| KENNESAW STATE BASEBALL UPCOMING SCHEDULE |
| Tues, March 24 | vs. Georgia Southern | Stillwell Stadium, Kennesaw, Ga. | L, 4-8 | Release | |
| Wed, March 25 | at Georgia | Foley Field, Athens, Ga. | L, 5-9 | Release | |
| Frid, March 27 | vs. USC Upstate | Stillwell Stadium, Kennesaw, Ga. | 6 p.m. ET | Live Stats | Audio |
| Sat, March 28 | vs. USC Upstate | Stillwell Stadium, Kennesaw, Ga. | 2 p.m. ET | Live Stats | |
| Sun, March 29 | vs. USC Upstate | Stillwell Stadium, Kennesaw, Ga. | 1 p.m. ET | Live Stats | Audio |
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About The Owls • Kennesaw State comes enters the weekend with an even 12-12 record after 24 games this season after dropping two midweek games against Georgia Southern and Georgia.
• The Kennesaw State University baseball program are in the midst of its 32nd season of varsity play in 2015.
• The Owls are in the midst of its 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
Coach Sansing ONE 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' 12 wins this season, Sansing now sits only one 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 there, former KSU All-American
Max Pentecost was voted Collegiate Athlete of the Year, presented by AT&T.
Play Ball• Kennesaw State returns to the diamond after playing two midweek games on March 24 and 25 against Georgia Southern and Georgia, respectively. The Owls will open Atlantic Sun Conference play against USC Upstate at Stillwell Stadium on March 27-29.
• KSU is 33-7 all-time against the Spartans, going 5-0 against them over its last five meetings. The Owls, in fact, are 8-2 against USC Upstate over their last 10 meetings.
• The Owls enter the weekend batting .270 (223-for-825) as a team, compiling 43 doubles, three triples and 20 home runs this season.
• Kennesaw State is leading the Atlantic Sun with 20 homers, which is two clear of North Florida's 18. The Owls are tied for 35
th in the nation averaging 0.83 home runs per game. In fact, KSU is tied for third in the A-Sun with 66 total extra base hits on the year.
• The Owls continue to jump on their opponents early during a contest, outscoring opposing teams by a 25-11 margin in the second inning. KSU also have found success in the sixth and seventh innings, outscoring opponents by a combined 38-18 margin in those frames.
• Kennesaw State is 11-1 when leading after the sixth inning and 12-1 when leading after the seventh frame, proving its 38-18 margin in those innings beneficiary.
• The Owls are 11-2 this season when out-hitting an opponent, but are only 1-10 when getting out-hit in a game.
• With KSU entering league play over the weekend against USC Upstate, they will look to continue its success it had last season against the A-Sun. The Owls have reeled off 19 consecutive wins, including the conference tournament, against Atlantic Sun opponents.
• During that stretch, the Owls batted .344 (236-for-686) as a team, compiling 37 doubles, nine triples and 16 home runs to help earn their first-ever Division I championship in 2014.
* The Owls' record sat at 2-9 in conference play before the streak, batting .269 (101-for-376) as a team, compiling just 3 doubles, three triples and five homers before they started the hot streak.
•
Alex Liquori batted .500 (41-for-82) during the 19-game win streak against conference foes, totaling seven doubles, one triple and five homers. He also batted in 25 runs, totaled 65 bases and compiled a .793 slugging percentage.
•
Brennan Morgan also has a strong showing during last year's stretch of 19 consecutive wins against A-Sun opponents, batting .352 (19-for-54), recording one triple and two home runs for 15 RBI in 13 starts.
*
Jordan Hillyer and
Travis Bergen led the Owls' rotations during last year's stretch. Hillyer compiled a 5-0 record with an ERA of 2.77. He struck out 35 batters and held his opponents to a .232 batting average. Meanwhile, Bergen went 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA. The left-handed pitcher struck out 27 batters during the stretch.
Scouting USC Upstate• USC Upstate will come to town with an overall record of 8-17. The Spartans are coming off a pair of midweek losses against Presbyterian and Winthrop. The Spartans are currently on a six-game losing steak with their last win coming against Charleston Southern in an 8-2 final on March 18.
• Head coach Matt Fincher entered his 18
th season at the helm of the Spartan baseball program, entering the weekend with an overall record of 398-556.
