THE BASICS
Records: Kennesaw State (28-25, 16-4), FGCU (24-29, 9-11)
Final Score: KSU 7, FGCU 1
Starting Pitching Matchup: RHP Kenton Hering vs. LHP Mason Ward
Key Players: Jeremy Howell (2-for-4, 5 RBI); Justin Motley (2-for-4, RBI); Jake Franklin (2-for-4, RBI); Mason Ward (4.2IP, 4K)
 
Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (XML)

THE STORYLINE: 
· Kennesaw State claimed its seventh straight ASUN series Friday night, defeating FGCU at Swanson Stadium 7-1, and became the first team since 2010 to win each conference series in the regular season.
· The win solidified KSU's outright regular championship, as neither Jacksonville nor North Florida can catch the Owls' 16 wins with one day remaining.
· With the win, the Owls improved to 28-25 overall and 16-4 in ASUN action, while FGCU dropped to 24-29 overall and 9-11 in league play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: 
· Junior third baseman Jeremy Howell lit up the scoreboard with a three-run homer in the top half of the fourth to break the scoreless ballgame – marking his second career home run.
· Pitching with a 3-0 lead, left-hander Mason Ward earned his fifth start of the season and was solid in 4.2 innings of work.
· The lefty allowed just one run on six scattered hits, while striking out four Eagles during his outing.
· After FGCU scored a run in the home half of the fourth, the 3-1 lead remained true for the Owls until the eighth frame as KSU plated a crooked four runs to take a commanding 7-1 lead into the final innings.
· Howell's two-out double scored a pair –giving him a career-high five RBI—, and was the start of a three-hit RBI flurry as Jake Franklin and Justin Motley contributed in the fame.
· The six-run lead proved to be enough as the Owls' bullpen held the Eagles scoreless over 4.1 innings –Logan Hutchinson, Brian Exley and Erich Stahl all saw action in the game.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 
· Kennesaw State has secured the outright 2016 ASUN regular championship.
· Kennesaw State secured the ASUN series over FGCU with the win, marking the first time in program history the Owls have beat the Eagles in a three-game set.   
· For the first time in program history, Kennesaw State won every ASUN series since joining the league in 2006.
· Jeremy Howell hit his second home run of the season Friday night, and both of his home runs in his career have come in 2016 – and recorded a career-high five RBI.
· With Williams' single in the sixth, the sophomore has extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
· Justin Motley recorded his fourth extra base hit for the series with a double in the seventh inning.
· For the 32nd time this season, the Owls have produced 10 or more hits in a single ballgame.
 
UP NEXT
 The Owls will wrap up the regular season at Swanson Stadium Saturday afternoon, taking on FGCU at 12 p.m. ET.