KENNESAW STATE BASEBALL UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tues, March 10	at Georgia State	GSU Baseball Complex, Atlanta, Ga.	L, 3-13
Sat, March 14	at Winthrop	Winthrop Ballpark, Rock Hill, S.C.	2 p.m. ET	Live Stats	Video
Sat, March 14	at Winthrop	Winthrop Ballpark, Rock Hill, S.C.	5 p.m. ET	Live Stats	Video
Sun, March 15	at Winthrop	Winthrop Ballpark, Rock Hill, S.C.	2 p.m. ET	Live Stats	Video

About The Owls
• Kennesaw State will enter the week with an overall record of 8-6 after dropping a midweek affair to Georgia State on Tuesday (March 10) evening.
• The Kennesaw State baseball program are in the midst of its 32^nd season of varsity play in 2015.
• The Owls are in the midst of their 10th season in the Atlantic Sun Conference, joining the Division I ranks in 2006. Kennesaw State entered the season with an all-time record of 1,114-651-2 (.631) in 31 seasons.
• The Black and Gold entered the season with an all-time record of 265-231 (.534) in the A-Sun since joining the league in 2006.
• KSU won the school's first-ever Division I Championship in 2014, defeating Lipscomb in the title game by a score of 7-1 to capture its first-ever banner in the D-I ranks.
* The Owls went on to make history, becoming the second-ever Atlantic Sun team to reach the NCAA Super Regionals after defeating Alabama and Georgia Southern in the Tallahassee Regional in 2014.
* The Black and Gold feature two captains for the 2015 season. Redshirt-senior Chris McGowan and junior LHP Travis Bergen will lead the Owls selected by the team to serve as captains.
 
Head Coach Mike Sansing and the Owls Staff
* Head coach Mike Sansing began his 24th season at the helm of the Owls, entering the season with a career mark of 885-464 (.656) as the manager.
* Sansing's three assistant coaches return for another season with the Owls in 2015. Kevin Erminio enters his ninth season as the assistant head coach and pitching coach, while Derek Simmons and Trey Fowler each return for their third season under Sansing. Assistant athletic trainer Chris Archambeault also returns to Kennesaw State's dugout for his eighth season.
 
Coach Sansing FIVE Away From Career Milestone
* Head coach Mike Sansing entered the season with 987-career wins, sitting 13 victories shy of 1,000.
• Sansing's coaching career began at Shorter from 1989-91, accumulating 102 wins in three seasons. His career record at Shorter finished at an impressive 102-55 (.650).
• Coach Sansing's clubhouse leadership carried over to Kennesaw State in 1992 and is now in his 24th season at the helm of the program in 2015. He has over 27 years of coaching experience through the NAIA ranks, Division II level and now Division I ranks at KSU.
• With the Owls' eight wins throughout the early parts of the 2015 season, the manager now sits only five shy of the career milestone.
* Coach Sansing's strong leadership in the clubhouse has not gone unnoticed, leading multiple players to Atlantic Sun Conference honors and beyond. Most recently, coach Sansing led Max Pentecost to the Johnny Bench Award and a First Team All-American selection in 2014.
• Speaking of success, coach Sansing and the Owls recently added to their trophy showcase at the Atlanta Sports Awards on March 5. KSU was honored as the Team of the Year, presented by PrimeSport.
• It didn't end their, former KSU All-American Max Pentecost was voted Collegiate Athlete of the Year, presented by AT&T.
 
Play Ball
• Kennesaw State returned to action Tuesday evening, taking on the Panthers at the GSU Baseball Complex in midweek action.
• The Owls lost to Georgia State by a 13-3 score in their second midweek game of the season.
• Alex Liquori had his best outing of the season against the Panthers, finishing the game 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
   In all, for the season, Liquori is batting .209 on the season with one double and two home runs.
* Freshman Grant Williams, who is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, returned to his hometown and finished the game 1-for-4 batting in the leadoff spot. Williams compiled two RBI and a walk in the game.
• Kennesaw State is batting a respectful .288 as a team in five road games thus far. The Owls have totaled 14 doubles and five home runs on the season away from Stillwell Stadium.
• KSU has compiled a .446 slugging percentage on the road, compared to a .403 slugging percentage at home.
* The Owls failed to hit a home run for the third consecutive game on Tuesday against the Panthers. But, Kennesaw State still leads the Atlantic Sun with 14 total home runs on the season, two clear of USC Upstate.
• Kennesaw State is just outside of the top 10 in total home runs with 14. Oregon State and Oklahoma are tied for first in the nation with 21 homers, while the Owls sit tied for 11th with 14.
• The Owls, however, are 10th in the nation averaging 1.08 home runs per game –which also ranks atop of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
• The Owls' starting rotation of Jordan Hillyer, Travis Bergen and Gabe Friese allowed four earned runs in 20.1 innings of work combined. The three-headed monster also struck out a combined 17 UAB batters, while walking only four.
 
