By: KSU Sports Information
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls are back at home to begin a four-game homestand on Wednesday evening as they host Jacksonville State in search of stopping its four-game losing streak.
The Owls (19-16) return to Stillwell Stadium after a road trip in which they lost four straight games to Stetson and UAB. During the streak, Kennesaw State’s offense has been struggling, averaging just under three runs and seven hits per game.
However, Ray Anderson and Jordan Craft have been bright spots in the lineup. Anderson has made three straight starts in center field and is riding an eight-game hitting streak. Craft is in the midst of a 4-for-11 tear in which he has two doubles, a home run and a team-leading .818 slugging percentage.
“Ray and Jordan have been playing very well the past couple of weeks,” said head coach Mike Sansing. “Our offense has improved because their offensive has improved. They are both catalysts for us with great speed and they each have the ability to get on base and make things tough on opposing pitchers.”
Catlan Kendrick (0-0, 2.55) will be making his second start of the season. The right-hander pitched five and two-thirds inning on Mar. 16 in a no-decision against Harvard in which he allowed just one run on six hits. He is facing the Gamecocks for the second time this season. He threw two scoreless innings in relief when the teams met Feb. 23 in Alabama.
“Catlan is a guy we thought would be a mid-week starter for us early this season,” added Sansing. “But the way the scheduled has worked out, he has thrown mostly out of the bullpen. He has one start this year, a good one against Harvard, and tonight he gets another opportunity to show how well he’s been pitching.”
Jacksonville State (23-10) starts right-hander Bradley Raulston (2-1, 9.53) who will be making his fifth start of the year. The 6-foot-1-inch freshman picked up wins against Harvard and Bradley and suffered his first loss of the season on Apr. 9 at Murray State when he allowed nine runs in an inning and one-third.
The Gamecocks bring an explosive offense into The Shake, averaging almost 11 runs per game over a six-game stretch in which they have five wins. Jacksonville State has 94 hits over the span and has eight-or-more hits in all but four games this season. JSU, hitting .321 as a team, has seven starters hitting over .300 with Erik Underwood leading the way with a .404 mark.
In the first meeting of the year, Kennesaw State defeated Jacksonville State, 6-3, when the Owls rallied from a, 6-3, deficit with seven runs over the final three innings, highlighted by a four-run, ninth inning.
First-pitch between Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and can be followed via
live stats and seen on
ASUN.TV. The game is the 4th Annual KSU Student Crawfish Boil and Beach Towel Giveaway Night. The first 100 Kennesaw State students in attendance will receive a KSU Beach Towel and free crawfish.
