KENNESAW STATE AT STETSON March 25-26 | 1 P.M. | Patricia Wilson Field GM 1 Live Stats | GM 2 Live Stats | GM 3 Live Stats Watch | Twitter: @KSUOwlsSB

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State softball team opens ASUN Conference play this weekend when it travels to DeLand, Fla., to face Stetson in a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game is scheduled at 1 p.m. The series concludes with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.
 
All three games will be broadcast live on subscription-based HattersVision. Live stats will also be available through KSUOwls.com.
 
The Owls begin conference play with a 22-8 overall record, and have an NCAA Division I program-record 11-game winning streak to their resume. Kennesaw State is coming off a 6-4 loss at Georgia State on Wednesday.
 
ASUN Conference play promises to be competitive throughout the season as all seven teams enter league play with winning records, with five teams posting at least 20 wins. In the first official NCAA RPI report of the year, the ASUN Conference is ranked ninth out of 32 conferences.
 
STETSON
The Hatters are currently 22-7 and have won four out of their last five games. Stetson, which last played on March 17, is batting .311 as a team and has six players batting .300 or better. Senior Kelsey Waters tops the club with a .432 average. The Hatters also lead the ASUN Conference with 196 runs scored. Sophomore Brooke Hutto leads Stetson in the circle, posting an 11-1 record and 2.29 ERA.

THE SERIES
Saturday's doubleheader opener will mark the 33rd all-time meeting between Kennesaw State and Stetson, with the Owls leading the all-time series, 18-14. KSU won three of four meetings between the two teams a year ago, taking two of three during the regular season in Kennesaw, and posting a 5-2 victory in the ASUN Conference Tournament.

BATTED BALLS

• Kennesaw State continues to lead the ASUN Conference in several offensive categories, including batting average (.337), triples (11), home runs (27) and slugging percentage (.525) and total bases (427).
• With their 27 home runs through 30 games this season, the Owls have already surpassed their entire home run total from a year ago when they hit 18 in 58 games.
• KSU has four players – Courtney Sutter (.439, 2nd), Olivia Tamewitz (.423, 4th), Noelle Winkles (.420, 5th) and Hannah Thomason (409, 6th) – ranked among the ASUN's top 10 in hitting.
• Courtney Sutter (.927) and Winkles (.753) rank first and second, respectively, in slugging percentage. Both players have established single-season career highs in home runs with 10 and six, respectively, to rank first and third in the ASUN.
• Hannah Thomason has sparked the Owls' offense while hitting in the leadoff spot. In addition to posting a .409 average, the KSU center fielder leads the team and is tied for fourth in the ASUN in runs scored (28), and stolen bases (19). Thomason is also two stolen bases shy of equaling her season total of 21 set during her freshman season a year ago.
• Thomason has been KSU's hottest hitter, boasting a nine-game hitting streak, batting .576 (19-for-33) with eight runs scored. She has also reached base safely in 15 consecutive games, and is hitting .650 (13-for-20) over her last six games.
• Senior Taylor Denton has 197 hits and is three shy of reaching 200 for her career.
• With 31 home runs, senior Courtney Sutter is two away from tying Keri McKee (2004-2007) for sixth place on Kennesaw State's all-time career home run list. McKee totaled 33.

QUICK PITCHES

• Kennesaw State is third in the ASUN Conference with a 2.73 earned-run average.
• Freshman Alley Cutting ranks fifth in the ASUN with a 2.28 ERA, fourth in opponents' average (.201), fourth in innings pitched (89.0), fourth in strikeouts (105), and tied for third in wins (11).
• Senior Logan Viers is eighth in ERA (2.59), sixth in opponents' average (.240), ninth in strikeouts (49), and tied for eighth in wins (7).

ON DECK

• Following this weekend's series at Stetson, Kennesaw State will next be in action on Wednesday (March 29) when it travels to Birmingham, Ala., to visit Samford in a non-conference game beginning at 6 p.m. (ET).

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. 

 

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