By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - Sitting in danger of not making the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, the Kennesaw State baseball team will try to improve its position as it takes on Jacksonville this Friday and Saturday in a three-game A-Sun series at Sessions Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Owls (18-26, 7-11 A-Sun) currently sit tied for seventh place in the A-Sun with Belmont, as both teams have posted a 7-11 mark in A-Sun play. The Owls trail Mercer by three and one-half games for sixth in the standings and the final spot in the A-Sun Tournament.
Kennesaw State struggled at home against Mercer last weekend, getting swept by their in-state rivals to the south in the three-game set. The three losses put the Owls on a five-game losing streak entering the series.
The Owls did not play any mid-week games this week due to final exams. Jacksonville, however, played twice during the week on the road in the Sunshine State, falling to No. 5-ranked Florida State, 11-10, on Tuesday night before beating Florida A&M, 11-8, on Wednesday night.
Freshman Ronnie Freeman has been helping to pace the Owls offense over the past month. The catcher leads the team in batting average at .351, with a team-best 59 hits and a team-high 39 runs batted in. Freeman's .530 slugging percentage is just better than the .527 posted by junior Drew Fowlkes, who has taken over the team lead in home runs with nine on the campaign.
Jacksonville (21-19, 10-7 A-Sun) was hitting .311 as a team entering the weekend and have six players hitting over .300 on the year. The Dolphins are led by Dan Gulbransen's .399 batting average and his team-high 37 runs scored. Adam Bret Walker is hitting .341 this season with a team leading 13 home runs and 45 runs batted in.
All three games are scheduled to be shown live on
ASun.TV for a nominal fee.
