Liberty Set to Host KSU, Friday through Sunday
3/30/2023 9:28:34 AM | Softball
Liberty (18-13, 4-2 ASUN) hosts Kennesaw State (12-20, 4-2) this Friday through Sunday at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium
Lynchburg, Va.
Friday, March 31
Liberty vs. Kennesaw State – Noon Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)
Saturday, April 1
Liberty vs. Kennesaw State – 3 p.m. Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)
Sunday, April 2
Liberty vs. Kennesaw State – Noon Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+)
• After going on a 15-game winning streak from Feb. 24 through March 16, Liberty is 2-4 in its last six contests. That includes one win each over North Carolina and FGCU, midweek losses at No. 14 Duke and No. 12 Virginia Tech and two setbacks to FGCU.
• On Tuesday night at Virginia Tech, Liberty nearly upset the 12th-ranked Hokies. In the sixth inning, Rachel Roupe was robbed of what would have been a go-ahead three-run homer, and Virginia Tech pulled away for a 9-5 win. Megan Fortner batted 2-for-3 with a homer and tied her career high with four RBI.
• The Lady Flames and Owls are in a five-way tie for third place in ASUN standings after two weeks of play. Both teams have series sweeps over Eastern Kentucky this season, while Liberty went 1-2 against FGCU last weekend and KSU won one out of three games in its ASUN-opening series at Austin Peay.
• Kennesaw State is one of three ASUN teams with a win over a Top 25 team this season, defeating No. 7 Alabama on Feb. 26. Liberty's ninth game against a Top 25 opponent this year, and next on the schedule, will be against Alabama on April 18, a game which will be played at Marshall.
• Liberty defeated Kennesaw State in the final of the 2021 ASUN Softball Championship to earn its first ASUN title before repeating as ASUN champions last year. The Lady Flames (automatic qualifier) and Owls (at-large) both appeared in the 2021 NCAA Division I Softball Championship.
• Karlie Keeney (12-6, 1.90 ERA) is the ASUN leader with 12 victories, is tied for eighth nationally with five shutouts and is third in NCAA Division I softball with 125 innings pitched. Paige Bachman (5-6, 2.55) has thrived in an expanded role after pitching just 1 2/3 innings as a freshman last year.
• Rachel Craine (.319) leads the team in batting average. Megan Fortner (.314) has batted .357 with four homers and 11 RBI in the last 10 games. Devyn Howard (.301) is tied for the ASUN lead with 26 runs scored after going 2-for-4 with a double at Virginia Tech. Caroline Hudson (.284) is tied for first in the ASUN with eight homers to go along with 23 RBI, while Rachel Roupe (.284) is fifth in the ASUN with a .465 on base percentage and has hit two grand slams. Mary Claire Wilson bats .289, while KK Madrey (.271) is a team-leading 12-for-12 on stolen bases .
• Liberty junior Savannah Woodard will get to play against a former teammate in KSU's Mary Greg Anderson. Woodard and Anderson were both freshmen at Alabama in 2020 before Anderson transferred to KSU. That season, Anderson wore No. 22 and Woodard 23 for the Crimson Tide.
