By: KSU Sports Information Department
KENNESAW, GA. – The first-place Kennesaw State Owls are back home as they host Savannah State in a midweek game at Stillwell Stadium on Tuesday evening. First-pitch between the Tigers and Owls has been moved up to a 5:00 p.m. start.
Kennesaw State (15-11) is coming off a rain-shortened weekend split of two games at Mercer. The Owls are now tied with Stetson for the lead in the Atlantic Sun Conference, with the Black and Gold just percentage points behind the Hatters.
Savannah State (13-12) comes into town having lost two of three games to Chicago State over the weekend and are looking for their first-ever win over the Owls. The Black and Gold lead the all-time series, 5-0, with the two teams last meeting in the 2007 season, a 6-2 Kennesaw State win.
The Owls will be playing their fifth consecutive game against Georgia-based programs and are looking for their second victory. The Black and Gold dropped games to Georgia Southern, Georgia State in addition to their split with Mercer. This season, Kennesaw State has a 2-4 record against Peach State teams.
Zac Griffith (4-1, 4.66) makes the start for the Kennesaw State, and will make his first midweek start this season. Griffith, who has been a weekend starter all season, got his start pushed back when the Owls were rained out on Sunday afternoon. The game will be Griffith’s first midweek start since last April when he took the loss against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The southpaw went three innings and allowed six runs on five hits in the Owls, 8-2, loss.
Junior Andrew Garren (2-2, 5.93) will make his first start of the year for Savannah State. The right-hander has made 12 relief appearances and is one of three pitchers on the Tigers staff who have played in 12 games this year.
Andy Chriscaden leads the Kennesaw State offense is proving to be one of the best newcomers in the conference. The 6-foot-5-inch first baseman is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak, the second nine-game streak this season for the Monroe, Wash. native who has raised his average to .356 on the year.
Chriscaden is the Owls top power threat as he leads the team with five home runs, a conference leading 13 doubles and 30 runs batted in. Hitting for both power and average, Chriscaden has been able to support both Ronnie Freeman, the number three hitter in the lineup, and Peyton Hart, who is hitting over three hundred and is closing in on 20 runs batted in, while hitting behind the towering timber twirler.
Emory Barkley leads the Savannah State offense with a .382 average and is the only Tiger player to have both a slugging and on-base percentage over the .500 mark. Joseph McCrary is hitting .351 and is one of only two players (Dexter Kelley the other) to have played in all 25 games this season.
McCrary, along with Kelley and Cordarian Robertson spearhead a running attack that has 82 stolen bases in 100 attempts already this season. All three have double-digits in steals with Kelley leading the way with 15 steals. McCrary has 14, Robertson has 13 as 15 different Savannah State players have stolen a base this year.
First-pitch between Savannah State and Kennesaw State is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and can followed via live stats. The game is Owls Baseball Undershirt Night with the first 100 fans receiving a three-quarter, black-sleeved Owls shirt.
