Kennesaw, Ga. – The Kennesaw State baseball program officially welcomed in a new group of talent to the Owl family, announced Thursday (Nov. 19) afternoon by head coach Mike Sansing -who will be entering his 25th season at the helm of the Owls.

KSU's signing class includes four position players and four pitchers, and ranks as the top class for 2016 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

"This class filled some immediate and long term needs for our program, Each one of the kids we signed are not only extremely talented on the field but are outstanding in the classroom, have high character, and come from winning baseball programs in high school which is important to us.  During the recruiting process we enjoyed getting to know each one of the players and their families.  We are very excited and think this is a great group of future Owls that the fans will be excited to watch play," coach Sansing said. "I also have to give credit to (Assistant Head Coach) Kevin Erminio and (Recruiting Coordinator) Derek Simmons who put in a lot of work during the spring and summer to add these men. They met all of our needs as a program and we're extremely appreciative of them and their hard work."

---

Garrett Hodges 6'0, 185 pounds | Outfielder | Guyton, GA | South Effingham HS
 
 
Hodges is an outfielder from South Effingham High School where he plays for Ron Womack….Ranked as the 317^th best overall player in the country according to Perfect Game USA….Also rated as 37^th best player in Georgia and the 8^th best OF from Perfect Game USA…2015 Perfect Game Underclass 3^rd Team All-American…2014 & 2015 All-Region selection…2014 & 2015 All-Greater Savannah….Team USA NTIS Participate…Three Year Varsity Letterman….Played travel baseball for Team Elite coach Brad Bouras & Chain Baseball coach Andy Burress
 
Coach Sansing on Hodges
"Garrett is one of the best pure hitters in the state.  He has power to all fields and is a versatile outfielder who can play both corner spots.  During the recruiting process we saw Garrett time and time again just continue to hit no matter what kind of pitching he was facing so it was a no brainer in terms of recruiting him to KSU.  He is a fantastic student and comes from a good high school program and Garrett's love for the game and Kennesaw State University is why he will have a successful career here.  We are very excited that Garrett will be wearing the Black and Gold."

---

Brandon Marsh 6'2, 175 pounds | Outfielder | Buford, GA | Buford HS
 
 
Brandon is an outfielder who comes from Buford High School where he plays for legendary coach Tony Wolfe…Ranked as a Top 500 player in the country according to Perfect Game USA…Also rated as the 62^nd best player in Georgia and the 15^th best OF from Perfect Game…2015 Perfect Game Underclass All-American High Honorable Mention…Led the Buford Wolves to State Titles in both football (2013 & 2014) and baseball (2015)…As a Junior batted .370 with 5 doubles, 4 triples, 14 stolen bases and 43 runs scored…Three-Year Varsity Letterman…Played travel baseball with Team Elite coached by Brad Bouras and Shane Hopper
 
Coach Sansing on Marsh
"Brandon is a very good athlete who has speed and power in the outfield which is a rare combo.  He is very versatile and has exciting tools which he will develop over time here at KSU.  We saw him at a camp in the fall while he was still playing football, and just his tools, athleticism and the way he went about his business we knew we could have something special.  Brandon has arm strength and his toughness and mentality on the football field along with his athleticism and academic success is why we liked him a lot during the recruiting process.  Owl fans are going to be excited to watch him in the near future."

---

Terence Norman 6'3, 195 pounds | Outfielder| Kennesaw, GA| Kennesaw Mt HS
 
Norman is an outfielder from Kennesaw Mountain where he plays for George Hansen…..Ranked as the 381^st best overall player in the nation according to Perfect Game USA….Also rated as the 43^rd best player in Georgia and the 11^th best outfielder in the state from Perfect Game USA….2015 Perfect Game Underclass 3^rd Team All-American….2015 1^st Team All-Region…2016 Pre-Season All-State…Three year varsity Letterman… Played travel baseball for Team Elite coached by Shane Hopper and Brad Bouras
 
Coach Sansing on Norman
"Another great athlete with a solid contact swing.  He is a hometown player right in our backyard with great passion and love for Kennesaw State.  Terence can play all 3 outfield positions and will hit for both average and power.  We have been watching Terence since he was 14 years old and his progression through that time has been incredible to watch as he has gone from a very good player to an exceptional one.  He is an outstanding student and his character and makeup as a person as well as his athletic ability is why we are overjoyed to bring Terence into our program."