Scouting Winthrop
• Winthrop, who competes in the Big South Conference, has started the 2015 season at a fast pace, winning 11 of its first 15 games. The Eagles, who is coached by Tom Riginos, welcome the Owls to town for a three-game set at the Winthrop Ballpark.
• This will mark the first meeting between the two program since Kennesaw State joined the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2006.
• Coach Riginos entered his fifth season at the helm of the program. The skipper entered the season with an overall record of 92-131.
• Coach Riginos became just the third head coach in the program's history when he was announced as the manager on August 4, 2010.
•Anthony Paulsen leads the Eagles at the plate, compiling a team-leading .370 batting average on 20 hits. He also has totaled seven doubles, one triple and one home run for nine RBI.
• Brad Kaczka followed Paulsen with a .360 batting average (18-for-50) on the season. He has compiled two doubles for eight RBI in 13 starts.
• Babe Thomas leads the Eagles in walks with 16 for Winthrop. He currently has a team-best .500 on-base percentage and three steals.
• The Eagles' pitchers who have made four starts –Matt Crohan, Zach Sightler and Sam Kmiec— are a combined 6-2 with a combined 77 strikeouts.
• Matt Crohan is 1-1 with an ERA of 1.59. He has logged 17.0 innings of work on the mound, allowing 14 hits and three earned runs while striking out 22 opposing batters.
• Zach Sightler is 3-0 with 27.2 innings on the hill. Sightler has struck out 19 hits and has allowed five earned runs.
 
Left In Control
• Left-handed pitcher Travis Bergen has made four appearances (all starts) for the Owls this season.
• Bergen's first win of the season came against Jacksonville State in the second game –first of the doubleheader—of the series. He pitched 7.0 strong innings on the hill , allowing one run (unearned) and struck out five Gamecocks to help the Owls take a 4-2 win.
• The lefty from McDonough, Georgia followed his act with a strong showing against UCONN at Stillwell Stadium on Feb. 28. Despite being credited with the loss, Bergen threw 7.0 strong innings allowing four runs on just five hits while striking out eight Husky batters –which fell one shy of tying his career high in a single game.
• Bergen's last start against UAB on Saturday afternoon was arguably his best of the season. He tossed 6.2 innings of work, allowing one unearned run on seven hits. Bergen struck out five Blazers and secured the weekend series for the Owls.
• In all, the junior pitcher is 2-2 with a 2.55 ERA, and is third on the team with 20 strikeouts.
 
Mr. "Freeze"
* Sophomore pitcher Gabe Friese, who hails from Kennesaw, Georgia, has also made four starts like Bergen to begin the season.
• Friese earned his first win of the season in his first start of the season against a tough St. John's opponent on Feb. 14. He threw five innings on the hill, allowing no runs and just five hits to help Kennesaw State earn a 10-5 win.
• The right-handed pitcher has been strong over his last two starts, throwing 6.0 innings against UCONN to earn his second win of the season, while tossing 7.2 strong innings against UAB in a no decision.
• In all, Friese is 2-1 on the year with a 2.38 ERA. He has allowed six earned runs on 23 hits and struck out 17 opposing batters.
 
Hillyer Strong On The Hill
* Jordan Hillyer has also been a catalyst on the mound for the Owls this season, making four starts.
• Hillyer earned his first win of the season against UAB in front of the Owl faithful at Stillwell Stadium on March 6. He went six innings, allowing one run and struck out seven UAB batters.
• On the year, Hillyer leads the team with 24 strikeouts and is second on the team with a .169 opponent batting average against. The junior has tossed 18.2 innings in four appearances, allowing only six earned runs on 12 hits.
 
Howell-ing For More
• Sophomore Jeremy Howell has been steady for the entire season, batting .359 (14-for-39) with a team-high five doubles. He also has nine RBI and 19 total bases for a .487 slugging percentage. Howell is also second on the team with six walks.
• Howell had his best showing this season against the Gamecocks, going 6-for-13 (.462) at the plate. The sophomore had four extra base hits and five RBI, including 10 total bases and two runs scored.
• Howell fell a home run shy of hitting for the cycle during the Owls' 14-8 win Friday against Jacksonville State. His three hits were part of an 18-hit outburst against the Gamecocks, posting season highs of 14 runs and 18 hits as a team.
 
