10- L, 4-2 (Fort Myers, Fla.)
3/10/10- L, 4-3, 8 innings (Fort Myers, Fla.)
4/4/09- L, 4-0 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
4/4/09- L, 8-0, 5 innings (Kennesaw, Ga.)
4/4/08- L, 8-3 (Fort Myers, Fla.)
4/4/08- L, 8-2 (Fort Myers, Fla.)
About Florida Gulf Coast:
FGCU, like the Owls, are coming off a 2-3 weekend, in their case at the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater at the same venue the Owls will be playing at later this week, the Eddie Moore Complex. The Eagles defeated Bowling Green and Western Michigan while falling to Villanova, South Dakota State and Quinnipiac.
FGCU is 2-3 at home this season, having hosted a weekend tournament Feb. 17-19 to account for all of their 2012 home games to this point.
This is a big season in the history of Florida Gulf Coast softball, as they have officially completed NCAA Division I re-classification and are eligible for the NCAA and Atlantic Sun Conference postseason for the first time.
Following a season in which they finished 31-25 with a 14-6 A-Sun mark that was good for third place in the conference standings, the Eagles return a young core that includes sophomores 2011 A-Sun All-Freshman honorees Tori Williams, Emily Lanier and Kirsten Bembnowski, while having to make-up for the loss of A-Sun Player of the Year Courtney Platt and All A-Sun Second Team honoree and staff ace Catherine McDaniel.
Lanier and Bembnowski enter Wednesday as two of four Eagles hitting over .300 for the season, while freshman speedster Kelsey Carpenter has led the way with a .333 batting average, to go along with an A-Sun leading five triples and team-high 13 RBI. Fellow freshman Shelby Morgan has anchored the pitching staff to this point with a 5-2 record and 2.42 earned run average, having already tossed two shutouts.
Trio of Owls Named to Preseason All A-Sun Team: Jessica Cross, Swanson and Sara 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.
Durant Makes the Leap: Owls sophomore Bianca Durant has continued to develop her game at the plate since a productive freshman campaign. This past week was a great example, as she went 7-for-16 (.438), including two three-hit performances during the Owls five-game participation in the Buzz Classic. She was front-and-center in their tournament opener on Friday, when she crushed a pitch over the center field fence for what would go on to be the game-winning run in the squad’s 2-1 triumph over Tennessee-Martin.
The Long Ball It Is: Kennesaw State entered Monday holding a commanding in the Atlantic Sun Conference with 21 home runs, their in-state rival Mercer being second with 16. The Black and Gold have homered in 13 of 18 games this season, and have had more than one roundtripper on five occasions. Swanson, for her part, leads all individuals in the conference with eight.
Swanson Makes Up Half of Two Dynamic Duos….: Heading into Monday, Sharon Swanson and Lindsay Vollmer rank one and four in the Atlantic Sun Conference in slugging percentage (.980, .744). Swanson leads the Owls and is seventh in the league with a .392 mark, while Cross is tied for 10th, hitting at a .370 pace.
By Hook or By Crook: Owls freshman Kaylee Williams may currently be sporting a .163 batting average after a little over a month as an Owl, but she has found ways to get on base. The Kennesaw native has walked a team-high eight times and has been hit by two pitches.
