KENNESAW STATE AT NORTH FLORIDA April 8-9 | 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 1 p.m. | UNF Softball Complex Live Stats | Twitter: @KSUOwlsSB

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State softball team will look to improve upon its solid start in ASUN Conference play when it travels to Jacksonville to take on North Florida in a three-game series beginning Saturday at the UNF Softball Complex. The series opens with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and concludes with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.
 
The Owls (27-10, 4-2) are coming off a series win over USC Upstate last weekend, while North Florida (21-16, 2-1) opened ASUN Conference play with a series win over Florida Gulf Coast. The Ospreys fell 5-1 to No. 2 North Florida on Wednesday.
 
All seven ASUN Conference teams have posted winning records and at least 20 wins entering this weekend's action. USC Upstate is currently among teams receiving votes in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll.
 
NORTH FLORIDA
The Ospreys are 21-16 overall and 2-1 in ASUN Conference play. North Florida fell 5-1 loss to No. 2 Florida on Wednesday (April 5) after taking two of three from Florida Gulf Coast in its conference-opening series last weekend. The Ospreys have five players batting .300 or better and are led by sophomore Navia Penrod, who is hitting .463 with a team-leading 36 runs scored. North Florida has posted a 2.78 ERA. Senior Logan Green, who is 9-10 with a 2.22 ERA, leads the Ospreys.  
 
THE SERIES
Saturday's first game between Kennesaw State and North Florida will mark the 61st all-time meeting between the two programs, and the Owls lead the series, 43-17. North Florida took two of three from KSU last season at Bailey Park. Kennesaw State won the series two years ago in Jacksonville.
 
OWLS SWEEP WEEKLY ASUN CONFERENCE AWARDS
For the second time in program history, Kennesaw State swept the weekly ASUN Conference awards as Logan Viers was tabbed Pitcher of the Week and Taylor Denton was selected Player of the Week. It marked the first time two Owls were honored in the same week since 20017 when April Keasler (Player of the Week) and Brittany Matthews (Pitcher of the Week) accomplished the feat on Feb. 26, 2007.
 
Viers, who earned her second career ASUN Pitcher of the Week honor, came through in a big way for Kennesaw State as she posted a 2-0 record and 1.40 ERA. After limiting Samford to one run and striking out three in three innings, Viers came back to toss a complete game in Saturday's 4-1 victory over USC Upstate.
 
In seven innings of work, the senior right-hander scattered seven hits, allowed one run and struck out one. Viers' clutch performance came after the Owls suffered a tough 5-3, 11-inning loss in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
 
Denton, who was honored as Player of the Week for the first time, batted .462 (6-for-13) with three runs scored, a double and four RBIs during the week. She hit safely in all four games, posting two multiple-hit games, while scoring a run and producing an RBI in three of four contests.
 
During three games against USC Upstate, Denton went 5-for-11 (.455) with two runs scored, two RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. She was 4-for-7 with a run scored and two RBIs during Saturday's doubleheader. 

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 (.321), slugging percentage (.481), hits (333), triples (13), home runs (29) and total bases (500). Through games of April 4, the Owls ranked among the top 25 nationally in batting average (23rd), stolen bases per game (16th) and triples per game (12th).
• With 29 home runs through 37 games this 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 (389, 3rd), Hannah Thomason (385, 5th), Olivia Tamewitz (.381, 7th) and Taylor Denton (.371, 9th) – ranked among the ASUN's top 10 in hitting.
• Sutter (.787) leads the ASUN Conference in slugging percentage and home runs (11), and is tied for the league lead with 34 RBIs. The Owls' senior has already established single-season career highs in home runs, RBIs and runs scored (27).
• Sophomore Hannah Thomason has had a breakout season in 2017. Her .385 average is a career best, and she has established single-season career highs in runs (46), hits (45), and stolen bases (24). Her stolen base total ranks fifth on Kennesaw State's single-season list. She also ranks third in the ASUN Conference in runs scored, and is tied for second in stolen bases.
• Thomason's 45 career stolen bases rank fifth on KSU's all-time list. Taylor Denton is currently the Owls' all-time leader with 75.
• Sutter, Noelle Winkles and Olivia Tamewitz are currently tied for the team lead with 14 multiple hit games, while Winkles tops the club with nine multiple RBI games.
• 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. Denton and Katey Lynch are tied for the current active streak, hitting safely in their last five games.
• Lynch is the Owls' top hitter during ASUN Conference play, posting a .400 average (6-for-15). The mark ranks fourth in the ASUN.
• 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 2.35 earned-run average and its 0.96 ERA in conference play leads the league.
• Freshman Alley Cutting ranks third in the ASUN with a 1.76 ERA, strikeouts (132) and wins (14). She is fourth in opponents' average (.203) and innings pitched (127.0), third in strikeouts (121), and wins (13).
• Cutting tops the conference with a 0.55 ERA, 38 innings pitched, 27 strikeouts, and tied for the league lead with three wins during ASUN play.
• Senior Logan Viers is tied for ninth in ERA (2.51) and strikeouts (56), sixth in opponents' average (.240), and is tied for seventh in wins (9).

ON DECK

• Following this weekend's series at North Florida, Kennesaw State will return home to Bailey Park to host local rival Georgia State on Tuesday (April 11). First is 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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