Kennesaw State (12-23, 4-5 ASUN) vs. North Alabama (21-9, 3-6 ASUN)
Location: Bailey Park – Kennesaw, Ga.
Game One: Thursday, Apr. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
Game Two: TBD
Game Three: TBD 

Leading Off
Kennesaw State softball returns home for a three-game series against the North Alabama Lions starting Thursday, Apr. 6.
 
Game one is set for 6:00 p.m. while games two and three are currently to-be-determined with incoming weather this week.
 
KSU has soared over the ASUN at home as of late, winning 12 of the last 15 conference contests inside Bailey Park.
 
The last home conference series for the Owls featured a sweep of Eastern Kentucky back in March. Infielder Taylor Cates leads the charge on a team-leading five-game hit streak.
 
The Owls seek to end a four-game losing skid entering Thursday.
 
Stay tuned in with @KSUOwlsSB on Twitter for updates regarding start times for games two and three against the Lions.
 
A Familiar Foe
Kennesaw State has dominated the series against the Lions, holding an 18-3 record over the ASUN opponent.
 
The Owls have won each of the last five games in the series. The last meeting between the squads was a doubleheader in the 2021 ASUN tournament where KSU won 2-1 in game one and 9-1 in game two.
 
The Black and Gold are 8-2 vs. UNA at home. The Lions haven't won inside Bailey Park since Apr. 20, 2019.
 
 
The Iron Woman
Cates has been a staple in the Kennesaw State lineup during her career. On Sunday, Mar. 19 at Austin Peay, Cates surpassed Owl legend Jessica Cross with her 164th consecutive game played for the most in Kennesaw State DI history. In the Owls' next contest against No. 17/16 Georgia, the Canton, Ga. native surpassed Cross again - this time for most consecutive starts in KSU DI history, also with 164.
 
 
Circle of Gems
One of the main themes for KSU softball so far in 2023 are stellar performances by the Owl pitching staff.
 
Feb. 15 vs. Mercer – The Owls shutout Mercer behind 4.0 innings of two-hit ball from Lindsey Kyte. Melanie Bennett entered in relief and collected her 400th career strikeout.
 
Feb. 19 at Troy – Bennett struck again for the Owls against the Trojans with a three-hit complete game in the circle as the Owls won 1-0.
 
Feb. 24 vs. Indiana State – Freshman Kenley Hilleary made a name for herself in the Bama Bash, starting with a 10-inning complete game allowing only one earned run and five hits. She notched a then-career-high 11 strikeouts with 180 pitches thrown.
 
Feb. 26 at No. 7/6 Alabama – KSU's wire-to-wire upset of the Crimson Tide was led by Hilleary's four-hit complete game. She had four K's in the circle and the win marked her first collegiate victory. Hilleary won ASUN Pitcher of the Week honors.
 
Feb. 28 vs. Samford – Another 1-0 win for the Owls with Bennett in the circle featured a nine-inning complete game from the KSU ace. She allowed only four hits with a commanding 13 strikeouts in the shutout.
 
Mar. 7 at Georga Southern – Hilleary crushed it again for the Owls, pitching 5.0 innings allowing no runs with only four hits. She struck out half of the batters she faced, tallying 10 total on the evening – including two punchouts in each inning of work.
 
Mar. 10 vs. North Dakota – Laura Bishop led the charge in KSU's run-rule win over UND. She pitched a five-inning complete game with zero earned runs and only five hits allowed to Fighting Hawk batters to secure her first win of 2023.
 
Mar. 24 vs. Eastern Kentucky – Bennett earned her 50th career win with five innings of work and seven strikeouts in the Owls victory.
 
Mar. 25 vs. Eastern Kentucky – Hilleary dominated yet again with her fourth complete game allowing only one hit and one run in 28 batters faced as the Owls took a 2-1 win to earn the series victory over the Colonels. Five of her strikeouts came in the first four innings of the contest.
 
A New Staff
MacKay added two new assistants to his staff over the summer, Peejay Brun and Brea Dickey. Brun brings over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience to Kennesaw State, having most recently been the head coach of UT Arlington. Dickey makes her return to KSU as one of the most decorated softball players in program history as a career .364 hitter with 135 hits and a .953 OPS. They join MacKay and volunteer assistant/pitching coach Crystal Hampton.
  
On Deck
Kennesaw State returns to the road for a three-game series against Jacksonville starting Friday, Apr. 14 at 7:00 p.m on ESPN+.

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.
 

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