KENNESAW STATE (26-24, 10-8) at LIPSCOMB (32-13-1, 10-4)
Date: Saturday and Sunday,
April 27-28
Time: Saturday: 5 p.m. & 7 p.m.; Sunday: 2 p.m.
Location: Draper Diamond
Game 1: Live Stats |
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Game 2: Live Stats |
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Game 3:
Live Stats |
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KSU Notes
LEADING OFF
» The Kennesaw State softball team closes out the 2019 regular season in Music City, taking on Lipscomb Saturday and Sunday. The Bisons and Owls are currently ranked third and fourth in the ASUN standings with 10 conference wins each.
» With a spot in the ASUN Tournament all but locked up for the Owls, this weekend's series will be crucial in determining KSU's seeding. The Owls end their season one week before the rest of the conference, having already played one more series than everyone else. Liberty currently ranks first and is nearly unsurpassable with a 15-3 conference record while FGCU is second with an 11-3 mark followed by Lipscomb just ahead of the Owls at 10-4.
GAME DAY STORYLINES
» The Owls have had the better of the Bisons, winning the last seven meetings for a 19-15 overall series record.
» KSU is coming off a win at Georgia Southern Wednesday evening, edging the Owls 5-4 thanks to three home runs and an RBI double in the top of the seventh inning.
» Despite only pitching 1.1 innings, senior right-hander
Hailey Andrews recorded the win Wednesday striking out all four batters she faced. Andrews currently leads the league in wins (18), innings pitched (194.0), complete games (24) and total strikeouts (211). She has logged five or more strikeouts in five straight appearances, not counting her appearance at GSU having only faced four batters, becoming just the fifth Owl in KSU history to toss over 200 strikeouts in a single-season. With 24 complete games on the year, Andrews has set the KSU Division I single-season record.
»
Kira Czyrklis has hounded pitchers as of late, going 5-of-9 at the plate over the past three games with three RBIs, two doubles and a triple. Czyrklis has reached base in 14 of the last 15 games for a team-high .450 on-base percentage which ranks third in the ASUN. She has recorded 11 multi-hit games on the year for a .352 batting average to rank eighth in the conference. Czyrklis is one of six players in the ASUN to hit multiple doubles, triples and home runs this year, ranked fourth for doubles and third for triples.
» As a team, the Owls rank second in the league with 362 hits on the year, one of three teams in the conference with over 300 total hits. KSU leads the league with 31 home runs while ranked second for doubles (67), triples (9) and slugging percentage (.411) and third for RBIs (186) and on-base percentage (.360).
» After knocking two home runs at Georgia Southern,
Maddie Roth moved into a tie for fifth in the league with six dingers on the year. Roth currently ranks among the ASUN's top-10 for doubles (2nd), hits (T-3rd), RBIs (T-4th) and runs scored (T-6th).
»
Brea Dickey logged her fifth stolen base in the last six games at Georgia Southern. Dickey is 21-for-23 on stolen base attempts this year to rank third in the league, just ahead of
Hannah Thomason in fourth with 19 stolen bases. Thomason became the KSU career leader for stolen bases this past weekend, going a perfect 2-for-2 in swiped bags to give her 81 stolen bases in her career.
LIPSCOMB SCOUTING REPORT
» The Bisons are riding high heading into the weekend series, winning 11 of their last 12 games for a 32-13-1 overall record and a 10-4 conference record.
» Closing out the regular season against FGCU, Lipscomb is looking to secure a top-two seed and a first-round bye in the ASUN Tournament.
» The Bisons lead the league with a .380 on-base percentage while ranked second with a .280 batting average.
» Hannah Devault leads the conference with 46 RBIs and a .672 slugging percentage. She has a league-best 19 doubles to go along with nine home runs on the year.
» On the mound, senior Mandy Jordan and freshman Katie Turner share the load with 13 and 10 wins, respectively. Both have a sub-3.00 ERA with Jordan logging 128 strikeouts.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
» The Owls remain one of the top hitting teams in the ASUN, leading the league in home runs while ranked second for total hits, doubles and slugging percentage. KSU is also ranked third for runs scored, RBIs and on-base percentage.
