By: KSU Sports Information
KENNESAW, Ga. - Throughout the month of August, www.KSUOwls.com will be taking a look at the five greatest moments in Kennesaw State softball history. In our first segment, Owls head coach Scott Whitlock talks about the Owls 2007 Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title.
Inside the 2007 Season
At first glance, winning a regular season conference title does not seem like it would fit into the pantheon of great moments when it comes to Kennesaw State Owls softball lore. After all, under the watchful eye of head coach Scott Whitlock, the Black and Gold have won back-to-back national championships, made nine Women’s College World Series appearances, and have earned countless other accolades in their 21-year fast pitch history.
What made 2007 special, however, was the fact that it happened at the Division I level, as the Owls, along with the rest of Kennesaw State’s athletic department, made the jump to highest level of collegiate athletics just the year before. After a more than respectable 2006 campaign that included a 38-17 record and 15-5 mark in their first year as members of the A-Sun, Whitlock’s squad turned things up a notch in their second go-round, ripping off a 44-20 slate, with a 14-4 record in conference play to take home the league crown.
Winning the A-Sun that season held a special importance for the Black and Gold. As the program had just moved to Division I in 2006, they were in the midst of the NCAA’s mandatory four-year re-classification period, which prohibited the team from taking part in any postseason play, including the A-Sun Tournament. If they were going to prove themselves to the rest of the conference, as well as to the nation, winning the regular season conference crown was the only chance they were going to get.
After getting off to a 2-2 start in league play, the Owls would win five consecutive league games to move to the head of the pack along with Lipscomb. While Lipscomb would falter down the stretch, those five straight wins would prove to be the most crucial stretch of their conference slate, as it included a doubleheader sweep of Stetson, who would finish just one game back of the Owls after all was said and done.
As with most great moments in sports, the outcome wasn’t decided until the last possible moment. Wrapping up A-Sun play on Apr. 25 with a split at their in-state rival, Mercer, The Owls locked up at least a share of the regular season crown, but had to wait until the following week for Stetson to finish their last four league games to ultimately learn their fate. The Hatters would win their first three contests before dropping a tough, 1-0, decision at North Florida in their regular season finale, allowing a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to finish up with a 13-5 A-Sun record and fall just short of matching the Owls. For the first time in their Division I history, the Owls were champions.
Whitlock’s veteran squad, which included 10 juniors and seniors, was able to pull out the conference crown thanks to both incredible offense and shut-down pitching. The club batted .285 overall, with senior Keri McKee batting a league-best .422, including .488 in A-Sun games, earning A-Sun Player of the Year honors in the process. Fellow senior Jennifer Nolan led the league with 49 runs scored and was second with 56 RBI.
Junior pitcher Brittany Matthews would go 23-5 with a 1.82 earned run average on her way to being named the A-Sun Pitcher of the Year. Fellow senior Kelley Cowart would join Matthews and McKee on the All A-Sun First Team, while infielder Klair Wells, for her part, would earn A-Sun All-Freshman honors. Whitlock’s efforts would be rewarded with his second straight A-Sun Coach of the Year award.
A Pair of Owls Look Back
“Prior to going out to begin our warm-ups we would all gather together (players only!) in the locker room or on the bus and listen to the ‘Inches’ speech given by Al Pacino to the NFL team he coached in the movie "Any Given Sunday." To this very day I get goose bumps whenever I hear that speech or think back to how quiet it would be as we listened to the speech and reflected on the games and challenges that lay ahead of us.”
- Kelley Cowart
Outfielder, 2004-07
“It was frustrating knowing that we fought so hard, but were unable to continue on into the postseason (Due to Division I re-classification), however, I think it was still a personal challenge to all of us, especially the seniors, to win as many games as we could that season and to be the best in the conference. We were taught that losing was not an option, no matter who our opponent was. So once we made the move to Division I, we had to step up our game.”
-April Keasler
Outfielder, 2004-07
From the Vault
May 6, 2007: Owls Claim Outright A-Sun Title
April 25, 2007: Owls Clinch a Share of A-Sun Title (Courtesy: www.atlanticsun.org)
