April 30, 2007

MACON, Ga. - Putting a double cherry on top of what was the sweetest sundae of a week, Keri McKee and Brittany Matthews were named the Atlantic Sun Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week in an announcement made by the league offices on Monday.

After celebrating a week in which the Owls claimed a share of the A-Sun regular season title, Kennesaw State the Owls swept the weekly awards for the second time this year. McKee won the award for the second time while Matthews claimed the award for the fourth time this season.

McKee couldn't be stopped during the week, hitting .522 (12-for-23) in eight games last week to close her stellar career with the Owls. The left-handed hitting first baseman smacked three doubles and a pair of home runs while posting a slugging percentage of .913 last week. She also walked five times en route to a .586 on-base percentage.

The Buford, Ga. native scored a run and drove in another to help Kennesaw State defeat Mercer 7-1 in midweek action to clinch at least a share of the conference championship. McKee finished the week, and her collegiate career, by being named Most Valuable Player at the 2007 KSU Invitational.

In addition to her weekly totals, McKee put the final touches on one of the most successful four-year careers in the history of Kennesaw State softball. While becoming the all-time hits leader earlier in the season, McKee became the Owls leader in runs batted in and doubles this week.

Matthews, on the other hand, put together yet another dominating week for Kennesaw State. The junior, who won the award for the second straight week, finished the week with a 3-1 record including a shutout and a record-breaking strikeout performance against top-seeded Northern Colorado in the KSU Invitational.

The southpaw, who set the single-game strikeout mark with 15 earlier in the year, broke her own record with a 16-strikeout gem against the Bears in which she had a perfect game through six innings. Her 16 strikeouts are the most by an A-Sun hurler this season.

To open the week, Matthews limited Mercer to just one run on five hits as she was in the circle when the Owls clinched their first-ever regular season title. During the week, the southpaw posted a 0.72 ERA and had 31 strikeouts while allowing only 18 hits in 29.0 innings. The Brooks, Ga., native held opponents to a paltry .176 average while walking just six batters. On the year, Matthews currently leads the A-Sun in strikeouts (246), shutouts (10) and wins (23).

Kennesaw State has produced eight player of the week award winners. Matthews won the award four times, McKee has won twice while April Keasler and Missy Hobdy each won one time. The Owls have twice as many POTW award winners than any other team in the league. North Florida and Gardner-Webb have four winners.

KSU Player of the Week Award Winners
2/26 - April Keasler, CF
3/12 - Keri McKee, 1B
4/30 - Keri McKee, 1B

KSU Pitcher of the Week Award Winners
2/26 - Brittany Matthews, LHP
3/5 - Missy Hobdy, LHP
4/9 - Brittany Matthews, LHP
4/23 - Brittany Matthews, LHP
4/30 - Brittany Matthews, LHP