Kennesaw State (31-14) at Georgia State (23-19)
Date: April 18 | Times: 6 p.m.
Location: Atlanta, Ga. (Robert E. Heck Softball Complex)
Live Stats | LIsten 
 
LEADING OFF
* The Kennesaw State softball team (31-14) closes out its regular-season non-conference schedule this week when it travels to Atlanta to visit Georgia State (23-19) on Wednesday beginning at 6 p.m.
* The Owls are coming off a series win at Florida Gulf Coast that improved their ASUN Conference record to 10-2 and clinched a conference tournament berth.

THIS WEEKEND'S SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 18
6 p.m.	Kennesaw State at Georgia State
Saturday, April 21
1 p.m. & 3 p.m.	Kennesaw State vs. Lipscomb
Sunday, April 22
1 p.m.	Kennesaw State vs. Lipscomb

SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE
The Panthers are currently 23-19 on the season and have won three in a row following a sweep at Appalachian State over the weekend. Georgia State is batting .279 as a team and has three players batting .300 or better. Senior catcher Ivie Drake is the Panthers' top hitter, batting .408 and leads the team with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs. Georgia State has posted a 4.15 team ERA and is led by senior Kinsley Jennings, who has posted a 10-8 record and 4.17 ERA.

SERIES VERSUS GEORGIA STATE
Kennesaw State and Georgia State have met 38 previous times and the Owls lead the all-time series, 20-18. The two programs met earlier this season in Kennesaw and the Owls posted an 8-0 victory. KSU has won four of the last five meetings dating back to last season. The Owls and Panthers faced each other twice in the inaugural 2017 National Invitational Softball Championship, and KSU won both contests, defeating Georgia State, 5-3 and 3-2, to capture the Region 5 title.
 
KENNESAW STATE SWEEPS ASUN WEEKLY HONORS
For the second time this season, and following a series win over Florida Gulf Coast, Kennesaw State softball team swept the weekly conference awards, the league announced on Monday (April 16). Junior Kira Czyrklis was named Player of the Week, while sophomore Alley Cutting was tabbed Pitcher of the Week. Czyrklis was honored for the second time, while Cutting received her fourth career weekly accolade, and second this season.
 
Alley Cutting
Cutting was impressive in two outings against Florida Gulf Coast as she helped the Owls clinch an ASUN Conference Championship Tournament berth. The KSU right-hander posted a 2-0 record and 0.00 ERA in two outings. In 13 innings of work, Cutting scattered nine hits and struck out 15 while not walking a batter. She began the weekend by pitching six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10. Cutting followed that effort with a complete-game, seven-inning performance on Sunday. She allowed six hits and struck out five. In eight appearances, including six starts, Cutting has posted a 5-0 record and 0.48 ERA in ASUN Conference play. She has struck out 52 batters in 43 1/3 innings.

Kira Czyrklis
Czyrklis had a big week while helping the Owls to a 3-1 record. The KSU right fielder batted .467 (7-for-15) with four runs scored, a triple, two home runs and seven RBIs, while producing a 1.000 slugging percentage and .467 on-base percentage. She had three multiple-hit games, two multiple-RBI contests and scored two runs in a game twice. The Simi Valley, Calif. native opened the week with two hits, including a game-winning triple in the bottom of the 10th inning that gave the Owls a 1-0 victory over Georgia Tech. She followed that effort with a 5-for-10 (.500) showing, four runs scored, two home runs and six RBIs while helping KSU to a series win over Florida Gulf Coast. Czyrklis capped the weekend with a 2-for-4 performance that included two runs scored and four RBIs. Her three-run fourth-inning home run gave KSU a 3-0 lead.


2018 HONORS
ASUN Player of the Week
Noelle Winkles (March 12)
Patricia Awald (March 19)
Kira Czyrklis (April 2)
Kira Czyrklis (April 16)

ASUN Pitcher of the Week
Alley Cutting (March 19)
Alley Cutting (April 16)

IN THE BATTER'S BOX
* The Owls lead the ASUN Conference with a .294 average, and top the league in batting average, slugging percentage (.454), runs scored (222), hits (342), doubles (67), home runs (34) and total bases (529).
* Junior Maddie Roth leads the Owls with a .398 average and 12 doubles and is tied for second with six home runs. She ranks third in the ASUN Conference in average and slugging percentage (.653), tied for third in doubles, and fifth in hits (47) and on-base percentage (.454).
* Freshman Patricia Awald is second on the team with a .370 average and tops the club with 37 runs scored, 11 home runs, 36 RBIs and .731 slugging percentage. She leads the ASUN in runs scored and is second in slugging percentage and home runs, and fourth in on-base percentage (.454). Awald is eighth in the country among freshmen in home runs.
* Junior Kira Czyrklis (.352), sophomore Olivia Tamewitz (.349) and senior Noelle Winkles (.306) join Roth and Awald as Owls, who are batting .300 or better.  Czyrklis and Tamewitz, rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in batting in the ASUN.

IN THE CIRCLE
* The Owls have a 1.94 team ERA, are yielding a .219 opponents' batting average and have 29 complete games. The staff's 306 strikeouts lead the ASUN.
* Sophomore Alley Cutting has an 11-7 record and team-best 1.53 ERA while making a team-high 25 appearances, including 19 starts. She also has 13 complete games and three saves. Cutting has struck out 128 batters in 128 1/3 innings while allowing 28 earned runs. She ranks second in the ASUN in ERA and is third in strikeouts.
* Senior Abigail Green is 14-5 with a 2.13 ERA in 20 appearances. She has made 17 starts and posted 12 complete games. Green, who has struck out 10 or more batters in a game five times, has fanned a team and career-high 136 in 105 1/3 innings. Her strikeout and win totals rank second in the ASUN Conference.
* The KSU right-hander has established single-season career highs for wins (14), games started (17), complete games (12), shutouts (5) and innings pitched (105.1).  

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 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 at Georgia State, the Owls return to Bailey Park to host Lipscomb in the final home series of the season. The two teams open play with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 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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