Georgia State (13-10) vs. Kennesaw State (7-8)
Date: March 14
Time: 6 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN3

LEADING OFF
* The Kennesaw State softball team (14-8) returns to Bailey Park on Wednesday to host Georgia State (13-10) in a single game beginning at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Nathan McCreary handling the play-by-play and Scott Whitlock providing analysis.
* The Owls enter the contest on a season-high eight game winning streak, that includes a doubleheader sweep of Bucknell Monday at Bailey Park.
* Wednesday's game marks Kennesaw State's final tune-up before opening ASUN Conference play Saturday at defending conference champion USC Upstate.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

Wednesday, March 14
6 p.m.	Kennesaw State vs. Georgia State
Saturday, March 17
1 p.m./3 p.m.	Kennesaw State at USC Upstate (DH)
Sunday, March 18
1 p.m.	Kennesaw State at USC Upstate

 
SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE
The Panthers are currently 13-10 on the season have lost their last two games after dropping a doubleheader to Texas State on Saturday, falling 2-0 and 5-4. Georgia State is batting .301 as a team and has four players batting .300 or better. Senior catcher Ivie Drake tops the club with a .441 average, four home runs and 29 RBIs. Panthers pitching has recorded a 4.30 ERA and is led in the circle by Emily Sosa (5-2, 3.12) and Kinsley Jennings (6-3, 3.68).

SERIES VERSUS GEORGIA STATE
Kennesaw State and Georgia State have met 37 previous times and the Owls lead the all-time series, 19-18. The two programs met four times a year ago and KSU captured three of the meetings. The Owls and Panthers faced each other twice in the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship, and KSU won both contests, defeating Georgia State, 5-3 and 3-2, to capture the Region 5 title.
 
WINKLES NAMED ASUN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Noelle Winkles garnered her first career ASUN Player of the Week honor on Monday. She batted .500 (8-for-16) with six runs scored and 13 RBIs, while posting a .529 on-base percentage and posting a 1.062 slugging percentage in helping the Owls to a 5-0 record. Winkles hit safely in all five contests, had three multiple RBI games, scored at least one run and homered in three of five games. Winkles' weekend was highlighted by a 3-for-3 day versus Belmont in which she scored three runs, clubbed a career-high two home runs and collected a Kennesaw State single-game record eight RBIs. In game two of a doubleheader versus UAB, Winkles hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning that capped an 11-3 walk-off win.
 
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
* The Owls are batting .309 as a team, averaging 5.3 runs a game and are third in the ASUN Conference in hitting. KSU's 16 home runs rank second in the ASUN and seven different players have hit home runs, including freshman Patricia Awald, and senior Noelle Winkles, who top the club with five apiece.
* KSU has totaled 58 extra base hits, including a conference-leading 37 doubles. Sophomore Olivia Tamewitz ranks third in the ASUN with a team-leading seven doubles.
* During its eight-game winning streak, Kennesaw State is batting .362 with nine home runs, 54 RBIs and 57 runs scored.
* Tamewitz is currently in the midst of a career-high 15-game hitting streak, during which time she is batting .472 (25-for-53) with 13 runs scored, six RBIs, and is 10-for-12 in stolen bases. Overall, she is tied for the team-lead with nine multiple-hit games and has seven during her hitting streak. She ranks fifth in the ASUN with a .446 average.
* Awald has begun her collegiate in impression fashion, posting a team-best .466 average, five home runs, 22 runs scored, .793 slugging percentage and .522 on-base percentage, and is second with 21 RBIs. She ranks fourth in the ASUN in batting, second in slugging percentage, third in on-base percentage, tied for fourth in RBIs, tied for sixth in hits (27) and tied for second in home runs.
* During the Owls' eight-game winning streak, Awald is batting a team-high .522 (12-for-23) with 13 runs scored, three home runs and nine RBIs.
* Winkles has been a productive run-producer over her last eight games, batting .500 (12-for-24) with nine runs scored, four home runs and 16 RBIs, posting a 1.042 slugging percentage and .538 on-base percentage. She has upped her season average to .320, leads the Owls with 22 RBIs and is tied for the team lead in home runs with five.
 
