KENNESAW STATE (0-0) VS KSU CLASSIC
GAMES 1-4 | FEBRARY 6-8, 2015
KENNESAW, Ga. | BAILEY PARK (600)
 
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | PROMOTIONS | TWITTER
 
THE GAMES:
The Kennesaw State softball team will take the field for the first time in 2015 with the KSU Classic, hosted by the Owls on Friday-Sunday, Feb. 6-8 at Bailey Park.
 
KSU opens the tournament against 2014 NCAA Regional participant and Mid-American Conference Tournament champions Ohio on Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET, before taking on Dayton later that day at 6:30 p.m. The Owls then face 2014 NCAA Super Regional participant Tennessee at 3 p.m. on Saturday, before concluding the tournament against Tennessee Tech on Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
 
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com for every game at Bailey Park.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State softball team on Twitter @KSUOwlsSB to receive updates throughout the game.
 
THE PROMOTIONS:
Gold "K" towels will be given away at the entrance gate while supplies last prior to the Owls' games against Dayton, Tennessee and Tennessee Tech.
 
KSU softball Hall of Fame inductee Keri McKee-Cortolano will also be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Owls' 2015 season opening game against Ohio.
 
THE SERIES:
It will be the first-ever meeting between the Owls and three of its four opponents at the KSU Classic - Ohio, Dayton and Tennessee - with the fourth team, Tennessee Tech, owning an 8-5 advantage over the Owls. In the two teams' last meeting, KSU came away with a 3-0 victory in the 2013 KSU Classic on Feb. 17.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
Kennesaw State wrapped the 2014 campaign with a 24-29 overall record and finished fifth in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 13-12 mark in league play. The Owls entered the 2014 A-Sun Tournament with the 5th seed and fell to No. 4 Mercer, 5-4, and No. 6 Florida Gulf Coast, 5-3, to end the season.  
 
NEXT UP:
The Owls return to Bailey Park for their second-straight tournament at home with the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Invitational on Feb. 13-15 and will host 2014 NCAA Women's College World Series participant Kentucky as well as IUPUI, Southern Illinois and Morehead State. 
 
NEWS AND NOTES:
2015 Roster
The Owls return 10 players from the 2014 season, while welcoming in six newcomers, including two freshmen and three transfers.
 
Owls Picked Sixth
In the annual A-Sun Preseason Softball Coaches Poll, the Owls were picked sixth, with USC Upstate earning the top spot.
 
Acheson Takes the Reins
Interim head coach Tory Acheson enters his first season at the helm of the KSU softball program and will make his KSU interim head coaching debut on Friday against Ohio.
 
Top Returning Hitters
The Owls return four of its five top hitters from a season ago in senior Natalie Rhodes (.346 BA), sophomore Taylor Denton (.344 BA), junior Kara Chambers (.311 BA) and redshirt-sophomore Courtney Sutter (.295 BA).
 
Chambers Tabbed A-Sun Preseason Co-DPOY
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.
 
Mathews in the Circle
Senior Paige Mathews returns as the most experienced pitcher on the KSU staff after making the second-most appearances in the A-Sun with 37 and posting a 5-15 record with a 4.02 ERA in 146.1 innings. She ranked seventh in the A-Sun with 92 strikeouts and totaled 11 complete games.
 
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.