KENNESAW STATE BASEBALL UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Fri, March 6	vs UAB	Stillwell Stadium, Kennesaw, Ga.	4 p.m. ET	Live Stats
Sat, March 7	vs UAB	Stillwell Stadium, Kennesaw, Ga.	2 p.m. ET	Live Stats	Radio
Sun, March 8	vs UAB	Stillwell Stadium, Kennesaw, Ga.	1 p.m. ET	Live Stats	Radio
Wed, March 11	at Georgia State	GSU Baseball Complex, Atlanta, Ga	6 p.m. ET	Live Stats	Radio

Batting Practice
• The Kennesaw State University baseball program are in the midst of its 32nd season of varsity play in 2015. The Owls have played 10 games thus far, entering the weekend with a 6-4 overall record.
• 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 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.
* Head coach Mike Sansing began his 24th season at the helm of the Black and Gold, entering the season with a career mark of 885-464 (.656) as the manager of the Owls.
* 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 the Black and Gold's bench for his eighth season.
* 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.

Coach Sansing Seven 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 102-55 (.650).
• Coach Sansing's clubhouse leadership carried over to Kennesaw State in 1992 and entered his 24th season in 2015 with the Owls.
• With the Owls' six wins throughout the early parts of the 2015 season, the manager now sits only seven 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.

Leading Off
• The Owls will enter week four of the season with a 6-4 overall record.
• KSU snapped its three-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory over visiting UCONN on Sunday (March 1) afternoon.
• Kennesaw State now sits at 3-3 at "The Shake" in front of its home fans, where the Owls are averaging 5.3 runs per game.
• The Owls will continue their six-game homestand, welcoming the University of Alabama Birmingham to town for a non-conference weekend series at Stillwell Stadium. It will mark the last time KSU plays at home until March 17 when they welcome in-state rival Georgia Tech to campus.
• The last time KSU took on the Blazers of UAB was back in 2011. Kennesaw State defeated UAB by a 3-1 score on Feb. 22, before dropping a 5-3 decision on April 12. The Owls finished 32-25 overall in 2011, and went 18-13 in the Atlantic Sun.
• Kennesaw State is batting .250 at home this season, with 17 extra base hits and a league-leading seven home runs on its own grass. The Owls has plated 32 runs at Stillwell Stadium and 30 RBI.
• Meanwhile, the Owls are batting .307 on the road this season with 18 extra base hits and outscoring their opponents by a 30-32 margin.
• The Owls are leading the A-Sun with 12 home runs on the season as a team, which is four clear of the closest competitor in the conference. KSU is 5-3 this season when hitting at least one home run in a game.
• In fact, Kennesaw State has hit at least one home run in eight of its first 10 games, with four games totaling two long balls.
• KSU is currently ranked third in the Atlantic Sun in extra base hits with 35 total, which trails Stetson's 42 and Jacksonville's 36. However, the Owls have played three games less than Stetson, and two games less than Jacksonville.
 
Around The Bases
* After scoring three runs over the first two games against UCONN last weekend, the Owls exploded for six runs in the series finale to defeat the Huskies by a 6-1 score.
• Kennesaw State again showcased its power at the plate during Sunday's contest, adding it its league-leading home run total. The Owls also totaled a double and six RBI in the game, helping them snap a three-game losing streak.
• Speaking of home runs, Kennesaw State is sixth in the NATION averaging 1.20 home runs per game. In fact, the Owls are eighth in the NATION with 12 total home runs, which trails Texas A&M and Nevada's 17 home runs for most in the country.
• The Owls out-hit UCONN 8-6 during Sunday's win, and now sits with a 6-1 record when out-hitting an opponent in a game. Kennesaw State has only been out-hit by an opponent three times, losing each game.
• Kennesaw State also scored the first run in Sunday's contest, helping them take the series finale. The Owls are 6-0 when scoring the first run of the game. In fact, the Owls are a perfect 6-0 when holding a lead after the seventh inning, proving to have strong pitching in the bullpen to secure victories while holding a lead late in the game.
• Kennesaw State has jumped on its opponents early in a game, outscoring opposing teams by a dominant 12-4 total in the second inning. The Owls also are staying strong in the middle of the game, outscoring opponents by a 17-10 margin in the sixth and seventh inning frames.

