Games 43 and 44: Kennesaw State (23-19) vs. Alabama State (21-20)
Date:  April 20, 2016
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Bailey Park
Series Record: Kennesaw State leads series, 5-1
Last Meeting: 2013, Alabama State won, 4-3 in Montgomery, Ala.
Links: Live Stats (Game 1) | Live Stats (Game 2) |Twitter | KSU Stats (PDF)
 
ON DECK
The Kennesaw State softball team returns to action on Wednesday (April 20) when it hosts Alabama State in a doubleheader at Bailey Park beginning at 4 p.m. (ET).
 
The Owls (23-19, 6-6) are coming off a weekend trip to Fort Myers, Fla. where they fell two games to one to Florida Gulf Coast in an Atlantic Sun Conference series. KSU split a doubleheader with FGCU on Saturday (April 16), falling 4-0 in the first game before posting a 4-3 win in the nightcap. The Owls dropped the series finale on Sunday (April 17) by an 8-0 count.
 
UP NEXT
Following Wednesday's game against Alabama State, Kennesaw State returns to A-Sun Conference play on Saturday (April 23) when it begins a three-game series with USC Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. before closing out the series with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday (April 24).
 
ABOUT ALABAMA STATE
Alabama State enters Wednesday's doubleheader against Kennesaw State with a 21-20 overall record, including a 12-0 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. ASU is coming off a three-game sweep of Jackson State over the weekend. The Hornets are batting .311 as a team and have six players batting .300 or better. The team is led by senior outfielder Jenna Mae Thorne, who is batting .375 with three home runs and 22 RBIs. Alabama State has a cumulative 4.26 ERA and is led in the circle by senior Maddie Phelps, who has posted a 14-7 record and 2.79 ERA while striking out a team-high 95 batters in 133 innings.   
 
THE SERIES VERSUS ALABAMA STATE
Wednesday's contest between Kennesaw State and Alabama State will mark the seventh meeting between the two programs with the Owls leading the all-time series, 5-1. The two teams last met three times during the 2013 season with KSU winning two of three games. Kennesaw State and Alabama State met twice in tournament action with the Owls recording 4-2 and 5-0 victories before the Hornets posted a 4-3 win in Montgomery.
 
NOTES
* The Owls enter the week sixth in the country in stolen bases. Through 42 games, Kennesaw State is averaging 2.57 stolen bases a game and have set a single-season school record. KSU has stolen 108 bases in 126 attempts. The previous was record was 74 accomplished in 90 attempts in 2015.
 
* The Owls are 12-1 when scoring in the first inning and 18-5 when scoring first.
 
* Junior Taylor Denton and senior Kara Chambers have led the running game while establishing single-season career-highs. Denton is 27-for-28, while Chambers is 22-for-27. The duo also ranks second and third, respectively, on Kennesaw State's all-time career charts as Denton has 57 career stolen bases and Chambers has 52. Jennifer Hunt (2003-06) is KSU's career leader with 60.

* With a stolen base in the series finale at Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday, Denton equaled the single-season individual record as she tied Jennifer Hunt, who swiped 27 bases in 2005.

* Denton has been the Owls' hottest hitter over the past 10 games, batting .450 (18-for-40) with 13 runs scored and two doubles while going 11-for-11 in stolen bases.

* Senior Kara Chambers ranks second in the A-Sun Conference with four triples. Makensie McAvoy of Florida Gulf Coast leads the conference with six.

* Junior Logan Viers and senior Morgan Sikes have established single-season career-highs for strikeouts. Viers has struck out 81 batters while Sikes has fanned 53.

* Viers currently ranks second in the A-Sun Conference with a 1.81 ERA, while Sikes is third with a 2.08 ERA.

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.