KENNESAW STATE AT SAMFORD Feb. 22 | 4 P.M. (ET) Watch | Live Stats

LEADING OFF

• The Owls will play their first midweek game of the season when they travel to Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday (Feb. 21) to face Samford at Samford Softball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. (ET).
• Kennesaw State enters the week with a 7-2 record after posting a 4-0 mark at the Chattanooga Challenge over the weekend. The Owls, who have won five in a row, recording victories over IUPUI (10-1), Tennessee Tech (3-0), Connecticut (5-1) and Radford (3-1).
• Tuesday's game against Samford will mark the 11th meeting between the Owls and Bulldogs, and KSU leads the all-time series, 9-1. The two teams met a year ago in Birmingham and the Owls registered a 6-4 victory.
• Samford is currently 2-8 on the season and has lost three in a row after dropping the final three games of the Troy University Tournament. 

NOTES

• The Owls, who lead the ASUN Conference with a .362 batting average, continued their solid hitting, posting a .351 average and outscoring their opponents, 21-3, during the Chattanooga Challenge.
• Senior Courtney Sutter was a major force at the plate for the Owls. She batted .667 (8-for-12) with four runs score, four extra base hits, including two home runs, four RBs, two stolen bases, slugged at a 1.417 clip, and had three multiple-hit games. She capped the weekend by going 3-for-3 with game-tying and game-winning home runs against Radford on Sunday.
• Sutter leads the ASUN Conference in slugging percentage and is tied for the conference lead in home runs.
• Sutter's two home runs gave her 24 for her career and moved her into seventh place on Kennesaw State's all-time home run list.
•  KSU also received strong performances in the circle from redshirt freshman Alley Cutting and senior Logan Viers.
• In two starts, Cutting worked 13 1/3 innings, scattered 10 hits, allowed two runs, walked one and struck out 23. During her first start against IUPUI, Cutting worked 6 1/3 innings, surrendered four hits, and struck out 11. She followed that effort with a complete-game performance against Connecticut, pitching seven innings, allowing six hits, one run, walking one and striking out a career-high 12.
• Cutting increased her season strikeout total to 39 in 21 innings, and ranks third in the ASUN.
• Senior Logan Viers is 3-1 and leads the ASUN Conference with 0.50 ERA.
• Freshman Olivia Tamewitz has made an impressive collegiate debut and leads the ASUN Conference in batting with a .583 average. She is 14-for-24 with six runs scored, four extra base hits, and ranks second on the team with six stolen bases. Tamewitz leads the Owls with five multiple-hit games, and has hit safely in eight of nine games. 

HEAD COACH PETE D'AMOUR

• Head coach Pete D'Amour begins his first season as Kennesaw State head coach after spending the previous 10 seasons at the University of Missouri.
• While at Mizzou, D'Amour helped the Tigers post a 453-154 (.746) record, advance to three Women's College World Series (2009, 2010, 2011), reach eight NCAA Division I Super Regionals, and participate in 10 NCAA Regionals.
• During D'Amour's tenure, Missouri won two Big 12 Conference championships and earned 10 straight Top 20 national rankings.
• Primarily responsible for working with the pitchers and catchers, D'Amour watched Tigers pitcher throw 11 no-hitters, while mentoring 11 All-Americans, two SEC Freshen of the Year, three conference Pitchers of the Year, a national earned-run average leader, and a Defensive Player of the Year.

NEXT UP

• Following Tuesday's game, the Owls return home to Bailey Park to host Radford, Illinois and Nebraska-Omaha in the Interstate 75 Challenge beginning Friday (Feb. 24). Kennesaw State will open the weekend with a doubleheader against Radford beginning at 1 p.m. (ET).

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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