Kennesaw State (6-16, 0-0 Atlantic Sun)
Location: Bailey Park - Kennesaw, Ga.
Tuesday, March 11 @ 1 p.m. ET – Vs. UTSA
Wednesday, March 12 @ 6 p.m. ET – Vs. Mercer
Follow the Action: @KSUOwlsSB on Twitter
The Owls will host back-to-back midweek match-ups starting with UTSA Tuesday at 1 p.m. followed by Mercer at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Foe's Old and New
The Black and Gold begin with UTSA, a team they have already beaten this year that marked the Owls first victory on the season in the Texas State Tournament. Prior to that game, the Owls had never faced the Roadrunners. The Mercer Bears are on the other side of the spectrum as they have faced each other 35 times in 33 years. The Owls have relatively dominated the series history boasting a 24-11 advantage and currently riding a three-game winning streak. All three games have been in different locations: Tallahassee, Fla., Macon, Ga. and Kennesaw, Ga. The Bears have not taken KSU down since 2014 in Nashville, Tenn.
Total Control
The Owls have been deadly accurate in the circle this season allowing only 46 total walks. The pitching staff holds a +65 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 152.2 innings. Their 46 free passes is good for 5th in the Atlantic Sun.
Balanced Staff
The Pitching staff continues to be a balanced attack with all five pitchers appearing in more than 10 innings.
Lindsey Kyte, Melaine Bennett and
Kenley Hilleary all share a ERA at 4.00 or below. The graduates lead the unit with Kyte's 3.33 ERA and Bennett's 3.64 ERA.
Surpassing '23
Kassidy Amerson-Fox continues to shatter all of her career highs in her junior season. She not only has set a career high in every single statistical category, she leads the team in five areas: Batting Average (.281), Hits (16), Home Runs (2), Total Bases (26), Sluging (.456) & On-Base Percentage (.397).
The Fifth Level
Another Owl that has posted career numbers is
Lindsey Kyte. Her current 3.33 ERA would be the best of any season in her career (Excluding 2020) by a 1.83 run margin. She has already equaled her inning total from the '23 season with 42.0 innings. She eclipsed that mark in five less appearances.
Don't Blink
KSU has prided themselves on speed, and the numbers reflect it. In the NCAA, the Owls are 25th (37) in total stolen bases and 35th in stolen bases per game (1.85). The catalyst has been
Stella Henry as she leads the team with 14 bags which tallies at 10th in the nation.
Non-Con Juggernauts
As of March 11, the Black and Gold have faced two ranked opponents and are slated to face at least one more. The first juggernaut was #2 Tennessee at Bailey Park in the home opener. The next was #22 South Carolina at the UCF Tournament. Last will be #6 Georgia Bulldogs March 27. All three teams reached the NCAA regionals in '23. The Owls also faced three other regional teams in Texas State, Ole Miss and UCF. Nearly half of the Owls defeats this year have come to Power Five opponents.
On the Move
On October 14, 2022, Kennesaw State University announced it will be joining Conference USA in all sports, effective July 1, 2024. KSU has been in the ASUN Conference (and previously the Big South for football) since its move to Division I in 2006.
On Deck
ASUN play begins with the Stetson Hatters coming to town starting March 16 for a three-game series.
Admission is free to all Kennesaw State softball home games in 2024.
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.
