UAB (7-15) vs. Kennesaw State (7-8)
Date: March 7
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Bailey Park
Game 1: Live Stats | Watch
Game 2: Live Stats | Watch

LEADING OFF
* The Kennesaw State softball team (7-8) returns to Bailey Park on Wednesday to host UAB (7-15) in a doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m. The games will be streamed live at www.facebook.com/KennesawStateOwls.
* Wednesday's contests mark the beginning of a busy week as the Owls are scheduled to play seven games in five days. KSU will host the five-team Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament beginning Friday.
* Kennesaw State is coming off a big, 2-1, come-from-behind victory over UConn on Sunday.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

Wednesday, March 7
4:30 p.m.	Kennesaw State vs. UAB (DH)
Friday, March 9
5 p.m.	Kennesaw State vs. Belmont
7:30 p.m.	Kennesaw State vs. IPFW
Saturday, March 10
5:30 p.m.	Kennesaw State vs. Bucknell (DH)
Sunday, March 11
3 p.m.	Kennesaw State vs. Mercer (ESPN3)

 
SCOUTING UAB
The Blazers begin the week 7-15 and are coming off a 1-4 weekend at the Red and Black Classic hosted by Louisville. UAB defeated Eastern Illinois, 6-3, for its lone victory during the tournament. The Blazers lost twice to Louisville and also fell to IUPUI and Miami (OH). UAB is batting .252 as a team and has three players batting .300 or better. Senior outfielder Madison Millsaps tops the team with a .392 average and 11 RBIs. Freshman Emily Kachel leads the Blazers in the circle, posting a 5-5 record, 2.22 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings.

SERIES VERSUS UAB
Kennesaw State and UAB have met seven previous times and the Blazers lead the all-time series, 5-2. The two programs last met a year ago and the Owls registered an 8-1 victory during the Bobbie Bailey Memorial Tournament.
 
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
* The Owls are batting .282 as a team and averaging 4.1 runs a game. Five different players have hit home runs, including freshman Patricia Awald, junior Kira Czyrklis and senior Noelle Winkles, who have two each.
* KSU has totaled 34 extra base hits, including 23 doubles. Sophomore Olivia Tamewitz leads the club with five doubles.
* Tamewitz, who has reached base in a team-high 10 consecutive games, has hit safely in eight straight, tying Awald for the team lead. The Owls' leadoff batter also tops the club with six multiple-hit games.
* Tamewitz, who leads KSU with a .429 average, is coming off a solid week in which she batted .476 (10-for-21) with two runs scored, four doubles and three RBIs in six contests. She slugged at a .667 clip and posted a .500 on-base percentage.
* Awald, who ranks second on the team with a .421 average, leads the Owls in RBIs (12), slugging percentage (.684), on-base percentage (465) and multiple-RBI games (3).
* Awald is also coming off a solid week in which she batted .500 (8-for-16) with four runs scored, two doubles, a home run and four RBIs. She posted a .813 slugging percentage and .526 on-base percentage.  
IN THE CIRCLE
* The Owls have a 2.81 team ERA, are yielding a .254 opponents' batting average and have nine complete games.
* Sophomore Abby Deane, junior Hailey Andrews and senior Abigail Green lead the staff with two wins apiece, while Deane tops the club with a 1.83 ERA.
* Green leads the team with 29 strikeouts in 26 innings, while sophomore Alley Cutting has worked a team-high 31 innings and struck out 21.
* Green, Cutting and Deane have made a team-high six appearances.
 
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 return to Bailey Park on Friday to host the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament. KSU opens with Belmont at 5 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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