Kennesaw State (34-14, 12-2) at Jacksonville (23-24, 4-7)
Dates: April 28-29 | Times: Saturday: 6 p.m. | Sunday: 1 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.
Location: Jacksonville, Fla. (The Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex)
Game 1: Live Stats | Game 2: Live Stats | Game 3: Live Stats

LEADING OFF
* The Kennesaw State softball team (34-14, 12-2) closes out its regular-season schedule this weekend when it travels to Florida to open a three-game series at Jacksonville (23-24, 4-7). The two teams open play with a 6 p.m. contest on Saturday before concluding the weekend with a Sunday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
* The Owls enter the weekend in search of the ASUN Conference regular-season title and can accomplish that feat with one win or a Florida Gulf Coast loss. KSU last won a regular season championship in 2012 when it was co-champions with Florida Gulf Coast. The Owls won the outright title in 2007.
* Kennesaw State is in the midst of a five-game winning streak and has won nine out of its last 10 games. A series win over Jacksonville will mark the first time in program history that the Owls have captured every conference series since joining the ASUN Conference in 2006.  

THIS WEEKEND'S SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 28
6 p.m.	Kennesaw State at Jacksonville
Sunday, April 29
1 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.	Kennesaw State at Jacksonville

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE
The Dolphins are currently 23-24 overall and 4-7 in ASUN Conference play after being swept by Florida Gulf Coast over the weekend. Jacksonville is sixth in the conference in batting (.249) and pitching (2.71). The Dolphins have two players batting .300 or better and are led by Madison Ragan, who is batting .344 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. Heather Roberts is second on the club with a .320 average and has a team-leading six home runs and 25 RBIs. Alyssa Bilodeau leads Jacksonville in the circle, posting a 14-10 record and 2.19 ERA in 32 appearances.

SERIES VERSUS JACKSONVILLE
Kennesaw State leads the all-time series, 20-12, and captured two of three meetings a year ago in Kennesaw. The Owls won three of four contests during the 2016 season, including two of three in Jacksonville.
 
PATRICIA AWALD HONORED
Patricia Awald was named one of 25 finalists for the Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Award, it was announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) on April 19. The group includes eight infielders, including four first basemen, four outfielders, seven pitchers, four utility players and two catchers. The list will be paired from 25 to 10 on May 10, to three on May 23, and the National Freshman of the Year announcement is May 29.

Awald, a resident of Marietta, Ga., has played an integral role in helping Kennesaw State to a 32-14 record and a first-place standing in the ASUN Conference. As the Owls' first baseman, has started 44 games and is batting .369 with 38 runs scored, 45 hits (10 doubles and 12 home runs) and 38 RBIs, while recording a .746 slugging percentage and .473 on-base percentage.

JESSIE MULLEN NAMED ASUN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Jessie Mullen earned ASUN Conference Softball Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday (April 23). It marked her first career player of the week honor. Mullen came up big in helping the Owls to a 3-0 week that included a two-game ASUN Conference series sweep over Lipscomb that moved KSU within a win of clinching the regular-season conference title and No. 1 seed in the postseason tournament. The Owls' shortstop batted .714 (5-for-7) with a run scored, double, home run, three RBIs, 1.286 slugging percentage and .750 on-base percentage. Mullen went 3-for-4 (.800) with an RBI in two games versus Lipscomb. She opened the week with a 2-for-3 performance that included a run scored, double, home run and two RBIs in a 6-3 win at Georgia State.

2018 HONORS
ASUN Player of the Week
Noelle Winkles (March 12)
Patricia Awald (March 19)
Kira Czyrklis (April 2)
Kira Czyrklis (April 16)
Jessie Mullen (April 23)

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 .296 average, and top the league in slugging percentage (.454), runs scored (233), hits (362), RBIs (210), doubles (69), home runs (38) and total bases (563).
* KSU's 38 home runs rank eighth on the program's all-time single-season list.
* Junior Maddie Roth leads the Owls with a .389 average and 12 doubles and is second with seven home runs. She ranks fourth in the ASUN Conference in average, slugging percentage (.651), and fifth in total bases (82). She also is among the top 10 in on-base percentage (6th), hits (7th), RBIs (T5th) and home runs (T3rd).
* Roth leads the Owls with 18 multiple-hit games and is third with eight multiple-RBI games, She is batting .438 with three home runs and 10 RBIs over her last 10 games.
* Freshman Patricia Awald is second on the team with a .373 average and tops the club with 39 runs scored, 13 home runs, 40 RBIs and .762 slugging percentage. She leads the ASUN in runs scored and RBIs, is second in slugging percentage and home runs, and fourth in on-base percentage (.473). Awald is seventh in the country among freshmen in home runs and 10th in slugging percentage.
* Awald's 13 home runs tie for 10th on Kennesaw State's single-season list, while her .762 slugging percentage ranks fourth on KSU's single-season chart. 
* Sophomore Olivia Tamewitz (.350), junior Kira Czyrklis (.333) and senior Noelle Winkles(.303) join Roth and Awald as Owls, who are batting .300 or better.  Tamewitz ranks eighth in the ASUN in batting and stolen bases (17).

IN THE CIRCLE
* The Owls have a 1.92 team ERA, are yielding a .219 opponents' batting average and have 31 complete games. The staff's 328 strikeouts lead the ASUN.
* Sophomore Alley Cutting has a 13-7 record and team-best 1.51 ERA while making a team-high 27 appearances, including 20 starts. She also has 14 complete games and three saves. Cutting has struck out 137 batters in 139 1/3 innings while allowing 30 earned runs. She ranks second in the ASUN in ERA and is third in strikeouts.
* With 323 strikeouts, Cutting ranks ninth on Kennesaw State's all-time career strikeout list.
* Senior Abigail Green is 15-5 with a 2.12 ERA in 22 appearances. She has made 19 starts and posted 13 complete games. Green, who has struck out 10 or more batters in a game six times, has fanned a team and career-high 149 in 115 1/3 innings. She is second in the ASUN in strikeouts and tied for first in wins.
* The KSU right-hander has established single-season career highs for wins (15), games started (19), complete games (13), shutouts (5) and innings pitched (115.1).  

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 Sunday's series finale, the Owls will have nearly two weeks off before opening play in the ASUN Conference Championship Tournament that is scheduled for May 9-12 in DeLand, Fla.

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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