KENNESAW STATE AT NO. 7 AUBURN April 19 | 7 p.m. (ET) | Jane B. Moore Field Watch | Live Stats | Twitter: @KSUOwlsSB

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State softball team travels to Alabama on Wednesday to visit No. 7 Auburn in a non-conference game at Jane B. Moore Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast on SEC+.
 
The Owls (31-13, 7-5) are coming off an ASUN series win against Jacksonville over the weekend, and have won four out of their last five games. Kennesaw State is currently tied with Lipscomb for second place in the ASUN Conference standings, two games behind first-place USC Upstate (36-10, 9-3).
 
Auburn will represent the eighth top 25 nationally-ranked team the Owls have played since the 2012 season, and the second top-10 ranked opponent. Kennesaw State's only game versus a top 10 team came during the 2015 season when the Owls defeated No. 5 Kentucky, 9-8, at Bailey Park.
 
AUBUIRN
The Tigers, who begin the week 36-7 overall and 10-5 in the SEC, are ranked No. 7 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls. Auburn is coming off a series win over Missouri this past weekend, and has won four of its last five games. The Tigers are batting .285 as a team and have five players batting .300 or better. Freshman Alyssa Rivera leads the club with a .412 average, while Kendall Veach tops the team with 10 home runs and Carlee Wallace has a team-leading 40 RBIs. Auburn has registered a 1.74 ERA and is led in the circle by junior Kaylee Carlson, who has recorded a 21-2 record and 1.27 ERA.
 
THE SERIES
Wednesday's game between Kennesaw State and Auburn will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
THOMASON TABBED ASUN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore outfielder Hannah Thomason was named ASUN Conference Player of the Week on Monday following her performance last week against Georgia State and Jacksonville. The Fayetteville, Ga. native sparked the Owls to a 3-1 record that included a series win over Jacksonville. The igniter at the top of the lineup, Thomason batted .533 (8-for-15) with six runs scored, two RBIs, and was 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. She produced three multiple-hit games and scored a run in all four games, while recording a .533 slugging percentage and .563 on-base percentage. During a three game series versus Jacksonville, she batted .455 (5-for-11) with four runs scored, two RBIs and four stolen bases.

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)
Hannah Thomason (April 17)
 
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 (.318), slugging percentage (.479), hits (392), triples (15), home runs (33) and total bases (590). The Owls ranks among the top 20 nationally in batting average (20th), doubles per game (17th), stolen bases per game (15th) and triples per game (14th).
• With 33 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. The total currently ranks 10th on Kennesaw State's single-season home run list and is three shy of tying of the 2002 team's total of 36.
• KSU has four players – Courtney Sutter (.389, 3rd), Olivia Tamewitz (.380, 4th), and Noelle Winkles and Hannah Thomason, (.375, T5th) – ranked among the ASUN's top 10 in hitting.
• Sutter (.733) leads the ASUN Conference in slugging percentage, home runs (11) and RBIs (41). The Owls' senior has established single-season career highs in home runs, RBIs and runs scored (32).
• Sophomore Hannah Thomason has had a breakout season in 2017. Her .375 average is a career best, and she has established single-season career highs in runs (42), hits (54), and stolen bases (29). Her stolen base total ranks second on Kennesaw State's single-season list and is three shy of equaling teammate Taylor Denton for the single-season record of 32 set in 2016. She also leads the ASUN Conference in runs scored and is second in stolen bases.
• Thomason's 50 career stolen bases (in 55 attempts) rank fourth on KSU's all-time list. Dentonis currently the Owls' all-time leader with 78.
• Winkles tops the Owls with 18 multiple-hit and 11 multi-RBI games, while her 17 doubles rank second in the country.
• Olivia Tamewitz is putting together a stellar freshman campaign as she has posted a .380 average, scored 31 runs, collected 54 hits, including nine doubles, seven triples and two home runs, while totaling 26 RBIs. She has a .585 slugging percentage, .403 on-base percentage and is 16-for-18 in stolen base attempts. She is third in the nation in triples, and ranks among the ASUN Conference's leaders in batting average, slugging percentage, hits and total bases.
• Five different Owls have had hitting streaks of at least 10 games this season. Sutter and Tamewitz each have had 11-game streaks, while Beth McCulley, Taylor Denton and Hannah Thomason have produced streaks of 10 games.
• Katey Lynch and Courtney Sutter have been KSU's top hitters in ASUN Conference play, posting .367 and .333 averages, respectively. Lynch is 11-for-30, while Sutter is 14-for-42. Lynch ranks fifth in the ASUN, while Sutter is tied for eighth.
• 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 2.43 earned-run average and its 1.69 ERA in conference play also ranks third.
• Freshman Alley Cutting is fourth in the ASUN in ERA (2.11), strikeouts (142), fourth in wins (15), opponents' average (.216) and innings pitched (142.1).
• Senior Logan Viers ranks sixth in ERA (2.38), sixth in opponents' batting average (.255), tied for fifth in wins (12) and ninth in strikeouts (66). During ASUN Conference play, the Owls' right-hander is fourth in ERA (1.85), sixth in innings pitched (34.0) and seventh in opponents' batting average (.261). 

ON DECK
Following Wednesday's game at Auburn, the Owls will return home for their final home ASUN Conference series when they Florida Gulf Coast Saturday in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The series concludes with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday. Saturday will mark a busy day for the Kennesaw State softball program as it will recognize its seniors prior to game one, and gram will induct two individuals into its Circle of Honor between games.
 
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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