NCAA Tallahassee Regional
No. 3 Seed Kennesaw State (39-15) vs. No. 2 Auburn (40-15)
Dates: May 18-20 | Time: Friday; 12 p.m.
Location: Tallahassee, Fla. (JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex)
Live Stats | Watch ESPN | KSU Game Notes | Auburn Notes

GAMEDAY STORYLINES
• ASUN Conference regular season and tournament champion Kennesaw State (39-15) will make history this week when it travels to Florida for the Tallahassee Regional. The appearance will mark the Owls' first in the NCAA Division I Softball Championship since they moved to Division I in 2006.
• KSU earned the No. 3 seed in the four-team regional and will open against No. 2 seed Auburn (40-15) Friday at 12 p.m. The double-elimination tournament runs through Sunday and will be played at JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex.  The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Cara Capuano and Cheri Kempf describing the action.
• Host Florida State (47-10), the regional's top seed and No. 6 national seed, will take on Jacksonville State (33-23) in Friday's second game scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
• Kennesaw State earned an NCAA regional berth after posting victories over Jacksonville (8-3), Florida Gulf Coast (4-2) and defending champion USC Upstate (8-4) in the ASUN Conference Championship last weekend in DeLand, Fla.
• KSU and Auburn will meet for the second time this season. The Owls traveled to Alabama on April 4 and fell to the No. 11-ranked Tigers, 2-1. Friday's game will mark the third all-time meeting between the two programs, with Auburn holding 2-0 series lead.
• Auburn is one of two SEC teams the Owls have played this season. KSU traveled to Athens, Ga. on March 28 and fell 4-1 at No. 6 Georgia. Kennesaw State has four wins in 20 previous games against SEC teams dating back to 2007.
• The 39 wins by the Owls represent the third-most since moving to the Division I level in 2006, and their .731 winning percentage is the highest in Division I program history.
• Kennesaw State enters the Tallahassee Regional with a program-best No. 34 national RPI ranking.
• KSU won all six of its ASUN Conference regular-season series for the first time and recorded three-game sweeps over North Florida and Stetson and captured both meetings versus Lipscomb.
• The Owls have won 17 out of their last 20 games, 19 of 23 and have gone 33-7 since March 4.
• Kennesaw State ranks in the Top 50 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (No. 13), earned-run average (No. 27), winning percentage (No. 26), doubles-per-game (No. 32), slugging percentage (No. 43) and batting average (45).
• KSU is making its second straight postseason appearance after appearing in the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship a year ago and advancing to the quarterfinals.
• Head coach Pete D'Amour is in his second season leading the Kennesaw State program after spending 10 years on the coaching staff at Missouri where he helped the Tigers advance to three Women's College World Series, eight NCAA Super Regionals, and 10 NCAA regionals, while winning two. In two seasons guiding the Owls, D'Amour has posted a 79-29 (.731) record, led KSU to its first two NCAA Division I postseason appearances in 2017 and 2018, and was a unanimous pick as 2018 ASUN Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Owls to a conference title.
 
WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?
Both the Kennesaw State softball and baseball programs made their first NCAA Division I Championship appearances in a Tallahassee Regional. The baseball program, which won national championships in 1994 and 1996 at the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels, respectively, won the ASUN Conference for the first time in 2014, and went on to win the Tallahassee Regional, defeating Georgia Southern and Alabama three times to advance to the Louisville Super Regional. The softball program will be attempting to follow that pattern this weekend.
 
A LOOK AT THE TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL FIELD

AUBURN
The Tigers concluded the regular season with a 40-15 overall record and finished ninth in the SEC with an 11-12 conference mark. Auburn is batting .285 as a team and has four players batting .300 or better. Victoria Draper tops the Tigers with a .387 average, while Casey McCrackin has a team-leading eight home runs and Courtney Shea leads the club with 32 RBIs. Auburn enters the regional with a 1.32 team ERA and is led by Makayla Martin (15-6, 1.23 ERA) and Kaylee Carlson (20-6, 1.34 ERA).
 
SERIES VERSUS AUBURN
Friday's contest will mark the third meeting between Auburn and Kennesaw State, and the Tigers hold a 2-0 series advantage. The two teams played earlier this season and Auburn recorded a 2-1 victory on April 4.
 
FLORIDA STATE
The Seminoles enter postseason play as the No. 6 overall national seed after posting a 47-10 record and capturing the ACC title. Florida State is batting .295 as a team and has three players batting .300 or better. ACC Player of the Year Jessie Warren leads the Seminoles with a .393 average, 16 home runs and 55 RBIs. FSU has recorded a 1.46 team ERA and is paced by ACC Pitcher of the Year Kylee Hanson, who has recorded a 25-4 record, 1.06 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 171 innings.
 
SERIES VERSUS FLORIDA STATE
Kennesaw State and Florida State have never met in softball.
 
JACKSONVILLE STATE
The Gamecocks are 33-23 and enter the Tallahassee Regional as Ohio Valley Conference champions. Jacksonville State is batting .275 as a team and has two players batting .300 or better, including first-team All-OVC pick Taylor Beshears, who tops the club with a .377 average, 11 home runs and 42 RBIs. In the circle, the Gamecocks have recorded a 3.12 ERA and are led by Faith Sims, who has recorded a 22-9 mark and 2.16 ERA.
 
