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GAMEDAY STORY LINES
• Second-seeded Kennesaw State (35-16) opens play at the 2017 ASUN Conference Championship against No. 3 seed North Florida (31-25) Thursday at 10 a.m. (ET). The No. 2 seed matches KSU's highest tournament seed, joining the 2012 team, which was also a No. 2 seed after tying for the regular-season title.
• The Owls finished second in the ASUN Conference standings after posting an 11-6 mark.
• Kennesaw State and North Florida will be meeting for the first time in the ASUN Conference Championship. The Ospreys defeated No. 6 Jacksonville, 6-5, in eight innings on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals.
• North Florida, which posted a 9-9 mark in ASUN Conference play, took two of three from the Owls in Jacksonville April 8-9. The Ospreys won the first two games (7-3 and 2-1) before Kennesaw State recorded a 6-3 victory in the season finale.
• The Owls are seeking their first ASUN Conference Championship title and NCAA Division I postseason tournament appearance.
• Kennesaw State defeated every ASUN Conference team at least once this season and posted a 4-1-1 series record.
• The 35 wins by the Owls represent the fourth-most since moving to the Division I level in 2006, and their .686 winning percentage is the second-highest in Division I program history.
• Kennesaw State ranks in the Top 50 nationally in stolen bases per game (No. 11), triples per game (No. 12), doubles per game (No. 24), batting average (No. 28), slugging percentage (No. 32), scoring (No. 42), and ERA (No. 49).
• Head coach Pete D'Amour is in his first season leading the Kennesaw State program after spending the previous 10 years on the coaching staff at Missouri where he helped the Tigers advance to three Women's College World Series, eight NCAA Super Regionals, and 10 NCAA regionals, while winning two.
 
SCOUTING NORTH FLORIDA
The Ospreys are 31-25 following their 6-5, eight-inning victory over Jacksonville in the opening game of the ASUN Conference Championship on Wednesday. North Florida has four players batting .300 or better and is led by sophomore Navia Penrod, who is batting .418. Penrod was named first team All-SUN Conference along with freshman Kayla McGory and sophomore Dominica Cocuzza. The Ospreys, who have a 2.72 team ERA, are led by senior Logan Green, who has a 13-15 record and 2.51 ERA.
 
SERIES VERSUS NORTH FLORIDA
Thursday's game marks the 63rd meeting between the Owls and Ospreys, and KSU leads the series, 44-19. The two teams, who will meet for the first time in the ASUN Championship, met earlier this year in Jacksonville and North Florida took two out the three. The Ospreys captured the first two games by scores of 7-3 and 2-1, before the Owls posted a 6-3 victory in the series finale.
 
UP NEXT
A win over North Florida on Thursday will advance Kennesaw State into the semifinals on Friday, while a loss will move the Owls into an elimination game Thursday at 5:30 p.m. (ET).  
 
ASUN CONFERENCE NO. 4 IN RPI RANKINGS
The ASUN Conference has been one of the top conferences in the country during the 2017 season, ranking fourth in the most recent RPI rankings. The ASUN is ranked behind only the SEC, Pac-12 and Big 12.
 
KSU VERSUS TOP 75 RPI TEAMS
Kennesaw State, which has held a Top 50 RPI ranking for most of the season, has fared well against teams appearing in the RPI's top 75. The Owls have recorded an 8-5 mark against six teams - No. 3 Auburn (0-1), No. 27 Illinois (1-1), No. 39 Jacksonville State (1-1), No. 41 USC Upstate (2-1), No. 50 Lipscomb (3-0) and No. 57 Georgia State (1-1). KSU also has a 7-3 mark against Top 50 teams.
 
RECORD SEVEN PLAYERS EARN ASUN CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
The successful regular by Kennesaw State resulted in a record seven individuals earning ASUN All-Conference honors. Highlighting the list were senior Courtney Sutter and freshman Alley Cutting, who were named Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively. Both players were tabbed first-team all-conference, while senior Taylor Denton, Olivia Tamewitz, sophomore Hannah Thomason and junior Noelle Winkles were selected to the second team. Katey Lynch joined Cutting and Tamewitz on the all-freshman team.
 
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)
Courtney Sutter (May 2)
 
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
• With 37 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 ties for seventh on Kennesaw State's single-season home run list and is two shy of tying the 2011 team's 39.
• KSU has four players – Courtney Sutter (No. 4; .381), Hannah Thomason (No.6; .377), Olivia Tamewitz (No. 6; .361) and Noelle Winkles (No. 10; .356) – ranked among the ASUN's top 10 in hitting.
• Sutter (.716) leads the ASUN Conference in slugging percentage, home runs (13) and RBIs (47). The Owls' senior has established single-season career highs in home runs, RBIs and runs scored (36).
• 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 (46), hits (63), and stolen bases (32). Her stolen base total ties teammate Taylor Denton for first place on KSU's single-season stolen base list. She also is among the ASUN Conference leaders in runs scored and stolen bases.
• Thomason's 53 career stolen bases (in 58 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 fifth in the country.
• Olivia Tamewitz is putting together a stellar freshman campaign as she has posted a .361 average, scored 35 runs, and collected 60 hits, including 10 doubles, eight triples and two home runs, while totaling 308 RBIs. She has a .554 slugging percentage, .392 on-base percentage and is 19-for-22 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 career and team-high 12-game hitting streak.
• Courtney Sutter and Katey Lynch were KSU's top hitters in ASUN Conference play, posting .362 and .341 averages, respectively. Sutter went 21-for-58, while Lynch finished 15-for-44. Sutter tied for fourth in the ASUN, while Lynch was 10th.
• With 34 home runs, Sutter is tied with Jennifer Nolan (2004-07) for fifth on Kennesaw State's all-time career home run list.
 
QUICK PITCHES
• Kennesaw State is third in the ASUN Conference with a 2.38 earned-run average and its 1.67 ERA in conference play ranked second.
• Freshman Alley Cutting is fifth in the ASUN in ERA (2.28), third in strikeouts (167), tied for third in wins (17), fifth in opponents' average (.227) and fourth in innings pitched (171.2).
• Senior Logan Viers ranks seventh in ERA (2.40), seventh in opponents' batting average (.252), tied for eighth in wins (12) and ninth in strikeouts (71). During ASUN Conference play, the Owls' right-hander is sixth in ERA (2.00), 10th in innings pitched (42.0) and seventh in opponents' batting average (.250).
• Redshirt junior Abby Green has been a key contributor down the stretch for the Owls. She has made 14 appearances, starting five games and recorded a 5-1 record, 1.33 ERA and three saves. She has struck out 43 batters in in 42 innings. During ASUN Conference play, she recorded a 2-0 mark, 0.33 ERA and three saves in 21 1/3 innings.

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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