By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State's baseball team will head into its final three games of the regular season with plenty to play for on the diamond. If the Owls can win out against Jacksonville, they will clinch the No. 2 seed going into next week's Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in Nashville.
Kennesaw State (30-22) clinched its spot in next week's tournament with a three-game sweep of North Florida on the road. Several Owls had big performances at the plate over the weekend, including Ronnie Freeman (A-Sun Player of the Week), Andy Chriscaden (11 RBIs) and Aaron Dobbs (8-for-9 in Sunday's doubleheader).
Chriscaden is in the midst of a record-setting season for the Owls. He has already set new KSU records at the Division I level for home runs (14), RBIs (70), and total bases (128). His RBI total is already the sixth-highest in Kennesaw State's rich history, just behind former Owls great Ryan Coe, who had 71 in 1995. One more home run will break Chriscaden into the top 10 all-time for a KSU player in a single season.
The Owls will have extremely stiff competition this weekend against the Dolphins. JU is coming off a dominating, 11-2, win over No. 4 Florida Tuesday night in Gainesville, Fla. Esterlin Perozo's three-run homer was one of two for the Dolphins, who scored multiple runs in four separate innings. Matt Tomshaw, Saturday afternoon's scheduled starter for the Dolphins, earned the victory with six innings of work, allowing just two runs.
"I think that it's important for us to try and move up in the standings," said KSU head coach Mike Sansing. "We have to play well this weekend and I certainly think we're capable of doing that."
Josh Carr (5-5, 3.38) is KSU's projected starter on the mound Thursday, while Steve Janis (2-0, 6.30) is slated to start Friday and Bryan Blough (4-3, 3.60) is set to go on Saturday for the Owls.
First pitch Thursday evening at Stillwell Stadium is set for 6 p.m. The first 100 fans in attendance Thursday evening will receive an Owls custom-made fishing spoon lure.
