NCAA TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL
KENNESAW STATE (25-24, 10-5) vs. FLORIDA STATE (39-10-1, 21-5-1) 
Date:  May 21, 2021
Time: Friday: 4:30 p.m. EST
Location: JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex | Tallahassee, Fla.
Live Stats | ESPN3
Tournament Bracket | KSU Notes 
 
LEADING OFF
» KSU will be making its second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history Friday. The Owls' first appearance was also in the Tallahassee regional in 2018, when they earned an automatic berth into the tournament after claiming the 2018 ASUN Conference Championship.
» The Owls earned the No. 4 seed in the Tallahassee Regional and will face No. 1 seed Florida State Friday at JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
» KSU faced seven Power Five schools this year including Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Tennessee and Auburn.
» The Owls upset the Yellow Jackets, Tigers and Knights earlier this season.
» KSU enters regional play with a 56 RPI and the No. 29 strength of schedule according to D1Softball.
» The Owls have faced 10 of the 63 teams in the NCAA Tournament and posted a 9-11 record against the field.
 
SERIES VERSUS
» Kennesaw State faced each of the teams in the Tallahassee Regional earlier this season.
» Friday's game against the Seminoles marks the third meeting between the two programs with FSU winning the previous two meetings.
» The Knights lead the all-time series, 2-1, while the Tigers lead, 5-2.
» KSU and UCF met in early March. The Owls fell twice to the Knights before securing an 8-1 victory over UCF on Sunday (Mar. 7) to eliminate a three-game series sweep.
» The Owls, Seminoles and Tigers met earlier this season at the War Eagle Battle tournament in Alabama.
» The Owls split with the Tigers, defeating Auburn 2-0 on Saturday (Mar. 20) before falling 4-3 on the following Sunday.
» KSU's first appearance in the NCAA tournament was in 2018 when it earned an automatic berth into to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Tallahassee Regional after winning the 2018 ASUN Conference Championship.
» The Owls fell to the Tigers, 5-2, in the opening game of the 2018 Tallahassee Regional.
» KSU looked to continue its NCAA tournament run but ultimately fell to Jacksonville State, 5-3, in 10 innings.
 
HOMER HAPPY
» The Owls have 40 home runs this season through 51 games.
» Eight different student-athletes have combined to record all 40 home runs.
» KSU has hit at least one home run in each of its last seven games.
» Taylor Cates leads the team with 15 of KSU's 40 total home runs. She ranks second in the league for total home runs. Cates recorded her first career grand slam against FGCU in the semifinals of the 2021 ASUN Conference Championship. The junior was named to the ASUN All-Tournament team following her efforts in the ASUN Tournament.
» Brea Dickey and Lexi Solorzano are tied for fifth in the league with eight home runs each.
» Junior Katie Greep recorded her second home run of the season against No. 25 Liberty during game one against the Flames in the ASUN Semifinals.
 
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
» Dickey has led the Owls offensively all season long. She holds a .366 batting average and a .615 slugging percentage.
» She was named to the ASUN All-Tournament team for her efforts in the ASUN Tournament.
» Solorzano follows close behind Dickey with a .338 batting average and a .566 slugging percentage. The senior has recorded 10 multi-hit games this season.
» Solorzano is currently on a four-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in six straight games.
» Christen Florence, Brea Dickey and Lexi Solorzano have each recorded double digit multi-hit games this year.
» The Owls have recorded 80 hits over their last 10 games.
» Cheyanne Sales, Faith Alexander, Dickey and Cates have each recorded a game with four RBIs.
 
IN THE CIRCLE
» Sophomore Melanie Bennett is the Owls' ace tossing 186.2 innings logging a 19-11 record, with 20 complete games, six shutouts, three saves and 160 strikeouts.
» Bennett has pitched against 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament.
» The Kennesaw, Ga., native is ranked 36th nationally with 19 victories and 40th with three saves.
» Bennett has recorded five games this year with at least eight strikeouts, logging a career-high 14 against ASUN foe Bellarmine.
» Bennett recorded a 3-1 record at the 2021 ASUN Softball Tournament. She tossed three complete games, going 25 innings while giving up eight runs on 22 hits and striking out 19.
» Lindsey Kyte recorded a 1-1 recording in the conference tournament. The sophomore finished with a 1.62 ERA after 8.2 innings of work giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out seven.
» Kyte tossed a season-high six strikeouts against Liberty (May 2).
 
LOOKING AHEAD
» If KSU defeats FSU on Friday, it will go on to face the winner of UCF and Auburn on Saturday, May 22 at 12 p.m.
» If the Owls lose to Seminoles, they will head to the loser's bracket to take on the loser of the Knights and Tigers on Saturday at 3:30 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 Owls on Facebook.
 

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