Homewood Suites by Hilton RDU/RTP Challenge
Dates: March 23-25
Location: Raleigh, N.C. (Dail Stadium)
Tournament Central

LEADING OFF
* The Kennesaw State softball team (18-10) travels to Raleigh, N.C. this weekend to compete in the Homewood Suites by Hilton RDU/RTP Challenge hosted by North Carolina State at Dail Stadium.
* Tournament action opens Friday with the Owls playing Niagara at 10 a.m. and Marist at 12:15 p.m. Play continues on Saturday with KSU taking on North Carolina State at 12:15 p.m. The remainder of the schedule will be determined based on previous tournament results.
* The Owls, who have won 12 of their last 14 games, are coming off a split of a doubleheader against Liberty Wednesday at Bailey Park. Kennesaw State won the opener, 8-0, in six innings before falling 7-1 in the nightcap.    

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

Friday, March 23
10 a.m.	Kennesaw State vs. Niagara	Live Stats
12:15 p.m.	Kennesaw State vs. Marist	Live Stats
Saturday, March 24
12:15 p.m.	Kennesaw State at North Carolina State	Live Stats	ESPN3
TBD	Kennesaw State vs. TBD
Sunday, March 25
TBD	Kennesaw State vs. TBD

 
SCOUTING NIAGARA
Niagara enters the weekend 5-13 and has lost its last four games, falling to South Dakota State, Penn and Western Michigan at the Under Armour Showcase that concluded March 8 in Clearwater, Fla. The Purple Eagles are batting .241 as a team and are led by sophomore Rachel Funk, who is batting .343. Niagara has recorded a 5.37 ERA in the circle and is paced by freshman Karsen Cotton, who has a 2-4 record and 2.92 ERA.

SERIES VERSUS NIAGARA
Kennesaw State and Niagara have met one previous time and the Owls recorded a 12-1 victory in 2011.
 
SCOUTING MARIST
Marist is currently 8-15 on the season and has lost its last five games. The Red Foxes went winless at the Reveille Classic in College Station, Texas, falling twice to UConn and Texas A&M, and suffering a 2-1 setback to Michigan State. Maris is batting .252 as a team and has three players batting .300 or better. Sophomore outfielder Ali Milam leads the club with a .403 average, three home runs and 17 RBIs. Junior Megan Beiermeister leads the Red Foxes pitching staff with a 4-3 record and 1.76 ERA.
 
SERIES VERSUS MARIST
Friday's game will mark the first meeting between Kennesaw State and Marist.
 
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA STATE
The Wolpack are 15-11 and coming off a series loss to ACC rival Georgia Tech last weekend. North Carolina State is batting .270 as a team, and has four players batting .300 or better. Freshman infielder Chandler Garner leads the club with a .317 average, five home runs and 19 RBIs. The Wolfpack have posted a 3.91 ERA and are led by Devin Wallace, who has a 9-5 record and 2.40 ERA in 19 games.
 
SERIES VERSUS NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Kennesaw State and North Carolina State will meet for the second time. The Owls defeated the Wolfpack, 4-3, in 2008.
 
KENNESAW STATE SWEEPS ASUN WEEKLY HONORS
Freshman Patricia Awald was named ASUN Conference Player of the Week, while sophomore Alley Cutting was tabbed Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced on Monday. Awald was honored for the first team, while Cutting received her third career weekly accolade.
 
Alley Cutting
Cutting had a strong week in the circle, making four appearances, including three starts, and posting a 3-0 record, 0.33 ERA, three complete games and one save while helping the Owls to a 5-1 record, including a series win over defending ASUN Conference champion USC Upstate. She logged 21 innings, scattered 17 hits, one earned run, walked just one and struck out 20. The Grand Island, N.Y. native set the tempo during the Owls' ASUN Conference opener at USC Upstate as she held the Spartans to seven hits and one run while striking out four. She concluded the weekend with a three-inning relief appearance on Sunday and held the hosts to three hits while striking out five to earn a save, and secure the series victory.
 
Patricia Awald
Awald continued her impressive rookie campaign while playing an instrumental role in helping the Owls to a 5-1 record. The KSU first baseman batted .500 (7-for-14) with seven runs scored, three RBIs, a double and home run. She posted a .786 slugging percentage and .611 on-base percentage. Awald also hit safely in all seven games and scored at least one run in five contests, while producing three multiple-hit games and a multiple-RBI game. The Marietta native went 3-for-6 with two runs scored, a home run and RBI during a three-game series at USC Upstate. She also walked three times during the series and reached base in six of nine plate appearances.
 
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
* The Owls are batting .290 as a team, averaging 4.86 runs a game and are third in the ASUN Conference in hitting. KSU ranks first in the ASUN in doubles (43) and home runs (20), second in slugging percentage (.445) and total bases (323), tied for second in runs scored (136), RBIs (122), third in on-base percentage (.358), and tied for third in triples (5).
* Freshman Patricia Awald leads KSU with a .461 average, 25 runs scored, six home runs, 23 RBIs, .750 slugging percentage and .506 on-base percentage. She ranks among the ASUN Conference leaders in eight offensive categories.
* Awald is first in the ASUN in slugging percentage, second in home runs, third in on-base percentage, batting average, runs scored, and fourth in RBIs. She has reached base in 19 of her last 21 games.
* Sophomore Olivia Tamewitz ranks second on the club with a .389 average and 19 runs scored, while topping the Owls in hits (37), doubles (7) and stolen bases (13). She is among the ASUN leaders in average (No. 5), runs scored (T6), hits (3), doubles (T4), total bases (T6) and stolen bases (7).
* Tamewitz leads the Owls with 10 multiple-hit games.
 
IN THE CIRCLE
* The Owls have a 2.22 team ERA, are yielding a .232 opponents' batting average and have 17 complete games.
* Sophomore Alley Cutting has a 6-5 record and team-best 1.43 ERA while making a team-high 14 appearances, including 10 starts. She also has seven complete games and two saves. Cutting has struck out 60 batters in 68 2/3 innings while allowing 11 earned runs.
  * Over her last eight appearances, Cutting has posted a 5-1 record, 0.74 ERA, four complete games and two saves. In 37 2/3 innings, she has allowed four earned runs, walked three and struck out 39, while limiting opposing batters to a .195 average.
* Senior Abigail Green is 6-4 with a 3.30 ERA in 11 appearances. She has made nine starts and posted five complete games. Green, who has a pair of 10 strikeout performances, has struck out a team-high 59 in 53 innings.
* Over her last five appearances, Green has registered a 4-1 record, 1.81 ERA and two complete games. In 27 innings of work, she has allowed seven earned runs and struck out 30.
 
ASUN PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Following 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 this weekend's trip to North Carolina, the Owls conclude a stretch of six straight road contests when it travels to Athens to take on nationally-ranked Georgia on Wednesday (March 28). First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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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