SERIES VERSUS JACKSONVILLE STATE
Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State have met 15 previous times and the Gamecocks lead the all-time series, 9-6. The two programs last met during the 2017 season and split a doubleheader in Kennesaw.
 
KENNESAW STATE IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Owls are currently receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll (21 votes) and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll (2 votes). This season marks the first time KSU has earned votes in national polls since moving to the NCAA Division I level.
 
ASUN CONFERENCE NO. 6 IN RPI RANKINGS
The ASUN Conference has been one of the top conferences in the country during the 2018 season, ranking sixth in the most recent RPI rankings. The ASUN is ranked behind only the SEC, Pac-12, Big 12, American Athletic Conference and ACC.
 
KSU VERSUS TOP 75 RPI TEAMS
Kennesaw State, which has held a Top 50 RPI ranking for most of the season, has fared well against teams appearing in the RPI's top 75. The Owls have recorded an 11-8 mark against nine teams - No. 10 Georgia (0-1), No. 17 Auburn (0-1), No. 22 Hofstra (0-1), No. 33 FGCU (3-1), No. 36 Liberty (1-1), No. 51 Lipscomb (2-0), No. 62 Georgia State (2-0), No. 68 DePaul (0-2), No. 69 USC Upstate (3-1).
 
ASUN CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW
The Owls turned in an impressive performance during the ASUN Championship last week, defeating Jacksonville (8-3), Florida Gulf Coast (4-2) and defending conference champion USC Upstate (8-4). KSU batted .400 as team during the three games as seven of the nine batters in KSU's starting lineup hit .300 or better. Freshman Patricia Awald led Kennesaw State with a .556 average (5-for-9), while Solorzano (6-for-12) and Olivia Tamewitz (5-for-10) hit .500. Sophomore Alley Cutting earned the win in all three games, working 14 2/3 innings and striking out nine. The highlight in the tournament came in game two when junior Maddie Roth hit a dramatic three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally the Owls to a come-from-behind victory after trailing 2-1 enter the seventh. Roth was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Cutting, Kira Czyrklis and Alexa Solorzano were selected to the all-tournament team.

RECORD EIGHT INDIVIDUALS EARN ASUN CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
Kennesaw State reaped the rewards of a regular-season title as it had eight individuals earn a total of 11 honors following Tuesday's release of the ASUN All-Conference awards. Sophomore Alley Cutting, freshman first baseman Patricia Awald and head coach Pete D'Amour highlighted the list of honorees, earning Pitcher of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively. Awald and D'Amour were unanimous selections. Cutting, who was a unanimous pick, earned first-team all-conference accolades along with Awald and junior outfielder Kira Czyrklis. Senior pitcher Abigail Green, junior utility player Maddie Roth and sophomore outfielder Olivia Tamewitz were voted to the second team. Awald and catcher Alexa Solorzano were unanimous picks to the all-freshman team.
 
AWALD TOP 25 FINALIST FOR NFCA NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
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.
 
2018 KENNESAW STATE 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)
 
NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 Finalist
Patricia Awald
 
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
* The Owls lead the ASUN Conference with a .296 average and top the league in slugging percentage (.460), on-base percentage (.368), runs scored (262), hits (417), RBIs (235), doubles (78), home runs (45) and total bases (648).
* Freshman Patricia Awald leads the Owls with a .389 average and tops the club with 40 runs scored, 14 home runs, 41 RBIs, .750 slugging percentage and .494 on-base percentage. She leads the ASUN in on-base percentage, is tied for the league lead in slugging percentage (.750) and runs scored, and is second in batting average, RBIs and home runs. Awald is tied for ninth in the country among freshmen in home runs and eighth in slugging percentage.
* Junior Maddie Roth leads the Owls with 13 doubles, is second on the team with a .379 average and tied for the team lead with eight home runs. She ranks among the ASUN's top 10 in batting average (4th), slugging percentage (3rd), on-base percentage (6th), hits (7th), RBIs (4th), doubles (T4th) and home runs (T4th).
* Sophomore Olivia Tamewitz (.354), junior Kira Czyrklis (.331),  freshman Alexa Solorzano (.321) and senior Noelle Winkles (.301) join Roth and Awald as Owls, who are batting .300 or better. Tamewitz ranks eighth in batting in the ASUN.
 
IN THE CIRCLE
* The Owls have a 2.07 team ERA, are yielding a .224 opponents' batting average and have 33 complete games. The staff's 355 strikeouts lead the ASUN.
* Sophomore Alley Cutting has a 17-8 record and team-best 1.71 ERA while making a team-high 32 appearances, including 23 starts. She also has 15 complete games and three saves. Cutting has struck out 155 batters in 164 innings while allowing 40 earned runs. She ranks third in the ASUN in wins, fifth in ERA and tied for second in strikeouts.
* Senior Abigail Green is 15-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 25 appearances. She has made 20 starts and posted 13 complete games. Green, who has struck out 10 or more batters in a game five times, has fanned a career and team-high 155 in 122 1/3 innings. She is tied for second in the ASUN in strikeouts and tied for sixth in wins.
* Green has established single-season career highs for wins (15), games started (20), complete games (13), shutouts (5) and innings pitched (122.1). 
 
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.

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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