» Senior
Maddie Roth is a major factor in KSU's production, ranked tied for third in the conference with 52 total hits. Roth is also second in the league with 14 doubles while ranked fourth for RBIs (32), sixth for runs scored (33), 12th for on-base percentage (.413) and 14th for batting average (.325). After hitting two home runs in KSU's last outing, Roth moved into a tie for fifth in the league with six on the year.
» Roth went 2-for-4 with three RBIs against the Eagles to mark her 14th multi-hit and 10th multi-RBI game of the year.
» Roth joins
Jessie Mullen in fifth place with six home runs each while
Lexi Solorzano ranks fourth in the league with eight.
» Roth, Solorzano and
Jade Lee all rank among the league's top-15 for RBIs, three of the 16 players in the conference to register over 20 RBIs so far this year.
»
Kira Czyrklis has registered a hit or a walk in all but eight games this year with her .450 on-base percentage currently ranked third in the league while her .352 batting average ranks eighth.
» Redshirt freshman
Christen Florence got back on the plus side after snapping her 11-game hitting streak at North Florida. Since then, she has recorded at least one hit in six of the last seven games, including her first career triple at Georgia Southern. After hitting only .182 through her first 11 appearances, she has since raised her season batting average to .360.
»
Brea Dickey and
Hannah Thomason have been the bane of opposing catchers, leading the Owls with 21 and 19 stolen bases, respectively. Dickey has recorded a stolen base in five of the last six games to rank third in the ASUN. KSU's new career record holder for swiped bags, Thomason currently stands at fourth in the league. Combined, the two have only been caught stealing five times out of a total 45 attempts.
IN THE CIRCLE
» Senior
Hailey Andrews leads the ASUN with 18 wins on the year. She also leads the league in complete games with 24, six more than the next closest player. That mark is the current DI single-season record while tied for eighth on the all-time KSU single-season record list.
» After striking out all four batters she faced at Georgia Southern, Andrews leads the conference and ranks 12th in the NCAA with 211 strikeouts. She has logged double-digit Ks in five games this year, including a career-high 15 in the series-opener against Jacksonville.
» The Bridgeville, Del., native currently ranks fourth on the KSU single-season record list. She is just the fifth Owl in program history to log over 200 strikeouts in a single-season.
» Andrews has not allowed more than one earned run in 13 straight appearances. After entering March with a 3.73 ERA, she has since worked that mark down to 1.88, good enough for sixth in the ASUN.
CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS
» After going 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts against UNA, redshirt junior
Hannah Thomason is now the KSU record holder for career stolen bases. She has 19 stolen bases this year to give her 81 career swiped bags.
Taylor Denton (2014-17) is the only other Owl in program history to record over 80 stolen bases in a single-season.
» Junior
Olivia Gocke is also making a run up the career stolen base list. She is 9-for-11 this season and ranks sixth all-time with 47 career thefts.
»
Jessie Mullen set the single-season record for sacrifice hits in KSU's last outing at Stetson, laying down her 11th sac bunt of the year. With 14 sacrifices in her career, she needs just five more to tie the KSU DI career record.
PLAYING THE FIELD
»
Hailey Andrews,
Kira Czyrklis and
Olivia Gocke all have a perfect fielding percentage on the year, with Czyrklis being one of two players in the ASUN to log over 100 putouts and maintain a perfect fielding percentage.
» The Owls have turned 15 double plays on the year, placing them in third in the conference.
» Shortstop
Jessie Mullen is tied for fourth in the league with 84 total assists while ranked sixth with 11 double plays turned this year.
Maddie Roth is tied for third, helping complete 13 of KSU's 15 double plays.
POSTSEASON PLAY
» With one conference series left to play this year, the defending ASUN Tournament Champions look to lock up their spot in the postseason tournament for the 10th straight season.
» Last year's ASUN Tournament Championship marked the first in program history for the Owls, defeating USC Upstate 8-4 in the final. KSU earned its first ever NCAA postseason bid, falling to Auburn and Jacksonville State in the Tallahassee Regional.
» KSU has reached the ASUN Tournament every year since becoming postseason eligible in 2010.
» The Owls are 12-16 overall in the ASUN Tournament, earning a top-two seed and a first-round bye the last two seasons.
LOOKING AHEAD
» Following this weekend's series, the Owls will wait a week to find out where they will fall in the conference standings with the ASUN Tournament set to begin Wednesday (May 8).
