KENNESAW STATE (6-4) AT BLACK & ORANGE CHALLENGE
GAMES 11-15 | FEBRARY 27-MARCH 1, 2015
MACON, Ga.
 
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
 
THE GAMES:
The Kennesaw State softball team continues its 2015 tournament slate with a trip to Macon, Ga., for the Black and Orange Challenge, hosted by Mercer on Friday-Sunday, Feb. 27-March 1 at Sikes Field.
 
The Owls will take on a familiar foe in Evansville, as well as Buffalo and Mercer over the weekend. On Friday, KSU will face Buffalo at 11 a.m. ET, followed by a 1:15 p.m. contest against the Aces. KSU will take on the same two opponents on Saturday, starting with UE at 10 a.m., before facing the Bulls at 12:15 p.m. The Owls then wrap up the tournament with a showdown with rival Mercer at 2 p.m. on Sunday. 
 
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com for every game at the Black & Orange Challenge.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State softball team on Twitter @KSUOwlsSB to receive updates throughout the games.
 
THE SERIES:
It will be the first-ever meeting between the Owls and Buffalo, while KSU owns advantages in the all-time series with both Evansville and Mercer. The Owls lead the series against the Aces, 2-1, after taking a 7-4 win over UE in last weekend's Trojan Invitational, while holding a 21-11 edge over the former Atlantic Sun Conference foe. The Bears took the last meeting between the two teams in a 5-4 setback in last season's first round of the A-Sun Championship on May 7, 2014.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
Kennesaw State went 1-2 at the Trojan Invitational over the past weekend, falling to Connecticut (4-2) and Northern Illinois (2-1), before rebounding with a 7-4 over Evansville to wrap the tournament. Senior Natalie Rhodes led the Owls with a .455 batting average, going 5-of-11 with a double and a triple and two RBI. Junior Megan Veringa added a 4-of-10 effort on the weekend, including a double and a team-high three RBI. Senior Monica Vickery and sophomore Logan Viers combined for 7.2 scoreless innings in the circle, while junior Morgan Sikes owned a 0.81 ERA and gave up just one earned run in 8.2 innings of work.
 
NEXT UP:
The Owls next travel to Starkville, Miss., to do battle with Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State on Wednesday, March 4 at 4 p.m., before heading to Johnson City, Tenn., for the East Tennessee State-hosted Holiday Inn Invitational on March 7-8.
 
NEWS AND NOTES:
Challenging Schedule
The Owls have already played three teams that advanced to at least NCAA Regionals last season in Ohio (Regional participant and MAC tournament champions), Tennessee (Super Regional participant) and Kentucky (College World Series participant).
 
Historic Victory
The Owls defeated the then-No. 5/6 Wildcats on Feb. 14 with UK representing the highest ranked opponent KSU has defeated since moving up to the Division I level.
 
Owls in A-Sun Rankings
As a team, the Owls rank in the top three in several categories in the A-Sun, including leading the league in triples (seven) and opposing batting average (.245), ranking  second in ERA (2.94) and is third in batting average (.299) and slugging percentage (.489).
 
Veringa Pacing Owls
Junior Megan Veringa paces the Owls and ranks seventh in the league with a .452 batting average and is the co-leader on the team with 14 hits.
 
Rhodes Leading KSU
Joining her in the top 10 is senior Natalie Rhodes with a .424 batting average to sit ninth in the A-Sun, while also owning 14 hits.
 
Triples
Rhodes leads the conference with five triples on the season.
 
Sikes in the Circle
Morgan Sikes leads the league in opposing batting average as opponents are only batting at a .196 clip against the junior. She also owns the fourth-lowest ERA in the conference at 1.90 in a team-high 23.2 innings in the circle.
in the league as opponents are only batting at a .190 clip against the junior.
 
Chambers Tabbed A-Sun Preseason Co-DPOY
Junior Kara Chambers was named the 2015 A-Sun Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year after earning 2014 A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year and second-team all-conference accolades a season ago.
 
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.