IN THE CIRCLE
* The Owls have a 2.53 team ERA, are yielding a .222 opponents' batting average and have 13 complete games.
* During its eight-game winning streak, KSU has posted a 1.78 ERA and limited opposing batters to a .200 average.
* Sophomore Alley Cutting has a 4-4 record and team-best 1.50 ERA while making 10 appearances, including seven starts. She also has five complete games and one save. Cutting has struck out 40 in 46 2/3 innings while allowing 10 earned runs. Over her last four appearances, the KSU right-hander is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four appearances. She has struck out 19 batters in 15 2/3 innings.  
* Senior Abigail Green is 5-3 with a 3.91 ERA in nine appearances. She has made seven starts and posted four complete games. Green, who has a pair of 10 strikeout performances, has struck out a team-high 51 in 43 innings.
 
ASUN PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Coming off a 40-win season that included a postseason berth plus a solid nucleus returning, Kennesaw State was picked to finish first in the 2018 ASUN Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released on Jan. 17. The Owls, who received four first-place votes and totaled 46 points to finish ahead of defending conference champion USC Upstate (43 points, 2 first-place votes), garnered the top spot in the poll for the first time since joining the ASUN Conference prior to the 2006 season. KSU was ranked second in the preseason coaches' poll on three different occasions (2007, 2008, 2013).
 
ASUN Preseason Rankings

Rank	Team (First Place Votes)	Votes
1.	Kennesaw State (4)	46
2.	USC Upstate (2)	43
3.	Florida Gulf Coast (1)	31
4.	Lipscomb	29
5.	North Florida	23
6.	Jacksonville	13
7.	Stetson	11

2017 REVIEW
* Under first-year head coach Pete D'Amour, who took the reins on Sept. 16, 2016, Kennesaw State posted a 40-20 record and advanced to the postseason in 2017. The Owls finished second in the ASUN Conference and made their first postseason showing at the NCAA Division I level, finishing third in the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship. KSU was ranked No. 47 nationally in the final RPI rankings.

CUTTING TABBED ASUN PRESEASON CO-PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Sophomore Alley Cutting was named ASUN Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year, along with Lipscomb's Mandy Jordan, and selected to the all-conference team. She was also named the ASUN's Preseason Pitcher of the Year in a vote by the fans. The Owls right-hander posted a 20-10 record, 2.19 ERA, 16 complete games and two saves while making 38 appearances, including 31 starts. She worked 201 1/3 innings, allowed 63 earned runs, walked 49 and struck out 186 batters en route to earning ASUN Freshman of The Year and first team all-conference honors.
 
SOLID NUCLEUS RETURNS IN 2018
Including Alley Cutting, the Owls return five players who earned ASUN Conference accolades in 2017. Senior Noelle Winkles (.360, 8 HR, 41 RBI), junior Hannah Thomason (.354, 47 R, 33 SB) and sophomore Olivia Tamewitz (.342, 31 RBI, 19 SB), who earned second team All-ASUN Conference recognition a year ago, are back to form a talented outfield, while sophomore utility player Katey Lynch (.285, 4 HR, 28 RBI) also returns after garnering all-freshman team honors.
 
HEAD COACH PETE D'AMOUR
* Head coach Pete D'Amour enters his second season as Kennesaw State head coach after spending the prior 10 seasons at the University of Missouri.
* In his first season guiding the Owls, D'Amour led KSU to 40-20 overall record National Invitational Softball Championship Region 5 title and a No. 47 ranking in the final RPI rankings.
* While at Mizzou, D'Amour helped the Tigers post a 453-154 (.746) record, advance to three Women's College World Series (2009, 2010, 2011), reach eight NCAA Division I Super Regionals, and participate in 10 NCAA Regionals.
* During D'Amour's tenure, Missouri won two Big 12 Conference championships and earned 10 straight Top 20 national rankings.
* Primarily responsible for working with the pitchers and catchers, D'Amour watched Tigers pitcher throw 11 no-hitters, while mentoring 11 All-Americans, two SEC Freshen of the Year, three conference Pitchers of the Year, a national earned-run average leader, and a Defensive Player of the Year. 
 
UP NEXT
Following Wednesday's game, the Owls will open ASUN Conference play on Saturday when they travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to face defending conference USC Upstate in a three-game series. The two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday before closing out the weekend with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.

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. You can also follow head coach Pete D'Amour at @KSUSBCoach.
 
To learn more about The Owls Fund visit www.ksuowls.com/theowlsfund.
   
 
 

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