Kennesaw State (10-25, 2-7 Atlantic Sun)
Location: Bailey Park - Kennesaw, Ga.
Wednesday, April 2 @ 6 p.m. ET – Vs. Georgia State
Watch:
ESPN+
Live Stats:
Here
Follow the Action: @KSUOwlsSB on Twitter
The in-state rivalry flame will be rekindled Wednesday evening for the Owls (10-25) as they play Georgia State (9-24) at Bailey Park for the 48th all-time meeting.
Burst Onto the Scene
Fifth year
Laura Bishop went nuclear in her first start Friday versus Jacksonville. She collected three hits in her first start of the 2024 season. Bishop smoked a double into the left center gap with the bases loaded for 3 RBI racking up her first hit, RBI and extra base knock of the season. During the three game series, she tallied six hits, two doubles and eight total bases. Her slugging percentage was .727, nearly 100 points higher than the next closest teammate.
Infield Shakeup
During the Jacksonville series, the infield had a much different look to it. With
Ava Guzowski's exit, it shifted
Ty Hardeman to shortstop,
Reese Evans to second base and
Caroline Shumeyko to third. Hardeman settled back into SS for the first time since the second game versus ETSU. Evans started 16 games to start the season at second base and Shumeyko with six starts at third base this season. That left the void at first base filled by
Laura Bishop for the first time this season.
Ty Turning It On
Infielder
Ty Hardeman has been on a steady uptick at the plate over the last week. Over the last five games, she has garnered a .273 average with three hits with two of them being doubles. Her slugging percentage sits well above .600 and being the only Owl over the last five games to have a above .300 on-base percentage.
The Speed Continues
Speed and athleticism have been one of the strengths for the Owls so far, and that trend has continued. Kennesaw State currently stands 46th (out of 296) in the nation in total stolen bases with 51. That number is good for fourth in the Atlantic Sun. They are also 60th in the NCAA in stolen bases per game with 1.46.
Series History
There are few matchups that have occurred as often in KSU program history than versus the Panthers. These two squads have danced 47 times since the rivalry begun in 1991. Thw Owls are currently riding a three game winning streak while holding a 13-11 record at Bailey Park versus the I-75 rivals. The all-time series sits at 27-20 in favor of theb Owls. It's an even split in the Tipp MacKay era with a 16-16 standing over the previous six years.
Scouting Report
The Panthers have been scuffling as of late, winning just one of their last 13. Much like the Owls, they love to steal bases. They are top 20 in the NCAA in total stolen bases (64) and stolen bases per game (19). They also will showcase three batters with averages above .290 in Chole Nadle (.338), Chloe Middlebrooks (.299) and Jaycee Goodwin (.291)
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
It's back to ASUN play this weekend as KSU takes on North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. starting with the doubleheader Saturday.
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.