Liquori's Strong Game
• Junior Alex Liquori had arguably his best game for the season against Georgia State last Tuesday (March 10) evening.
• The left-handed outfielder went 3-for-4 at the plate for coach Sansing against the Panthers, bumping his average up to .209 in 12 starts.
On the year, Liquori is batting .209 with one double, two home runs and five RBI. He also has 16 total bases and a seven walks for a .320 on-base percentage.  
 
 Makin' Gaines
* Griffin "Gaines" Helms also made his collegiate debut against St. John's on Feb. 14.
* Helms finished the game 1-for3 (.333) with a two-run homer to deep left field, marking his first collegiate hit.
• Helms continued his strong start against Mercer on Wednesday (Feb. 18), going 2-for-5 (.400) with two RBI in his start in left field.
• Griffin "Gaines" Helms made his collegiate debut behind the dish Sunday (March 8) afternoon against the Blazers, going 1-for-3 with a run scored in the contest.
* For the season, the freshman left fielder has compiled a .261 averaged with six hits and a home run. He has totaled one hit over his last two games.
 
Williams Right At Home
* Freshman Grant Williams has recently played well for the Owls, batting .286 (4-for-14) through his last four games – three of the games where starts and his fourth appearance was a pinch hit against UAB on March 8.
• Williams compiled two RBI when he singled up the middle against the Panthers last Tuesday, helping the Owls take an early lead in the game.
• In all, Williams is batting .229 (8-for-35) on the season with five RBI and eight total bases.  
 
Notable Owl Accolades in 2014
* The Kennesaw State baseball team entered the 2015 season having won 26 of their last 29 games of the season. That trend continued over opening weekend, winning two of their first three games of the season – now having won 28 of their past 32 games dating back to 2014.
* The Black and Gold won a school record 40 wins in 2014 coming off their unprecedented postseason run to the NCAA Super Regionals.
* The Owls also played a D-I school record 64 games in 2014. KSU also posted a program's record of 16 consecutive games won from April 6-May 1 of 2014.
* KSU won the first-ever D-I Championship in school's history last season, defeating Lipscomb 7-1 in the Atlantic Sun Championship to secure the title.
* Kennesaw State also made history last season becoming the second team in A-Sun history to reach the NCAA Super Regionals after capturing the A-Sun Championship followed by the Tallahassee Regional with wins vs. Alabama and Georgia Southern. Entering the Super Regional vs. Louisville, KSU won 26 of their previous 28 games.
 
Owls In The MLB
* KSU totaled four players – Max Pentecost, Bo Way, Justin McCalvin and James Connell— that were selected in the 2014 MLB Draft.
* It marked the seventh consecutive year at least one Owl was selected in the MLB Draft; with three years (2009, 2013 and 2014) four Owls were selected.
* Max Pentecost, who was honored as First Team All-American and Johnny Bench Award winner in 2014, was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round (11th overall), which marks the highest selection in Owl history.
 
Owls Picked First In Atlantic Sun
* Kennesaw State was picked to finish first in the A-Sun in the preseason coaches' poll, voted by the league's eight head coaches. The Owls received 61 points and six of eight first-place votes.
* The preseason A-Sun coaches' selection, which projected the Owls to finish first in the league, was the first time the Black and Gold were selected to finish at the top of the league since joining the conference in 2006.
 
Preseason Polls
* Kennesaw State enters the 2015 season ranked No. 19 in the Baseball America poll (Jan. 26, 2015). It marks the first time in program history the Owls are ranked in preseason polls since becoming D-I in 2006.
* The Owls will open the 2015 season ranked No. 27 in the preseason Collegiate Baseball Division I poll following an unprecedented run to the NCAA Super Regional a year ago.
* KSU also appeared in the Perfect Game Top-25 Preseason Poll, entering the season ranked No. 24. The Owls joined UC Santa Barbara (18) and Cal State Fullerton (19) as the only mid-major programs in the preseason poll.

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Season tickets are currently on sale for the full 29-game home schedule at $39 per ticket. Single-game tickets are also available at $6 for adults and $4 for youth (ages 3-12). Group tickets for 10 or more people are available for advanced purchase, excluding the Georgia (Feb. 17), Georgia Tech (Mar. 17) and Georgia Southern (Mar. 24) games when individual tickets will be $10 for adults and $6 for youth. To order season tickets click here, or contact the KSU Athletic Ticket Office at 470-578-OWLS (6957).

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