By: By Libby Knight
KENNESAW STATE (18-17, 7-5) AT MERCER (27-11, 9-2)
GAMES 36-37 | APRIL 2, 2014
MACON, Ga. | SIKES FIELD
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
THE GAME:
The Kennesaw State softball team continues its eight-game Atlantic Sun Conference road trip with a doubleheader against rival Mercer in Macon, Ga., on Wednesday April 2 starting at 4 p.m. ET.
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State softball team on Twitter @
KSUOwlsSB to receive updates throughout the game.
THE OPPONENT:
Mercer
The Bears enter Wednesday's doubleheader as the winners of 10 of their last 11 games, including last weekend's sweep of North Florida and is 15-3 at Sikes Field. Mercer leads the A-Sun in runs scored (239), RBIs (213), home runs (49) and stolen bases (57), while ranking second in hits (303), doubles (52) and walks (109).
Kennesaw State leads, 20-8
Last 5 meetings
4/28/12 KSU 9-1
4/28/12 KSU 7-3
3/13/13 KSU 3-0
3/13/13 KSU 2-1
3/20/13 MER 4-2
Last Kennesaw State Win
3/13/13, 2-1, at Kennesaw State
Last Mercer Win
3/20/13, 4-2, at Mercer
LAST TIME OUT:
The Owls dropped two out of three to Jacksonville over the weekend, taking the first game against the Dolphins, 8-3, before falling 4-3 in back-to-back contests, including a walk-off home run the eighth inning in Saturday's second game and a walk-off single in Sunday's series finale. Freshman
Taylor Denton led the Owls against JU with a .500 batting average with six hits, including two doubles and four runs. Sophomore
Megan Veringa added five RBI for the weekend.
NEXT UP:
The Owls wrap an eight-game conference road trip with a three-game series against Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday and Sunday, April 5-6. The Owls and the Eagles will face off in a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 2 p.m., before the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
NEWS AND NOTES:
Owls vs. RPI Top-100
The Owls have registered eight wins over teams in the top-100 in RBI this season, including ACC foe Georgia Tech, SEC opponent Mississippi State and AAC member Memphis as well as league wins over Lipscomb and North Florida.
Top Five in Strikeouts
The Owls are one of only two teams to have two pitchers in the top six in the A-Sun in strikeouts, with senior
Amanda Henderson the co-leader in the league with 132 strikeouts and junior
Paige Mathews owning 74 strikeouts, good for sixth place.
Denton and Dascoli Lead the Offense
Freshman
Taylor Denton leads the Owls and ranks in a tie for seventh in the conference with a .375 batting average, while also ranking in a tie for sixth in the league with 39 hits. Senior
Angie Dascoli joins her in the top 10 with a .374 batting average.
Multiple Hit Games
Denton holds a team-leading 14 games with multiple hits, 10 with two and four with three, Dascoli and sophomore
Kara Chambers own 11 multiple hit games.
Stolen Bases
Denton, Chambers and junior
Natalie Rhodes have combined for 27 stolen bases on the year, with Denton taking 10 in 13 attempts, Chambers stealing nine in 11 tries and Rhodes earning eight in 10 attempts.
Double Sutter
Redshirt-freshman
Courtney Sutter ranks in a tie for third in the A-Sun with 10 doubles on the year.
Henderson in the A-Sun
Henderson is the A-Sun co-leader in wins (14) and strikeouts (132), while ranking second in innings pitched (107.0) and appearances (24) and third in games started (15) and opponent batting average (.188). Her 2.42 ERA also sits seventh in the A-Sun.
Tough Competition
The Owls have eight 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, UAB and Stetson.
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.
- #GoKSUOwls -
