The Kennesaw State softball team is entering its final week of the offseason ahead of opening day on Friday, Feb. 7. As the season gets underway, several returning players are prepared to serve important roles on the team.
Head coach Tripp MacKay is starting his second season with the Owls, coming off a 2019 season that finished with an overall record of 26-29 and a 10-11 record within the Atlantic Sun Conference. The team lost its final five games of the year and were eliminated from the ASUN Tournament by Florida Gulf Coast University on May 10, 2019.
The Owls are projected to finish fifth in the conference this season, as announced by the ASUN on Jan. 15.
Leading the parliament of returning Owls is senior infielder Jade Lee was selected to this year’s ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team, according to the ASUN website. Last season, Lee finished with a .315 batting average and 23 RBI. Lee was named to the preseason list at the utility position.
Alongside Lee, senior outfielders Brea Dickey and Hannah Thomason will also be returning this season to provide some veteran leadership. Dickey finished with a .987 fielding percentage and 71 putouts in 2019. Thomason led the team last season with 33 runs scored.
Among the other returning players for KSU are two members of the 2019 ASUN All-Freshman Team — sophomore outfielder Katie Greep and second baseman Christen Florence. Greep tallied a .265 batting average, 27 hits and 15 RBI last season. Florence made a name for herself as a two-way player in 2019, with a .326 batting average and five double plays turned.
In the upcoming season, KSU will face a number of challenging opponents, as announced by MacKay on Dec. 16, 2019. The Owls will face major programs such as Iowa State, Penn State and Clemson in 2020. Of the 56 games on the Owls’ schedule, 30 will take place at Bailey Park.
The Owls will also play in an exhibition game with the USA Softball Women’s National Team in Columbus, Georgia, on Friday, April 3. KSU will be one of two college programs to face Team USA this season as it prepares for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The season will officially open on Friday, Feb. 7, as the Owls will host the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament at Bailey Park from Feb. 7 to Feb. 9. ASUN Conference play for KSU will begin on Saturday, March 14, as the team travels to face Florida Gulf Coast University
