About The Owls • 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 7-1.
• The Owls own a pair of national titles to their names, winning the 1994 NAIA National Championship as well as the 1996 NCAA Division II Championship, both under current head coach
Mike Sansing.
• Kennesaw State competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference, which features eight private and public institutions in the region.
The Road Ahead• The Kennesaw State University baseball team hits the road for the second consecutive week, playing four road games this week.
• The Owls will take on the Trojans of Troy Wednesday evening in Troy, Alabama at 5 p.m. CT on Riddle-Pace Field.
•KSU will then turn around and trek to Highland Heights, Kentucky to take on Northern Kentucky University for a three-game series to continue Atlantic Sun Conference play over the weekend. The Owls and the Norse will begin their series at 3 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon at Bill Aker Baseball Complex. Saturday's contest will begin at approximately 1 p.m. ET before concluding the series with a noon start on Sunday.
Coach Sansing: Mr. 1,000* Head coach
Mike Sansing achieved the extraordinary on Friday, March 27, earning his 1,000th career victory in a 5-0 win over USC Upstate.
• Coach Sansing became the 72nd NCAA Division I collegiate baseball head coach to complete the milestone; senior associate athletics director
Scott Whitlock—who also put together a 27-year career as the KSU head softball coach, referred the achievement as a "mythical milestone".
• Sansing now boosts a 1,002-535 (.652) all-time record. He began his collegiate coaching for three seasons at Shorter, compiling a 102-55 record before being announced as the skipper for the Owls on August 21, 1991.
• Sansing has two national championships, 20 Coach of the Year honors, 10 national tournament appearances and over 40 players drafted in the MLB. The program reached new heights in 2014 when it advanced to the 2014 Super Regional after defeating Alabama in the Tallahassee Regional, capping off the most successful season at the Division I level.
Play Ball• Kennesaw State enters the week 4-9 away from Stillwell Stadium this season, batting .243 (110-for-453) in 13 games. The Owls are 4-6 in non-conference road games this season and 0-3 in Atlantic Sun play.
• KSU has compiled 24 doubles, one triple and 11 homers on the road. The Owls have totaled one home run in three of their last four road games, including a homer in the final two games of the Stetson series last weekend.
• Kennesaw State owns a .318 on-base percentage in 13 road games, led by
Brennan Morgan's .362 OB%. The junior catcher has reached base safely in six straight games away from Stillwell Stadium.
• KSU's most successful inning on the road this season has been the second frame, outscoring its opponents 15-5. In fact, the Owls are 13-4 when scoring the first run this season, which gives them a big advantage when scoring early in the second inning. For the season, KSU has outscored its opponents 25-12 in the second inning and 40-21 through the first two frames of play.
• Kennesaw State totaled two more home runs last weekend against the Hatters, giving them a total of 24 in 31 games this season. It is second in the A-Sun behind only North Florida's 28 and four clear of Stetson's 20. But, the Owls have played the least amount of games compared to UNF and Stetson.
• Kennesaw State will enter the road week averaging 5.7 runs per game and 9.38 hits per game in 31 games. The Owls have totaled 14 games with at least 10 hits in a game and four games with at least 10 RBI in a game
Scouting Troy• Troy is led by head coach Bobby Pierce, who recently became the all-time winningest coach in Troy history with a 4-1 win over Alabama A&M on March 29., which was his 435
th victory.
• Pierce coaches the Trojans from 1979 to 1990, leading the team to 434 wins, six regional titles, five Gulf South Conference and two national championships.
• In all, coach Pierce has led the tam to four conference titles and four NCAA Regional appearances;. He has also produces 15 All-Americans and 42 all-conference selections.
• The Trojans own a 22-1 all-time record against Kennesaw State, dating back to 2007. Troy has won the last eight meetings against the Owls. KSU defeated the Trojans 1-0 on April 4, 2007.
• Pierce's club is led by Trevin Hall, who leads the team in batting average (.362) and slugging percentage (.533). He has 38 hits, seven doubles, one triple and three homers on the season in 27 starts.
• Logan Hill also has been a sparkplug in the Trojans lineup this season, compiling a .323 batting average in 21 starts. He has totaled 24 hits, four doubles and one homer for 18 RBI.
• Reid Long and Logan Hill leads the team with five home runs each. Long also owns four doubles and a team-leading four triples for a .556 slugging percentage.
• Ben Tidwell is scheduled to toe the rubber for Troy in Wednesday's midweek showdown. Tidwell will come into the game with a 0-0 record and a 5.01 ERA in eight appearances – three have been starts.
Where the Owls Ranks Nationally• The Owls are 35
th in the country with 138 total walks, averaging 4.45 walks per game in 31 games.
• Kennesaw State ranks 75
th in the nation with 26 double plays turned.
• KSU comes in at 44
th in the country in home runs with 24 total. It ranks second in the Atlantic Sun as the Owls average 0.77 home runs per game.
• The Owls' rotation ranks 14
th in the nation in strikeouts per game at 9.1.
Where the Owls Ranks Nationally Individually•
Jordan Hillyer, who leads the Atlantic Sun with 60 strikeouts, ranks 14
th in the country with eight starts.
• Hillyer is 21
st overall in the country with 60 strikeouts and 72
nd with fewest hits allowed per nine innings of play at 6.52.
•
Travis Bergen, who leads the Owls in innings pitched with 53.2, ranks 51
st in the nation with 53 strikeouts. Bergen and Hillyer led the A-Sun in total strikeouts for a 1-2 punch at the top of a rotation.
• Bergen is also 40
th in strikeouts per nine innings this season with 10.07.
•
Chris McGowan, who is currently batting .359 during an 11-game hitting streak, ranks 72
nd in walks (21) and 54
th in walks per game (0.78).
•
Kal Simmons, who hit one home run in all of 2014, ranks 23
rd in the country with eight home runs. He also ranks second in the conference in that category.
McGowan's Streaking • Senior first baseman
Chris McGowan is currently on an 11-game hitting streak dating back to March 21 against William & Mary.
• McGowan has three multi-hit games during the streak and has gone 14-for-39 (.359) at the plate. He has compiled three doubles and home run one and 13 runs scored with 12 walks.
• For the season, McGowan is batting .258 (24-for-93) with six doubles, one triple and one home run. He has compiled seven RBI and 15 walks.
Erwin's Slam •
Chris Erwin hit his first collegiate grand slam Saturday (April 4) afternoon, giving the sophomore a new career-high four RBI in a single game.
• Erwin now has two home runs on the season, with his first collegiate homer on March 14 against Winthrop. Both of his homers have been on the road. Erwin has one double, two homers and seven RBI away from Stillwell Stadium this season.
• In all, Erwin is batting .313 with 36 hits, four doubles, two home runs and 22 RBI in 27 starts.
Up Next• Kennesaw State will return to five home games next week, welcoming Savannah State and Georgia to town for back-to-back non-conference midweek showdowns. The Owls will then play host to Florida Golf Coast University for a three-game set at Stillwell Stadium, returning to Atlantic Sun Conference action.
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
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
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