By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - Two teams battling for a spot in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament will square off this weekend at Stillwell Stadium as the Kennesaw State baseball team plays host to Mercer for a three-game series. The first game in the contest is slated for Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday.
The Owls (18-23, 7-8) currently trail Mercer (25-20, 9-9) in the A-Sun standings with four weekends to go. The Owls face the Bears, Jacksonville (currently 5th in the A-Sun), USC Upstate (currently 11th), and ETSU (currently 4th) to wrap up the A-Sun regular season. With the top six teams gaining entry into the conference tournament, every game becomes more and more important as the season progresses.
KSU is coming off a, 16-2, defeat at the hands of Georgia Southern Tuesday night in Statesboro. In that game, Ronnie Freeman extended his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest for any KSU baseball player this season. The freshman is batting .411 over the last 15 games with three home runs and 14 RBIs.
Ryan Rodebaugh is scheduled to get the start for the Owls Friday night. This will be his first official contest since defeating North Florida April 17 with seven innings of two-hit baseball. Rodebaugh pitched four innings last weekend against James Madison in a game that only reached the bottom of the fourth inning and was subsequently canceled.
The Bears hold an 11-9 lead in the all-time series, however, the Owls swept Mercer last season in Macon to narrow the gap. The teams first began play in 1985, with Mercer winning five out of the first six contests. Since the Owls moved to Division I, Mercer holds a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series.
Friday's game will be Pennant Night, with the first 500 KSU fans receiving a free Owls Pennant compliments of the AT&T Real Yellow Pages. Saturday's doubleheader is Youth Baseball Day, with all youth baseball players who wear their jerseys receiving free admission. The first 150 kids in attendance on Saturday will also receive a KSU baseball compliments of the AT&T Real Yellow Pages.
