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KENNESAW, Ga. – Atlantic Sun Conference Championship seeding will be on the line Saturday afternoon, when the Kennesaw State Owls will play their final home game of the 2012 season, as they host the Mercer Bears in a doubleheader at Bailey Park beginning at 2:00 p.m. Departing seniors Mandi Burns, Jessica Cross, Brittany Moore and Lindsay Vollmer will be honored prior to the game.
The Owls (28-22, 12-4 A-Sun) enter Saturday tied at the top of the conference standings with Florida Gulf Coast. A sweep against Mercer (24-26, 5-11 A-Sun) would clinch them at least a share of the A-Sun regular season title, which would be the first such title for the program since 2007. Their sweep over Belmont last Saturday clinched them a spot in their third straight Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, which will take place at USC Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C., May 9-12. Sweeping the series will also guarantee the Black and Gold a top two seed in the A-Sun Championship, which would give them a bye into the second day of action.
Come On Out For Senior Day, Fan Appreciation Day: In addition to honoring the four Owls seniors, Saturday is also Fan Appreciation Day at Bailey Park, with all fans having the chance to win Owls giveaways throughout the afternoon.
Listen, Watch the Action Live: Fans can watch all of the action live on ASun.tv, the conference’s subscription streaming service. Free, live audio will also be available on KSU All Access at
www.KSUOwls.com/Showcase. Nolan Shaw will have the call.
An Inside Look at the 2012 Seniors:
Mandi Burns- P/UTL-Lawrenceville, Ga.- Finance
-Has appeared in 70 games as an Owl
-Three-time A-Sun All-Academic honoree; 2011 Conference Scholar recipient
-Has seen action for the Owls as a pitcher and in the outfield
-Plans to start a career in the business world or attend graduate school this fall
Jessica Cross- P/INF-Tunnel Hill, Ga.- English Education
-Three-Time All-Atlantic Sun Conference honoree; 2008 NFCA All-Southeast Region Team
-2010 Atlantic Sun Conference All-Academic honoree
-Second all-time in Owls history with 52 career HR, top 10 as a pitcher in SHO, APP, IP, W’s and Ks
-Mother, Luann, played Owls softball when it was slow pitch in 1988, also for Scott Whitlock
-Student taught last fall, will look to begin her career upon graduation
Brittany Moore- C/INF-Phoenix, Ariz.- Biology
-2011 CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree
-Three-time A-Sun All-Academic honoree; 2011 Conference Scholar Recipient
-One of three Owls to play in all 55 games in 2011; was third on squad with .409 OBP
-Will be a part of Kennesaw State’s inaugural Integrated Biology Graduate Program this fall
Lindsay Vollmer- C-Scottsdale, Ariz.- Nursing
-2011 A-Sun All-Academic honoree and Conference Scholar recipient
-Came to Owls in 2011 after playing for two years at Paradise Valley CC in Arizona
-Has started at catcher in 39 of Owls 50 games this season, 2nd on team with .350 BA
-Third on Owls with seven home runs and 28 RBI
-Played with the Owls full-time in 2012 by completing clinical requirements for her nursing degree
Owls vs. Mercer- About The Match-up:
All-Time vs. Mercer: 16-7
Record at Bailey Park: 10-0
All-Time Match-ups:
2/11/12- W, 6-1 (Woodstock, Ga.)
4/30/11- L, 1-2; L, 0-1 (Macon, Ga.)
4/3/10- W, 4-3; W, 9-5 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
3/21/09- L, 0-1; L, 1-5 (Macon, Ga.)
4/16/08- W, 3-1; W, 3-0 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
4/25/07- W, 7-1; L, 1-3 (Macon, Ga.)
4/18/06- W, 4-2; W, 3-0 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
3/9/93- W, 5-2; W, 11-1
2/20/93- W, 5-0; W, 7-4
3/14/92- W, 11-1; W, 10-1 (Kennesaw, Ga.)
2/28/92- W, 7-0; L, 1-3 (Macon, Ga.)
4/8/91- L, 1-3; W, 6-4 (Macon, Ga.)
Last Time: In an unusual wrinkle to the schedule, the Owls actually kicked off their 2012 campaign against the Bears in a non-conference meeting in the KSU Classic at Twin Creeks Park in Woodstock. Tied at one entering the fourth inning, the Black and Gold would score two runs in the fourth inning after drawing four straight walks and a Bears wild pitch, and then would pull away in the fifth, scoring three runs in the fifth, first via an RBI double by Lindsay Vollmer and then a two-run home run by Jamie Saunders in her first at-bat as an Owl. Abbey Mixon and Amanda Henderson would combine to strike out 15 batters, with Henderson fanning 10 in four and third relief innings to grab the win.
About Mercer (24-26, 5-11 A-Sun): The Bears were eliminated from contention for an Atlantic Sun Conference Championship spot last weekend, when they dropped four straight games against Belmont and Lipscomb. They enter Saturday mired in a 1-12 slump, having most recently been swept in a doubleheader at South Alabama Wednesday, 3-0 and 3-1. Mercer is led at the plate by sophomore outfielder Mackenzie Woody, who currently leads the A-Sun with a commanding .436 batting average to go along with a league-leading .505 on base percentage. They are pretty balanced power-wise, ranking fourth in the A-Sun in home runs despite not having a player who has hit more than six home runs this season. Their star in the pitcher’s circle this season is freshman Jessica Holsinger, who enters Saturday 11-4 with a team-best 1.98 Earned Run Average.
Kennesaw State Continues National Ascent: Kennesaw State is ranked No. 80 in the NCAA’s latest RPI rankings, which were released on Tuesday. They have now improved their national standing for five straight weeks, as they were 83 on Apr. 17, 85 on Apr. 10, 104 in Apr. 3, and were 117 in the first rankings released on Mar. 26.
Swanson, Henderson Among the Nation’s Best: In the latest NCAA statistical update, which was released on Monday, Owls sophomore Amanda Henderson finds herself fifth in the country in strikeouts per seven innings with a sterling rate of 9.8. Junior Sharon Swanson has hit 15 home runs this season, which is good enough to put her in a tie for 16th in the nation in that category, and first in the A-Sun. Henderson’s four saves on the season is also tied for ninth best in NCAA Division I.
Williams, Saunders Flourish in Conference Play: Owl newcomers Kaylee Williams and Jamie Saunders may sport 2012 batting averages of .269 and .212, but that hasn’t stopped them from being a thorn in the side of A-Sun opponents. Williams is hitting at a .347 rate in conference play, while collecting 16 RBI. Saunders, for her part, has appeared in just eight A-Sun contests, but has made the most of her opportunities, batting .429. The junior transfer has come on strong lately, having hit safely in nine of her last 11 starts.
Hit Them, and Keep Them In the Park, if You Can: The Owls pitching staff enters Saturday ranked at the top of the Atlantic Sun Conference, having struck out 366 batters, well ahead of Jacksonville’s 330 leads the charge in that category, having fanned 185 batters this season, good for fourth in the league, while Abbey Mixon’s 111 ranks her eighth in the A-Sun.
At the plate, the Black and Gold have slammed 43 home runs this season, the most in the A-Sun. The power is well-balanced throughout their lineup, with Swanson leading the conference with 15 round trippers, while Jessica Cross (8, tied for sixth) Lindsay Vollmer (7, tied for ninth) and Bianca Durant (6, tied for 12
th) complement the junior.
