KENNESAW STATE (17-9) AT NORTH FLORIDA (20-11, 2-1)
GAMES 27-29 | MARCH 21-22, 2015
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. | UNF SOFTBALL COMPLEX
 
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
 
THE GAMES:
The Kennesaw State softball team returns to Atlantic Sun Conference play with a trip to Jacksonville, Fla., as KSU face off against North Florida in a three-game series this weekend. The Owls and the Ospreys will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, before wrapping the series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. 
 
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com for all three games against the Ospreys.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State softball team on Twitter @KSUOwlsSB to receive updates throughout the game.
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN:
Kennesaw State leads, 41-14
Last 5 meetings    
4/6/13         KSU 4-3
4/7/13         UNF 4-2
3/8/13         KSU 10-8
3/8/14         KSU 5-3
3/9/14         UNF 1-0
 
Last Kennesaw State Win         
3/8/14, 5-3, at Kennesaw State
Last North Florida Win                                
3/9/14, 1-0, at Kennesaw State
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Kennesaw State softball team used a combination of solid pitching and timely hits to sweep its midweek doubleheader with Furman on Wednesday (March 18) afternoon at Pepsi Softball Stadium as the Owls earned a 3-2 win in game one, before blasting the Paladins, 8-1, in game two. Junior Hillary Kartman led the Owls offensively and posted a .833 batting average with five hits, four RBI and two runs between the two games. Sophomore Logan Viers started game one and allowed just two hits and one earned run in four innings of action, before being relieved by winning junior pitcher Morgan Sikes, who gave up three hits and one earned run in 2.1 innings of work. Senior Paige Mathews entered in the seventh to collect her second save in game one, before earning her seventh win of the season in game two, allowing just one earned run on eight hits and striking out five in a complete game effort.
 
NEXT UP:
The Owls have a busy week with a trio of midweek contests coming up as KSU hosts Troy in a midweek doubleheader on Tuesday, March 24 at 3 p.m. ET in Bailey Park, before making the short drive down to Atlanta for a 5 p.m. game at regional rival Georgia State.
 
NEWS AND NOTES:
300th Division I Victory
With the Owls' 5-0 shutout against Belmont on March 9, Kennesaw State earned the program's 300th Division I win and are in their 10th season at the Division I level.

Owls Leading the Way
As a team, the Owls lead the conference and ranks third nationally with 11 triples, while also leading the conference with four saves and fielding double plays with 13. KSU also ranks 18th in the nation in double plays per game at 0.50.
 
Team Rankings
The Owls have given up the second-lowest number of walks in the A-Sun and have only allowed 52 walks on the season, while also ranking third in the league with a .291 batting average and a .460 slugging percentage in overall play.
 
Super Senior
Senior Natalie Rhodes leads the league and ranks second nationally with six triples on the year, while also ranking fifth with 33 hits and 24 runs, while also ranking in a tie for sixth with 10 stolen bases and is ninth with a .388 batting average. Her 0.25 triples per game also ranks third in the NCAA.
 
Chambers on the Bases
Junior Kara Chambers also sits in the top 10 in the league in several categories, including ranking in a tie for sixth with seven doubles and 10 stolen bases and 10th with 52 total bases.
 
Home Runs
Nine Owls have gone yard on the season, with junior Hillary Kartman leading the way with five home runs, which sits in a tie for seventh in the A-Sun. Chambers (five), junior Megan Veringa (four) and redshirt-sophomore Courtney Sutter (two) have also posted multiple homers on the season.
 
Mathews in the Circle
Senior Paige Mathews paces the Owls in the circle and is 10th in the A-Sun with a 3.10 ERA, while also ranking in a tie for first with two saves. She also sits in a tie for fifth with seven wins and is sixth with 52 strikeouts on the season.
 
Walks
Junior Morgan Sikes has only allowed seven walks on the season to rank in a tie for first in the A-Sun in that category, with her 0.89 walks per seven innings ranking 12th in the nation. Sikes also ranks in a tie for fourth in the A-Sun with 20 strikes looking in overall play.
 
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.