---

Rhian Mann 6'4 180 pounds | Right-Handed Pitcher | Lawrenceville, GA | Archer HS
 
 Mann is a right handed who arrives from Archer High School where he plays for Chris Hays…. Ranked as one of the Top 1000 players in the country according to Perfect Game USA….Perfect Game-East Cobb Invitational All-Tournament Team…2015 Gwinnett County Player of the Month (April)….2-Time Scholar Athlete Award at Archer HS…Played travel baseball for the DoubleDay Rockies coached by Charlie Culberson
 
Coach Sansing on Mann
"Big, tall, loose, projectable arm.  Rhian is very athletic for a pitcher with upside and his potential is through the roof.  He throws three pitches for strikes and was up to 88 the day we saw him and immediately feel in love with him.  He is very mature for his age and his diligent work in the classroom showed us how committed he was to getting better on and off the field.  Rhian reminds us a lot of current Owl pitcher Tony Dibrell and we ecstatic that he is a part of our family."

---

Matt Rowland 6"3 | 175 pounds | Right-Handed Pitcher | Marietta, GA | Pope HS
 
 Matt is a right handed pitcher from Pope high school where he plays for his father Jeff Rowland….Ranked as the 225^th best overall player in the country according to Perfect Game USA…Also rated as the 25^th best overall player in Georgia and the 6^th best pitcher in the state from Perfect Game USA…2014 and 2015 Perfect Game Underclass All-American High Honorable Mention …Selected to 2015 East Coast Pro Showcase…Three year varsity Letterman…Played travel baseball for the 6-4-3 Cougars coached by Danny Pralgo
 
Coach Sansing on Rowland
"Matt is a power arm that throws 3 pitches for strikes.  He attacks hitters with his Fastball, which has been up to 94, and his slider.  We saw Matt multiple times at an early stage including our camp and has developed tremendously since then.  We feel as a coaching staff, Matt has the chance to come in here and be an immediate impact for us, the sky is the limit for him.  He has a physical, strong build and will continue to add strength once in our program.  Matt has excellent makeup and excels in the classroom as well.  We could not be more excited to have Matt and his pedigree a part of Owl Nation."

---

Daniel Seres 6'1 190 pounds | Catcher | Canton, GA | Sequoyah HS
 
Daniel is a catcher from Sequoyah high school where he plays for…Ranked as the 303^rd best overall player in the nation according to Perfect Game USA…Also rated as the 35^th best overall player in Georgia and the 4^th best catcher in the state from Perfect Game USA…2015 Perfect Game Underclass 2^nd Team All-American…2014 & 2015 All-Region Team…2014 & 2015 All-County Team…2015 Sequoyah High School Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year…Two-Time Georgia All-Star…Played in the 2015 Georgia MLB All-Star Game…Played travel baseball for the East Cobb Astros  coached by Tim Lemons and Jamie Crane
 
Coach Sansing on Seres
"Daniel is a very good defender that has power from the hitting side.  Very aggressive player who plays the game the right way and is a leader, which we like especially from the catching position.  He is athletic enough to play multiple positions but we feel with his catch and throw skills we have signed without a doubt one of the better catchers not only in our state but the country.  We are delighted to have Daniel join our program."

---

Taylor Wilkes 6'0 165 | Right-Handed Pitcher | Jefferson, GA | Jefferson HS
 
 Taylor is a right-handed pitcher from Jefferson HS where he plays for Tommy Knight…Ranked as one of the Top 500 players in the country according to Perfect Game USA…Also rated as the 76th best overall players in Georgia and the 18^th best pitcher in the state…2015 Perfect Game All-American High Honorable Mention…2014 2^nd Team 8-AA All-Region…2015 1^st Team 8-AA All-Region…2016 Preseason All-State…Played travel baseball with the Atlanta Blue Jays coached by Anthony Dye
 
Coach Sansing on Wilkes 
"Taylor is a very athletic right hander who is fast twitch with a quick arm.  He is a strike thrower and pounds the bottom of the zone.  Taylor can run his fastball up to 92 and his slider is already playable at our level and the combination of both can dominate hitters. We see him being very valuable to our program because he can be a starter or be in the bullpen but whichever one it is Taylor will have success.  His competitiveness and mentality are going to excite Owl fans for years to come."

---

Joe Taylor 6'3 185 pounds | Left Handed Pitcher | Atlanta, GA | Marist School
 
Joe is a left-handed pitcher from Marist High School where he plays for Mike Strickland…Ranked as one of the Top 1000 players in the country according to Perfect Game USA…Perfect Game-East Cobb Invitational All-Tournament Team…Named to All-Tournament Team for 2015 Perfect Game WWBA 18U World Championships…Three-Year Varsity Letterman…Varsity Team Captain…Honor Roll and Dean's List…Played travel baseball with Team DeMarini GA coached by Matt McCarthy and Todd Greene
 
Coach Sansing on Taylor
"Good size left hander who is very fluid and projects extremely well. Arm works well and is athletic, also plays centerfield for a traditional powerhouse high school program.  Joe already has a high level breaking ball which definitely got our attention during the recruiting process. He is a tremendous student and comes from a solid baseball background

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University onFacebook.