KENNESAW STATE AT LIPSCOMB April 29-30 | 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 3 p.m. | Draper Diamond Game 1: Watch | Live Stats Game 2: Watch | Live Stats Game 3: Watch | Live Stats Twitter: @KSUOwlsSB

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State softball team closes out its regular season this weekend when it travels to Nashville for a three-game series against Lipscomb at Draper Diamond. The series opens with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. (ET) before concluding with a 3 p.m. (ET) contest on Sunday.
 
All three games of the series will be available on ESPN3.
 
The Owls (32-16, 8-6) enter the weekend in fourth place in the ASUN Conference standings, 2.5 games behind first-place USC Upstate (11-4, 38-11) and 1.5 games behind Lipscomb (34-13, 7-5) and North Florida (28-21, 7-5). Kennesaw State has three games remaining, while USC Upstate, Lipscomb and North Florida have six games left and will conclude their regular seasons May 4-5.
 
Kennesaw State will clinch an ASUN Conference Tournament berth with one victory this weekend against the Bisons.  
 
LIPSCOMB
The Bisons (34-13, 7-5) begin the weekend on a four-game winning streak and have won seven of their last eight games, including a 5-0 victory at Belmont on Tuesday. The Bisons also have won their last two ASUN Conference series, posting wins over Jacksonville and North Florida. Lipscomb is batting .268 as a team and has three players batting .300 or better. Junior Caitlin Plocheck tops the team with a .366 average, nine home runs and 30 RBIs. The Bisons rank second in the ASUN Conference with a 1.92 ERA and are led in the circle by sophomore Mandy Jordan, who has posted a 22-7 record, 1.15 ERA and has recorded 231 strikeouts in 195 innings. She leads the ASUN in wins, ERA and strikeouts.
 
THE SERIES
Saturday's series-opener will mark the 30th meeting between Kennesaw State and Lipscomb, and the Bisons hold a 15-14 edge. The Owls took two of three at Bailey Park a year ago and posted a 3-0 victory in a first-round game of the 2016 ASUN Tournament.
 
TAMEWITZ NAMED TOP 25 FINALIST FOR NFCA NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Outfielder Olivia Tamewitz was named as one of 25 finalists for the Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Award, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced on Thursday (April 20). The group includes nine infielders, six outfielders, four pitchers, four utility players and two catchers. The list will be pared from 25 to 10 on May 11, to three on May 24, and the National Freshman of the Year announcement is May 30. Tamewitz has started 44 games and is batting .377 with 31 runs scored, 55 hits (nine doubles, seven triples and two home runs) and 26 RBIs, while recording a .575 slugging percentage, .399 on-base percentage and 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts.
 
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)
 
NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 Finalist
Olivia Tamewitz
 
BATTED BALLS

• Kennesaw State continues to lead the ASUN Conference in several offensive categories, including batting average (.314), slugging percentage (.462), hits (426), triples (15), home runs (33) and total bases (628). The Owls entered the week ranked among the top 20 nationally in batting average (18th), doubles per game (18th), stolen bases per game (12th) and triples per game (11th).
• With 33 home runs on the season, KSU has surpassed its 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 the 2002 team's 36.
• KSU has four players – Hannah Thomason (.378, 5th), Courtney Sutter (.377, 6th), Olivia Tamewitz (.372, 7th) and Noelle Winkles (.364, 10th) – ranked among the ASUN's top 10 in hitting.
• Sutter (.685) leads the ASUN Conference in slugging percentage, home runs (11) and RBIs (42). 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 .377 average is a career best, and she has established single-season career highs in runs (43), hits (59), and stolen bases (30). Her stolen base total ranks second on Kennesaw State's single-season list and is two shy of equaling teammate Taylor Denton for the single-season record of 32 set in 2016. She also is among the ASUN Conference leaders in runs scored and stolen bases.
• Thomason's 51 career stolen bases (in 56 attempts) rank fourth on KSU's all-time list. Denton is currently the Owls' all-time leader with 80.
• Winkles tops the Owls with 19 multiple-hit and 11 multi-RBI games, while her 18 doubles rank second in the country.
• Olivia Tamewitz is putting together a stellar freshman campaign as she has posted a .372 average, scored 32 runs, and collected 58 hits, including nine doubles, seven triples and two home runs, while totaling 28 RBIs. She has a .558 slugging percentage, .396 on-base percentage and is 18-for-21 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. Thomason is currently working on a nine-game hitting streak.
• Katey Lynch and Courtney Sutter have been KSU's top hitters in ASUN Conference play, posting .371 and .347 averages, respectively. Lynch is 13-for-35, while Sutter is 17-for-49. Lynch ranks sixth in the ASUN, while Sutter is 10th.
• 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 2.48 earned-run average and its 1.85 ERA in conference play ranks third.
• Freshman Alley Cutting is fifth in the ASUN in ERA (2.34), third in strikeouts (159), fourth in wins (15), opponents' average (.224) and innings pitched (161.1).
• Senior Logan Viers ranks seventh in ERA (2.42), sixth in opponents' batting average (.253), tied for sixth in wins (12) and ninth in strikeouts (71). During ASUN Conference play, the Owls' right-hander is eighth in ERA (2.05), seventh in innings pitched (41.0) and opponents' batting average (.255). 

ON DECK
Following Sunday's series finale, Kennesaw State will take a week off for finals before beginning preparations for the ASUN Conference Tournament that begins Wednesday, May 10 in Nashville, Tenn.
 
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. 

 
-#GoKSUOwls-
 

Related Videos

Now Playing:

• Play Video