JACKSONVILLE AT KENNESAW STATE April 14-15 | 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 1 p.m. | Bailey Park Watch: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 Twitter: @KSUOwlsSB

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State softball team returns to ASUN Conference play this weekend when it welcomes Jacksonville to Bailey Park for a three-game series. The two teams will open with a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. before closing out the series with a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday.
 
All three games will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Nathan McCreary and Scott Whitlock describing the action.

The Owls (29-12, 5-4) will bring momentum into the series after winning their last two games, including a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over Georgia State on Tuesday. Kennesaw State's next win will equal its victory total from a year ago when the Owls posted a 30-28 record.
 
All seven ASUN Conference teams have posted winning records and have at least 20 wins entering this weekend's action. USC Upstate is currently among teams receiving votes in this week's national polls.
 
JACKSONVILLE
The Dolphins are currently 22-17 overall and 2-4 in ASUN Conference play. Jacksonville is coming off a 5-2 setback to South Florida on Wednesday and a series loss to Lipscomb last weekend. The Dolphins are batting .270 as a team and have five players batting .300 or better. Junior outfielder Allie McCourt leads the club with a .368 average while junior Heather Roberts is batting .340 and tops the team with six home runs and 32 RBIs. Jacksonville has posted a 3.03 ERA in the circle, with senior Taylor Thorpe pacing the pitching staff with an 8-5 record and 2.30 ERA. 
 
THE SERIES
Friday's series opener will mark the 30th meeting between the two programs, with the Owls leading the all-time series, 18-11. Kennesaw State took two of three in Jacksonville a year ago as KSU captured the final two games.  Courtney Sutter secured the series win with a seventh-inning grand slam that capped a 3-for-4, 5-RBI day that gave the Owls a 7-1 victory.

2017 KENNESAW STATE HONORS
 
ASUN Pitcher of the Week
Alley Cutting (March 6)
Alley Cutting (March 27)
Logan Viers (April 3)
 
ASUN Player of the Week
Courtney Sutter (Feb. 27)
Courtney Sutter (March 13)
Taylor Denton (April 3)
 
Fastpitch News NCAA Division I Top Performer of the Week
Olivia Tamewitz (March 7)
 
BATTED BALLS

• Kennesaw State continues to lead the ASUN Conference in several offensive categories, including batting average (.317), slugging percentage (.473), hits (364), triples (14), home runs (29) and total bases (543). The Owls entered the week ranked among the top 30 nationally in batting average (30th), doubles per game (16th), stolen bases per game (20th) and triples per game (16th).
• With 29 home runs on the season, KSU has already surpassed its entire home run total from a year ago when the Owls hit 18 in 58 games. With three more round trippers, the Owls will tie the 2000 team for 10th place on KSU's single-season home run list.
• KSU has four players – Courtney Sutter (402, 3rd), Olivia Tamewitz (.389, 5th), Noelle Winkles (.375, T6th) and Hannah Thomason (.368, T8th) – ranked among the ASUN's top 10 in hitting.
• Sutter (.770) leads the ASUN Conference in slugging percentage, home runs (11) and RBIs (40). The Owls' senior has already established single-season career highs in home runs, RBIs and runs scored (30).
• Sophomore Hannah Thomason has had a breakout season in 2017. Her .368 average is a career best, and she has established single-season career highs in runs (38), hits (49), and stolen bases (25). Her stolen base total ranks fifth on Kennesaw State's single-season list. She also is second in the ASUN Conference in runs scored and tied for third in stolen bases.
• Thomason's 46 career stolen bases rank fifth on KSU's all-time list. Taylor Denton is currently the Owls' all-time leader with 76.
• Winkles tops the Owls with 17 multiple-hit and 10 multi-RBI games.
• Olivia Tamewitz is putting together a stellar freshman campaign as she has posted a .389 averaged, scored 29 runs, collected 51 hits, including nine doubles, six triples and two home runs, while totaling 24 RBIs. She has a .595 slugging percentage, .409 on-base percentage and is 15-for-17 in stolen base attempts. She ranks among the ASUN Conference's leaders in batting average, slugging percentage, hits, triples and total bases.
• Five different Owls have hitting streaks of at least 10 games this season. Sutter and Tamewitz each have had streaks of 11 games, while Beth McCulley, Taylor Denton and Hannah Thomason have produced 10-game hitting streaks. Sutter currently has the team's longest active streak, hitting safely in seven straight.
• Sutter and Katey Lynch have been KSU's best hitters in ASUN Conference play, each posting a .364 mark that tie for seventh among the league's top hitters. Sutter is 12-for-33 while Lynch is 8-for-22. The duo is tied for seventh in the conference.
• With 32 home runs, Sutter is one 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 2.41 earned-run average and its 1.40 ERA in conference play leads the league.
• Freshman Alley Cutting ranks third in the ASUN in ERA (2.08), strikeouts (136), fourth in wins (14), opponents' average (.214) and innings pitched (134.1).
• Senior Logan Viers ranks fifth in ERA (2.23), sixth in opponents' batting average (.252), seventh in wins (11) and ninth in strikeouts (63). During ASUN Conference play, the Owls' right-hander is second in ERA (1.08), sixth in innings pitched (26.0) and eighth in opponents' batting average (.250). 

ON DECK
Following Saturday's series finale, Kennesaw State will next be in action on Wednesday (April 19) when it travels to Alabama to visit No. 7 Auburn at Jane B. Moore Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast on SEC+.
 
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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