KENNESAW STATE VS NORTH FLORIDA
GAME 56 | MAY 24 | 10 A.M. ET
DELAND, Fla. | MELCHING FIELD AT CONRAD PARK (2,500)
LIVE STATS |
LIVE AUDIO |
LIVE VIDEO |
TICKETS
THE GAME:
After an emotional 3-1 upset win over No. 2 Florida Gulf Coast in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships, the No. 7 Kennesaw State baseball team will look to take down No. 3 North Florida in the winner’s bracket game on Friday, May 24 at 10 a.m. ET.
The Owls will look to stay on the winning side of things after defeating the Eagles after midnight on Thursday morning, moving to 27-18 on the year, while the Ospreys took down No. 6 Lipscomb in decisive fashion, 6-1, to set up the Friday showdown.
THE COVERAGE
AUDIO: Play-by-play will be available from KSUOwls.com with Brandon Scardigli narrating the action from Melching Field at Conrad Park.
VIDEO: A-SunTV will have the broadcast of Friday’s game starting at first pitch.
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com at the start of the game.
THE OPPONENT
No. 3 North Florida returns to the field on Friday after defeating No. 6 Lipscomb 6-1 in the opening round on Thursday.
With a .322 team batting average, the Ospreys are one of the top hitting teams in the country as well as in the A-Sun.
Now with 39 wins on the year, UNF is enjoying its winningest season since joining the NCAA Division I ranks.
THE SERIES
The Owls are up 14-9 in the all-time results, but North Florida did take the regular season series, 2-1, in Jacksonville, Fla.
LAST OUTING
It took until midnight on Thursday morning but the No. 7 seeded Kennesaw State Owls pulled off the first round upset, taking down No. 2 Florida Gulf Coast 3-1 to move into the winner’s bracket in the Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Championships.
Starting pitcher
Stephen Janas (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter HS) threw another gem, moving to 9-0 on the year after going seven innings allowing just one run on eight hits and striking out five.
Justin McCalvin (Leesburg, Ga./Lee County HS) then came on in relief for his second save of the year, going the final two innings and striking out four as the Owls took down the Eagles.
NEXT UP
After Friday morning’s contest the Owls will play again either on Friday evening or on Saturday afternoon depending on the result. A win puts the Owls in the semifinals on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. ET while a loss will give KSU the doubleheader on Friday with game two at 5 p.m. ET.
NEWS AND NOTES
Janas Gets Game One Start
Round One starter
Stephen Janas (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter HS) is one of 22 players on the National Pitcher of the Year watch list after earning a 0.86 ERA, the second lowest in the NCAA, with an 9-0 record, shattering the A-Sun single-season ERA record of 1.20 set in 1995.
All-Conference Selections
Five Owls were named to the All-Conference list including first-teamers
Stephen Janas and
Kal Simmons (Nashville, Ga./Berrien HS), second-teamers
Peyton Hart (Sandy Cross, Ga./Franklin County HS) and
Bo Way (Brunswick, Ga./Glynn Academy) and All-Freshmen Team members Simmons and
Alex Liquori (Brooks, Ga./Whitewater HS).
KSU in the Field
In the field, KSU is holding a team fielding percentage of .964, putting the Owls among the top teams in the conference in that category with a total of 53 double plays turned, the 31st most in the nation. The Owls turned a pair of double plays during the first round win including an assist from
Bo Way from centerfield to get out of a bases loaded jam.
Mainstays in the Lineup
Senior
Peyton Hart and junior
Bo Way are the only two players in the lineup to have played and started in all 55 games this season for head coach
Mike Sansing.
McCalvin Comes Through
Relief pitcher
Justin McCalvin came through on the mound for KSU against FGCU, throwing two innings while striking out four batters to earn his second save of the year. McCalvin now has a 1.99 ERA in 26 appearances for the Owls.
Almonte Leading Off
Lead-off hitter
Andy Almonte (Moca, Puerto Rico/Gordon College) is now batting .500 when starting off an inning and has eight games with three or more hits, the most of any player on the team.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women’s basketball news follow the team on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsWBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
