By: KSU Sports Information
Official Conference Release I
All-Conference Team
MACON, Ga. - The Kennesaw State baseball team had seven players honored by the Atlantic Sun Conference office on Tuesday afternoon as
Josh Carr,
Ronnie Freeman,
Aaron Dobbs,
Andy Chriscaden,
Will Howard,
Max Pentecost and
Justin McCalvin, were all named to All-Conference teams.
Carr, Freeman and Dobbs were named to the All-Atlantic Sun First Team, Chriscaden and Howard earned All-Atlantic Sun Second Team honors while Pentecost and McCalvin placed on the All-Atlantic Sun Freshman Team.
With these seven players earning A-Sun honors it now brings the all-time Kennesaw State All-Conference honors list to a total of 27 selections over the past seven seasons. Carr, Freeman and Dobbs also became the fourth, fifth and sixth Owls to ever be named to the First Team, with Dobbs earning the honor last season as well.
Carr started in 12 games for the Black and Gold this season and led the conference with nine wins, winning eight consecutive starts in a row stretching over a span of two months. He pitched 81.1 innings, and finished the season with a 3.54 ERA. Opponents hit just .243 (7th A-Sun) off him, while he struck out 66 batters (13th A-Sun) on the year. Carr allowed only two homeruns to be hit off him all season, and his nine wins ranked him 19th in the NCAA.
Freeman started in all 54 games for KSU and held a .352 batting average which was fifth best in the conference. He recorded a .500 slugging percentage (13th A-Sun), .426 on-base percentage (7th A-Sun) and tallied 74 hits (6th A-Sun). Freeman also finished second in the conference with 52 RBI’s. The Lawrenceville, Ga. native also took home a Player of the Week award on March 19.
Dobbs started in 52 games and finished second in the A-Sun with 26 stolen bases. He maintained a .336 batting average (10th A-Sun), while scoring 51 runs (2nd A-Sun) on the season. His best game this year came on March 2 against Jacksonville State as he went 5-for-6 with a homerun, four runs scored, two RBI’s and two stolen bases. He is the only KSU player to ever be honored on the A-Sun First Team in back-to-back seasons.
Chriscaden started in all 54 games for KSU and finished the regular season eighth in the conference with a .340 batting average. His power numbers were also very impressive as he posted a .612 slugging percentage (2nd A-Sun), with 13 homeruns (4th A-Sun) and 52 RBI’s (2nd A-Sun). The Monroe, Wash. native won the Player of the Week award on April 2 as well.
Howard played in every game this season for the Owls, and started in 53 of them. His work in center field was a pleasure to watch as he made only one error all season while making 120 putouts. He was also steady at the plate for the Black and Gold as he hit .297 for the year and led the team with three triples (7th A-Sun).
Pentecost started in 51 games for KSU as he had a very successful freshman campaign. He batted .267 on the season with 47 hits, 14 doubles (9th A-Sun), and three triples (7th A-Sun). Pentecost had 17 RBI on the year, while successfully stealing all three of his stolen base attempts.
McCalvin appeared in 27 games for KSU (5th in A-Sun) as he stepped up to play a major role in the Kennesaw State bullpen as a freshman. He totaled 29.1 innings pitched, and finished the season with a 3.38 ERA. He allowed only 24 hits all year and just 10 extra base hits, while posting a 3-1 record with one save. McCalvin struck out 22 batters, and issued only 13 walks as a rookie.
USC Upstate won two of the four major awards as Gaither Bumgardner was named the A-Sun Player of the Year, while Spartan head coach Matt Fincher earned the Coach of the Year. Florida Gulf Coast’s Ricky Knapp won Pitcher of the Year, and Mercer’s Chesny Young took home Freshman of the Year honors.
Kennesaw State is set to make its second consecutive postseason in the 2012 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, which begins on Wednesday in DeLand, Fla. at Melching Field at Conrad Park. For updates on the Championship, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlsBaseball.