Scouting the Blazers
* The Owls will welcome the Blazers of UAB to two for a three-game non-conference weekend series at Stillwell Stadium.
• The last time Kennesaw State played the Blazers was back in 2011, where the two teams split the regular season series.   
• Kennesaw State holds an 8-5 all-time record against the Blazers dating back to 2006 when the Owls turned D-I by joining the Atlantic Sun.
• UAB will come to town with an 8-2 overall record in the young parts of the 2015 season. The Blazers began the season by sweeping Mid-American Conference foe Western Michigan to jumpstart their season to a 3-0 record.  UAB then continued its strong start to the 2015 season by sweeping Savannah State in a three-game weekend series, outscoring them by a 29-7 advantage. The Blazers are coming off a 2-1 weekend against Ohio State and recently lost a midweek game to Alabama State.
• The Blazers are coached by Brian Shoop, who is entering his ninth season at the helm of the program. Shoop entered the 2015 season with a 229-233 overall record.
• Nathan Vincent leads the Blazers' offense, compiling a .389 batting average in nine games this season. Vincent has totaled 14 hits and four extra base hits, including eight RBI and a team-leading 21 total bases. He will enter the weekend with a .583 slugging percentage and a .436 on-base percentage/
• Adam Smith also leads the UAB Blazers with a .351 batting average, compiling 13 hits and three extra base hits on the season. His eight RBI ties the Blazers for the most on the team with Nathan Vincent.
• Alex Luna (2-0), James Naile (3-0) and Johnny Lieske (1-0) lead the UAB rotation, combining for a 6-0 record. Naile leads the staff with a 0.43 ERA, while Luna is right behind him with a 1.12 ERA.
• UAB's pitching staff has held its opponents to a .183 batting average, striking out 70 total batters on the season while issuing only 34 walks.

Captain Morgan At The Dish
* Morgan's start to the season at the plate is no surprise. The junior catcher is batting .367 in nine games for the Owls.
• Morgan is leading the team with 10 RBI on the season, while holding a team-high .700 slugging percentage.
• Morgan finished the second week of the season (Feb. 18-21) 7-for-15 (.466) with two home runs and six RBI to lead the Owls' offense to a 3-1 week.
• The Peachtree City native holds a .512 on-base percentage, walking nine times and 21 total bases thus far in the season.
• Morgan will enter the weekend against UAB with a three-game hitting streak. Over his last three games, Morgan has gone 7-for-12 at the plate with three runs scored.

 Motley's Bases
• Redshirt-junior Justin Motley has started in center field in each game for the Owls in 2015, which is one of two Owls that has started in all 10 games.
• Motley has totaled at least one hit in eight of the first 10 games. Motley held a season-high five-game hitting streak from Feb. 20-27.
• In fact, Motley has reached base in each of the first eight games for the Owls for a .343 on-base percentage.
• In all, Motley has 16 total bases and a .267 batting average. The junior also has four doubles and two stolen bases.

Left In Control
• Left-handed pitcher Travis Bergen controlled game one of the twinbill against Jacksonville State (Feb 21), pitching 7.0 strong innings of work to earn his first victory of the season.
• The lefty from McDonough, Georgia, allowed one run (unearned) on three hits and struck out five Gamecocks on his way to earn the decision. Bergen now sits at 1-2 with a 3.50 ERA on the young season.

Mr. "Freeze"
* Sophomore pitcher Gabe Friese made his season debut on the mound in game three against St. John's on opening weekend.
* The sophomore from Kennesaw, Georgia tossed 5.0 scoreless innings to earn his first victory of the season.
* Friese struck out two batters and allowed only two hits in the performance, helping the Owls defeat the Red Storm by a 10-5 score to earn a doubleheader split.
• Friese then had arguably his best outing in 2015 against UCONN on March 1. The righty tossed 6.0 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits. The sophomore had seven strikeouts on the day, which is one shy of his career high.
* Friese, overall, has a 1.80 ERA in 15.0 innings of work on the mound. He has allowed 18 total huts while striking out 12 batters.

Howell-ing For More
• Sophomore Jeremy Howell has started in nine of the 10 games at third base for the Owls.
• Howell leads the team with a .387 batting average, compiling 12 hits, five doubles and seven RBI. He also has 17 total bases and a .548 slugging percentage.
• 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 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.

Erwin Hot
• Chris Erwin, who serves as an outfielder and pitcher for head coach Mike Sansing, had his best weekend of the season against UCONN.
• Erwin went 7-for-12 at the plate, including an RBI on the weekend to lead the Owls offensively at the plate. He reached base safely in each of those games and batted a team-best .583 for the three games.
• The lefty also pitched three scoreless innings in relief to secure a 6-1 decision over UCONN last Sunday (March 1), helping Kennesaw State take the series finale.
• In all, the lefty is batting .345 on the season with one double and one RBI. He also has logged 10.2 innings of work on the mound, compiling a 0.84 ERA and 13 strikeouts on the season.

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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