KENNESAW STATE VS NORTHERN KENTUCKY
GAMES 22-24 |
MARCH 22-24
KENNESAW, Ga. |
STILLWELL STADIUM (1,200)
GAME NOTES |
LIVE STATS |
LIVE AUDIO |
LIVE VIDEO |
TICKETS
THE SERIES:
The Kennesaw State baseball team looks to keep their winning ways going this weekend, taking on the Atlantic Sun Conference’s newest member Northern Kentucky in a weekend series starting on Friday, March 22 at 3 p.m. ET in Stillwell Stadium.
KSU has been winners in back-to-back contest after taking care of both Mercer and Savannah State in its last two outings, putting the black and gold at 11-10 on the season and 1-2 in the conference standings heading into the three-game series with the Norse.
NKU will be playing its first ever A-Sun baseball game with a 2-19 overall record and is looking to snap a 13-game losing skid.
Promotions this week include KSU playing cards for the first 300 fans through the gates on Friday, a Major League Baseball Alumni clinic before Saturday’s game and the always-popular Baseball Bingo on Sunday.
THE COVERAGE
AUDIO: Play-by-play will be available from KSUOwls.com with Nathan McCreary narrating the action from Stillwell Stadium.
LIVE VIDEO: A-Sun TV will have a live feed of Saturday’s 2 p.m. game starting at first pitch.
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com at the start of the game.
THE OPPONENT
Northern Kentucky enters its first season in the NCAA Division I ranks with a 2-19 record after its latest loss, a one-run affair with Cincinnati on Wednesday. The Norse have now lost 13-straight ballgames heading into Stillwell Stadium.
NKU has struggled to get the offense going in the early portion of the 2013 campaign, hitting just .213 as a team. Brad Clement is the only regular starter to hit over .300 with a .312 average and is the only Northern Kentucky player to have started in every game.
From the mound the Norse are holding a team ERA of 6.33 and are allowing opposing batters to hit .342 with a .427 slugging percentage.
The Norse are in the midst of a grueling road-stretch, playing eight out of nine games away from Highland Heights, Ky. So far for NKU, the team is 0-8 on its home turf and 1-9 on the road.
THE SERIES
Friday’s game will mark the first every meeting between the two schools on the baseball diamond.
THE ROTATION
FRIDAY
Steve Janas (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Blake Badshaw (0-3, 4.63 ERA)
SATURDAY
Travis Dean (2-3, 4.32 ERA) vs. Matt Jefferson (0-4, 6.11 ERA)
SUNDAY
Kevin Kyle (3-2, 2.70 ERA) vs. Brett Crisper (0-3, 6.93 ERA)
LAST OUTING
It was an offensive showcase in Stillwell Stadium on Tuesday night as the Kennesaw State baseball team tied a season-high with 11 runs as the Owls cruised to the 11-2 win over Savannah State University in non-conference action.
The Owls improve to 11-10 on the season with the midweek win, capitalizing on 10 hits and four Tiger (13-8) errors. Individually,
Bo Way (Brunswick, Ga./Glynn Academy) extended his hit streak to 16 games after going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, improving his season batting average to .375.
Starting pitcher
Will Solomon (Columbus, Ga./Columbus HS) got the win to bump his record to 2-2 on the year after going 4.1 innings allowing just two hits and striking out five.
Nine different Owl batters hit safely during the win with Bruce and Hart each earning two RBI. Way along with teammates
Andy Almonte (Moca, Puerto Rico/Gordon College) and
Max Pentecost (Winder, Ga./Winder-Barrow HS) each scored two runs in the ballgame as well.
After Solomon’s solid start on the mound, five KSU pitchers combined to allow just three hits in the final 4.2 innings of action while striking out six.
Defensively, the Owls turned a season-best three double plays as well.
NEXT UP
The Owls will play their final game of a 14-game home stand this Tuesday, March 26 as Alabama State comes to town for a 6 p.m. matchup. Following the contest against ASU, the Owls will be on the road as the team heads to DeLand, Fla. for a three-game series with Stetson.
NEWS AND NOTES
Leading the Way
Centerfielder
Bo Way continues to lead the Owls with a .369 average and is in the midst of a 16-game hitting streak having hit in all but one game so far this season. Way is tops for the Owls in hits (31) and runs scored (14) after starting in all 21 games for the black and gold.
Simmons in the Clutch
Freshman
Kal Simmons (Nashville, Ga./Berrien HS) is one of the hottest hitters in the lineup for head coach
Mike Sansing. The first-year player is now hitting .269 with a team-high 17 RBI and has made his way into the top of the batting order.
McCalvin in the Clutch
Relief pitcher
Justin McCalvin (Leesburg, Ga./Lee County HS) has been lights-out on the mound for KSU, throwing 13.1 innings and making 11 appearances without giving up an earned run in 2013. McCalvin has struck out 18 batters while giving up just 11 hits from the rubber.
The Bullpen
The bullpen for the Owls is one of the best on average in the league, holding a team ERA of 3.37 and an opposing batting average of just .234, the second best in the Atlantic Sun Conference. KSU is also No. 25 nationally in terms of strikeouts per nine innings with an 8.67 mark.
Small Ball
The black and gold have played “small ball” well so far this year, coming away with 22 stolen bases and laying down 19 sacrifice bunts, putting KSU in the tops statistically in both categories in the A-Sun.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news follow the team on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
