By: By Libby Knight
KENNESAW STATE (16-14) VS GEORGIA STATE (13-16) / GEORGIA TECH (19-10)
GAMES 31-32 | MARCH 25-26, 2014
KENNESAW, Ga. | BAILEY PARK (600)
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO (WEDNESDAY ONLY) LIVE AUDIO (TUESDAY ONLY) | PROMOTIONS | TWITTER
THE GAME:
The Kennesaw State softball team wraps a five-game home stand with back-to-back midweek games against regional rivals Georgia State and Georgia Tech. The Owls and the Panthers will face off in the rubber match on Tuesday, March 25 as both teams split in the season's two earlier meetings.
KSU then hosts its seventh annual Lexi's Day at Bailey Park on Wednesday, March 26 against the Yellow Jackets. Start time for both games is set for 6 p.m. ET at Bailey Park, with Wednesday's contest available on ASun.TV.
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com.
LIVE VIDEO: A live video stream will be provided by ASun.TV for Wednesday's contest starting at first pitch.
LIVE AUDIO: A live audio broadcast for Tuesday's game can be accessed starting 10 minutes prior to first pitch.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State softball team on Twitter @
KSUOwlsSoftball to receive updates throughout the game.
THE PROMOTIONS:
The Owls are looking to "Pack the Park" against Georgia State on Tuesday, with the first 200 fans taking home free KSU tank tops. Wednesday is the seventh annual Lexi's Day. Prior to the game, fans are invited to take part in a pre-game meal courtesy of the Marietta Fish Market. Fans can get a ticket to the game and the meal for a $10 donation. There will also be a post-game autograph sessions, with Scrappy making an appearance on both days.
THE OPPONENTS:
Georgia State
The Panthers enter Tuesday's game on a four-game losing streaking after falling to No. 7 Alabama (3-1) last Wednesday before being swept their three-game conference opening series at No. 20 Louisiana Lafayette (8-3, 4-2, 13-0). The Panthers are 1-6 in true road games this season and has a staff ERA of 4.77.
Kennesaw State leads, 16-12
Last 5 meetings
3/17/12 KSU 3-1
3/26/13 GSU 1-0
4/2/13 GSU 7-3
2/22/14 KSU 7-6
3/18/14 GSU 7-5
Last Kennesaw State Win
2/22/14, 7-6, at Kennesaw State
Last Georgia State Win
3/18/14, 7-5, at Georgia State
Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets broke out of a four-game slump with a 15-3 five-inning victory in their last outing on Sunday and come in with six players batting over .300, including team leader Samantha Pierannunzi with a .417 batting average. GT has only played five road contests in 2014, going 3-2 away from Mewborn Field.
Georgia Tech leads, 12-6
Last 5 meetings
4/6/11 GT 6-1
3/28/12 GT 9-1
4/4/12 GT 6-3
3/27/13 GT 17-3
4/24/13 KSU 9-8
Last Kennesaw State Win
4/24/13, 9-8, at Georgia Tech
Last Georgia Tech Win
3/27/13, 17-3, at Kennesaw State
LAST TIME OUT:
Kennesaw State dropped its three-game conference series as the Owls fell in both games in Saturday's doubleheader, 2-0 and 5-0. KSU rebounded with an 8-7 come-from-behind victory in Sunday's series finale redshirt-freshman
Courtney Sutter sent in the winning run on a walk-off single up the middle in the bottom of the seventh inning.
NEXT UP:
The Owls open an eight-game road trip in Jacksonville, Fla., this weekend as KSU faces Jacksonville in a three-game conference series starting on Saturday, March 29 with a doubleheader, followed by a single game on Sunday, March 30. Start time for both days is set for 1 p.m.
NEWS AND NOTES:
Henderson Goes Over 600 Ks
With 10 strikeouts on Sunday, senior pitcher
Amanda Henderson went over 600 in her career and now has 603 career strikeouts, which sits second in the KSU Division I record books.
Top Five in Strikeouts
The Owls have two pitchers in the top five of the league in strikeouts, with Henderson ranking second with 120 strikeouts, while junior
Paige Mathews owns 62 strikeouts, good for fifth in the A-Sun.
Offensive Leaders
Senior
Angie Dascoli and freshman
Taylor Denton lead the Owls and rank in a tie for 10th in the A-Sun with a .365 batting average. Dascoli also ranks second on the team with 31 hits.
Henderson in the Circle
Henderson ranks in the top four in the conference in several categories, including leading the league with 13 wins on the season and 95.1 innings pitched, as well as second in strikeouts (120), appearances (20), and games started (13) and fourth in opposing batting average (.185). Her 2.20 ERA also sits eighth in the A-Sun.
Double Sutter
Redshirt-freshman
Courtney Sutter leads the team with 20 RBIs and eight doubles, which ranks in a tie for fifth in the league.
Defense
The Owls own the fourth-best fielding percentage in the Atlantic Sun Conference at .960 and have only committed 34 errors on the season, the third-lowest total in the league.
Tough Competition
The Owls have seven teams on their schedule that have been included in the Top 25 polls or have received votes in the polls so far this season, including Alabama, Tulsa, Stanford, Mississippi State, Lipscomb, USC Upstate and UAB.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State softball news follow the team on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and @
KSUOwlsSB or by liking Kennesaw State University on
Facebook.
Season tickets are on sale for the entire home slate at $39, with single game tickets available for $6 for adults and $4 for youth (ages 3-12). To order season tickets contact the KSU Athletics Ticket Office at 770-423-OWLS (6957) or click HERE.
Lexi's Day tickets are now available for $10, click HERE to purchase tickets.
- #GoKSUOwls -