• Kennesaw State has won the past five games against USC Upstate, outscoring the Spartans 34-3 in those games.
• Coach Fincher was voted Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year in 2012 following a 33-20 overall record and 16-10 mark in conference play.
• Zach Krider, who ranks fifth in the A-Sun with a batting average of .378, leads Upstate offensive attack at the plate. He has totaled seven doubles and two home runs for 20 RBI. He is currently slugging .554 on the season with 11 walks for a .448 on-base percentage.
•Daniel Fickas is batting .308 on the year for the Spartans, compiling a team-leading 32 hits and has added four doubles on the season.
• Charlie Carpenter owns a team-leading 24 RBI on the season, batting .290 on the season. He has also compiled seven doubles, three triples and one home run.
• Brian Boocock is expected to make the start on Friday night for the Spartans. Boocock has started in six games on the mound, totaling a 3-3 record and an ERA of 4.31. He has 32 strikeouts and 12 walks, holding his opponents to a .274 batting average.
• Blake Whitney will toe the rubber for Upstate Saturday afternoon. He is 1-1 on the season with a 5.00 ERA in four starts. Whitney has totaled 28 strikeouts to 14 walks, while opposing teams have hit .300 against him.
• Zach Manuppelli will be scheduled to toss the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. He is 1-2 with a 6.26 ERA on the season in two starts.
Greeson Named Atlantic Sun Player of the Week•
Corey Greeson was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Week on Monday (March 23) afternoon.
• It was Greeson's first career Atlantic Sun Player of the Week award.
• Greeson totaled eight hits with four doubles in a 3-1 week for KSU. The junior also recorded hits in every game including three multi-hit contests.
• Greeson finished the week with a .571 batting average and a .857 slugging percentage, totaling six runs and three RBI for the week.
• In all, Greeson is batting .268 with 11 hits, four doubles and two home runs. He also has nine RBI and 21 total bases for a team-leading .618 slugging percentage.
Hillyer's Awards• Junior right-handed pitcher
Jordan Hillyer also earned his first career Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week honors Monday (March 23) afternoon.
• Hillyer tossed a career-high 13 strikeouts against William and Mary in a 3-2 win on Friday night.
• He now leads the A-Sun in strikeouts this season with 46.
• Hillyer also was tabbed one of seven Louisville Slugger Player of the Week, honors on March 23, 2015.
• In all, Hillyer is an even 2-2 of the season with an ERA of 2.34 in 34.2 innings of work on the mound. He has logged 46 strikeouts to 22 walks while holding opponents to a .197 batting average.
• Hillyer is scheduled to toe the rubber this Friday in the Atlantic Sun opener against USC Upstate.
Grant William's Attack • The freshman second baseman has been playing well all season. He is currently batting .313 on the season with 21 hits, two doubles and 10 RBI.
• William's recent success at the plate has him batting .500 at the plate over the last five games. He has totaled at least one hit in each game, giving him his longest hitting streak in his young Owl career.
• Over the five game stretch, Williams has 10 hits, two doubles and four RBI in 20 at-bats to boast a .500 batting average.
"The Kal Show" Simmons *
Kal Simmons, who hails from Nashville, Georgia, has returned to the lineup for the Owls following an impressive 2014 campaign.
• The preseason all-conference selection has impressed thus far, batting .302 (29-for-96) on the season. Simmons has recorded four double and seven home runs –which is tied at the top of the Atlantic Sun.
• The junior shortstop has recorded a home run in each of the Owls' weekend series on the season, helping him reach 20 RBI on the season through 24 games –which is a team high in that category.
• Simmons has recorded at least one hit in 10 of Kennesaw State's first 13 games. The junior shortstop has four three-hit games, while recording multiple two-hit games to bump his on-base percentage to .391.
Up Next• Kennesaw State will take on Western Carolina on Tuesday, March 31 at 6 p.m. on the campus of KSU. It will be the second game of a home-and-home series between the two teams. WCU defeated the Owls by a 5-4 final, marking the first time since 2006 the two teams played a one-run game –it was their four one-run game in the all-time series.
• The Owls will then trek to Deland, Florida to continue Atlantic Sun play, taking on the Hatters of Stetson for a three-game set on April 2-4.
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).
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news follow the team on Twitter
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