Games 39: Kennesaw State (22-16) at Georgia Southern (23-17)
Date:  April 13, 2016
Location: Statesboro, Ga. | Eagle Field
Series Record: Kennesaw State leads series, 16-10
Last Meeting: 2014, Georgia Southern won, 2-0 in Kennesaw, Ga.
Links: Live Stats | Twitter | KSU Stats (PDF)
 
ON DECK
The Kennesaw State softball team returns to action on Wednesday (April 13) when it visits Georgia Southern in Statesboro. Game time is 5 p.m. (ET).
 
The Owls (22-16, 5-4) had the weekend off from Atlantic Sun Conference play and was last in action on Thursday (April 7) when they defeated Tennessee State, 10-1. Kennesaw State was scheduled to host Georgia Tech on Tuesday (April 12) but the game was postponed until April 26 due to forecasted inclement weather.
 
UP NEXT
Following Wednesday's game at Georgia Southern, the Owls return to conference play when they travel to Fort Myers, Fla., for a three-game series beginning Saturday (April 16). The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. (ET). The series concludes with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday (April 17).
  
ABOUT GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Georgia Southern 23-17 on the season and 9-3 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Eagles are 8-3 in their last 11 games are coming off a three-game home sweep of Appalachian State over the weekend. Georgia Southern is batting .285 as a team and has five players batting .300 or better and led by freshman Lydia Witkowski, who is batting .348, while junior Morgan Robinson is batting .308 and tops the club with eight home runs 43 RBIs. The Eagles' pitching staff has accumulated a 4.00 ERA and led by freshman Dixie Riley who is 16-8 with a 3.30 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 135 2/3 innings.   
 
THE SERIES VERSUS GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Wednesday's contest between Kennesaw State and Georgia Southern will mark the 17th meeting between the two programs with the Owls leading the all-time series, 16-10. The two teams last met in 2014 and the Eagles posted a 2-0 victory in Kennesaw.
 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Kennesaw State had the weekend off and was last in action last week as the Owls played two games in Tennessee. The Owls traveled to Knoxville on April 5 and fell 8-0 to No. 17 Tennessee. KSU bounced back two later and registered a 10-1 victory at Tennessee State. Senior Megan Veringa collected her 100th career RBI and three freshmen had two RBIs to highlight the Owls' win. Veringa's RBI single in the fourth inning tied the game at 1-1, and freshmen Jenna Kniss, Anastasia Villanueva and Kira Czyrklis had two-run scoring hits for the Owls (22-16). Hillary Kartman had two hits and an RBI, and Rachel Dennis collected two hits and scored twice to pace Kennesaw State's 12-hit attack.
 
NOTES
* Kennesaw State continues to be one of top base stealing teams in the country as it ranks fifth nationally, averaging 2.68 stolen bases per game. Marist leads the nation with 3.03 steals per game.
* The Owls have already established a single-season school record for stolen bases. Through 38 games, Kennesaw State has totaled 102 stolen bases in 119 attempts. The previous was record was 74 accomplished in 90 attempts in 2015.
* Junior Taylor Denton and senior Kara Chambers have led the running game while establishing single-season career-highs. Denton is 24-for-25, while Chambers is 22-for-26. The duo also ranks second and third, respectively, on Kennesaw State's all-time career charts as Denton has 54 career stolen bases and Chambers has 52. Jennifer Hunt (2003-06) is KSU's career leader with 60.
* The Owls are 11-1 when scoring in the first inning and 17-4 when scoring first.
*Senior first baseman Megan Veringa, who ranks second on the club with 21 RBIs, recorded her 100th career RBI with a base hit in the fourth inning at Tennessee State. Veringa also has reached base safely in a team-high nine games.
* Freshman Anastasia Villanueva collected her first career hit with a two-run single in the seventh and recorded the first two RBIs of her career at Tennessee State.
* Freshmen Jenna Kniss, Anastasia Villanueva and Kira Czyrklis combined to go 3-for-6 with two runs scored and six RBIs. 
* Senior Rachel Dennis currently has a team-high four-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in eight straight games.
* Junior Logan Viers and senior Morgan Sikes have established single-season career-highs for strikeouts. Viers has struck out 79 batters while Sikes has fanned 49.
* Viers currently tops the A-Sun Conference with a 1.67 ERA, while Sikes is third with a 1.88 ERA.

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