Softball | 4/12/2016 2:11:00 PM

GAME NOTES
 
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Georgia Southern softball team is in the midst of a seven game homestand. The Eagles kicked off the stretch of seven games at home with a weekend sweep over longtime rival Appalachian State. They take on Kennesaw State Wednesday, Apr. 13 in a single game scheduled to start at 5 p.m. The Eagles will close out the two-week homestand with another weekend conference series, this one against South Alabama on Saturday, Apr. 16 and Sunday, Apr. 17. So far this season, the Eagles are 10-2 at home.
 
FACILITY INFO
Wednesday's single game against Kennesaw State will take place at Eagle Field in Statesboro, Ga. The address is 615 Fair Rd, Statesboro, GA 30458. Admission is free.
 
Live stats will be available through Georgia Southern and live video of the game will also be available via GS All-
Access.
 
SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE
Kennesaw State (22-16) enters Wednesday's midweek game having gone 2-3 in their last five games, including 1-1 last week. The Owls have had two games in the last week altered due to weather. At home, the Owls are 13-6 on the season, but they are just 6-9 in true road games. KSU started the season off by winning 10 of their first 11 contests. Kennesaw State and Georgia Southern have met 26 times to date with the Owls owning a 16-10 record over the Eagles, but GS has claimed victories in six of the last seven meetings.
 
As a team, the Owls are currently batting .265 led by three players with over .300 batting averages - Kara Chambers, Missy Perkowski and Rachel Dennis. Two Owls have played in and started all 38 games for KSU, Courtney Sutter and Megan Veringa. Chambers leads all KSU players with a .337 batting average and 35 hits in 33 games. Perkowski, who is batting .307, leads the team with 20 runs scored while Sutter leads the team with 23 runs batted in, eight doubles and seven home runs. Taylor Denton is the Owls' biggest threat running the bases as she has stolen 24 bases in 25 attempts. Chambers is second with 22 stolen bases in 26 attempts.
 
In the circle for Kennesaw State, Logan Viers and Morgan Sikes both boast sub 2.00 earned run averages, leading a staff of four that holds a 3.10 team ERA for the season. Viers leads the way with a 1.67 ERA and a 10-3 record through 27 appearances. She has pitched 100.2 innings and helped the Eagles secure six shutouts, one all on her own. Viers has struck out a team-high 79 batters and has held opponents to a .231 batting average this season. Sikes holds a 1.88 ERA and a 9-4 record in 30 appearances. She has four saves on the season and has pitched 78.0 innings while striking out 49 batters.

KSU ROSTER
KSU SCHEDULE
KSU STATISTICS
 
UP NEXT
Following Wednesday's non-conference game, the Eagles will host South Alabama in a weekend Sun Belt Conference series this coming weekend. GS and USA will play a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 16 beginning at 3 p.m. and will then close out the series on Sunday, Apr. 17 with a single game at 1 p.m.
 
WEEKLY AWARD FOR RALEY
Georgia Southern softball player Dixie Raley has been named the Madness Sun Belt Softball Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
 
Raley, a freshman from Milledgeville, Ga., had a stellar weekend on the mound for Georgia Southern, securing two of the Eagles' three wins over longtime rival Appalachian State – including a shutout in game-3 – while setting a new career-high for strikeouts. She was so effective on the mound, that her opponents hit just .146 against her over the 14 innings she pitched and she finished the weekend with a 1.00 earned run average and 18 strikeouts, six looking. Raley is now tied for second in the conference with 16 wins and she is third in strikeouts (139) as well as strikeouts looking (48), fourth in innings pitched (135.2) and fifth in opposing batting average (.228).
 
In Raley's first appearance of the weekend, a 6-2 win in game-1 on Saturday, Raley pitched the complete game and surrendered just four hits and a pair of runs while striking out four batters. In that game, she did not surrender a hit through the first two innings and gave up just two hits over the final four frames.
 
The next day, Raley was outstanding in the circle as she guided the Eagles to a 3-0 victory to secure the weekend sweep over the Mountaineers. Raley pitched the complete game in her third shutout of the season and allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out a career-high 14 batters, four looking. She led off the game by securing the Eagles' first 6 outs via strikeout and then proceeded to strike out two batters in each of the next three innings. Over the final four innings of the game, Raley gave up just one hit and did not walk a single batter.
 
WEEKLY AWARD FOR WITKOWSKI
Georgia Southern softball player Lydia Witkowski was named the Sun Belt Conference Community Coffee Student-Athlete of the Week as released by the conference office on Tuesday, Mar. 15.
 
A redshirt freshman from Alpharetta, Ga., Witkowski led Georgia Southern on offense in the Eagles' Sun Belt Conference opening series at Texas State as the Eagles went 2-1 in San Marcos. The Eagles' starting left fielder went 6-for-11 (.545) at the plate with a triple and an RBI and scored a pair of runs herself. She slugged .727 with eight total bases and finished the three games with a .545 on-base percentage.
 
In the field, she recorded four putouts and had an assist in the first game when she gunned down a runner tagging up at third, trying to make it home. The throw out at home from left field completed one of the Eagles' two double plays on the weekend.
 
In the first game of the series, Witkowksi went 4-for-4 at the plate with three singles and a triple for a 1.500 slugging percentage. She also batted in a runner and scored a pair of runs herself as the Eagles defeated Texas State 6-1. Witkowksi followed that up by going 2-for-4 at the plate in the Eagles' 5-4 win over the Bobcats in the first game of a Sunday doubleheader, sealing the series victory for the Eagles. The win also pushed the Eagles' longest winning streak of the season to eight games.
 
YEAR NO. 5
Georgia Southern head coach Annie Smith is in her fifth season at the helm of the Eagles. Her tenure in Statesboro has taken the Eagles to new heights with two SoCon Regular Season Championships and two SoCon Tournament Championships as well as overseeing the transition to the Sun Belt Conference in Smith's four previous seasons. During her tenure, Smith has advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice (2012 and 2013) as the Eagles have quickly made a name for themselves within the regional and national landscape.
 
Smith has an overall career record of 145-127. In 2014, she became the fastest coach in Georgia Southern history to reach 100 career wins when her team posted a 4-0 victory over Appalachian State on April 5.
 
Smith joined Georgia Southern with 16 years of experience as a collegiate assistant coach, serving at Missouri for six seasons before heading to Mississippi State for nine years, handling all aspects of the program. In 2006, Smith was promoted to associate head coach of the Bulldogs.
 
RANDOM STATS AND NOTES
Career Games Started - by position (active)
A.J. Hamilton: 210 total - 210 C
Emily Snider: 147 total - 147 OF
Morgan Robinson: 144 total - 144 1B
Taylor Rogers: 112 total - 81 OF; 31 DP
Alesha Mann: 91 total - 34 2B; 50 SS; 7 DP
Michelle Mazur: 47 total - 42 3B; 3 DP; 2 OF
Kierra Camp: 38 total - 38 P
Rowan McGuire: 30 total - 30 DP
Heather Felt: 15 total - 15 P
Hannah Farrell: 40 total - 40 3B
Lydia Witkowski: 40 total - 37 OF; 3 INF
India Davis: 38 total - 37 2B; 1 SS
Dixie Raley: 22 total - 22 P
Macy Weeks: 21 total - 13 DP; 8 OF
Haley Carter: 5 total - 5 DP
 
EAGLES BY STATE (18)
Georgia: 13
Florida: 2
Illinois: 2
Tennessee: 1
 
EAGLES BY CLASS (18)
Seniors: 1
Juniors: 6
Sophomores: 6
Freshmen: 5 freshmen (3 redshirt)
 

 
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