Kennesaw State University Athletics

After finishing second to Columbus State in both the Peach Belt Athletic Conference (PBAC) regular season (17-6) and tournament, the Owls beat the Cougars when it counted the most – by taking two-out-of-three games in the South Atlantic Regional Tournament to advance to the College World Series. Playing at Paterson Field for the first time, KSU swept its way to a second national crown by going 4-0 in the tournament. Jason Childers capped off a season of perfection (12-0, 2.01 ERA) by pitching the game of his life. The junior fired a seven-hit, complete-game shutout in the 4-0 title game win. For the season, Childers was named PBAC and South Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year along with earning first team All-American status. Junior catcher Chris Halliday (.354, 10 HR, 48 RBI) also had a season to remember that ended with him being named first team All-South Atlantic Region and All-PBAC, along with garnering the MVP of the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship.
 
"It goes without saying that I'm extremely excited for this group to be able to get recognized in the Kennesaw State Hall of Fame," said former KSU head coach Mike Sansing. "It's a special group of people that includes some tremendous leaders and competitors and there was no better example than Chris (Halliday). This team's determination laid so much of the groundwork for today's program. They were able to transition out of the NAIA seamlessly and paved our road to Division I, as well."
 
Other key contributors for Mike Sansing's Owls on the mound were pitchers Matt Houmes (6-3, 2.78 ERA), Derek Perkins (7-3, 3.52 ERA), Chris Bowen (5-1, 3.45 ERA) and Alex Garcia (5-2, 2.96 ERA). Hitting notables in addition to Halliday were Brian Mallette (.360, 34 RBI, 21 SB), Joe Parks (.356, 37 RBI, 37 SB), Nathan Cothran (.306, 57 RBI), Brannon Whatley (.300, 31 RBI) and Brian McDevitt (.273, 48 RBI). Childers, Halliday and Parks were selected to the all-region team.