After defeating SEC foe Georgia Tuesday evening in Athens, Kennesaw State turns its attention towards Middle Tennessee for a three-game weekend series in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Owls and Blue Raiders begin their series with a 3 p.m. start on Friday at Reese Smith Jr. Field. All three games can be seen live on CUSA.TV.

ON DECK

1. After falling to a 1-2 mark over opening weekend, Kennesaw State has rebounded nicely taking four of its past five games. The Owls is outscoring opponents 38-13 over the past five games and riding a three game winning streak into Murfreesboro.
2. Kennesaw State defeated SEC in-state opponent Georgia Tuesday evening in Athens, 5-4, and won at Foley Field in back-to-back seasons for just the second time in program history (2013-14). The Owls have won four of their past five games in Athens during the stretch.
3. The Owls are 4-1 over the past five games, batting .319 at the plate, totaling 15 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 33 RBI throughout the stretch. KSU is slugging .495 and has compiled a .396 on-base percentage over the five games.
4. Kennesaw State's pitching staff has been locked in as well, totaling a 2.20 ERA as a staff and 54 strikeouts over 45.0 innings. The pitching staff has surrendered just 29 hits and has held opponents to a .181 batting average.
5. The Owls travel to Middle Tennessee to take on the Blue Raiders for the 10, 11 and 12^th time in programs' history. MT holds a 6-3 all-time series lead, but the two teams are an even 3-3 over the past two series meetings (2013, 2016).
6. Junior duo of Austin Upshaw and Taylor Allum have produced a combined 22 hits, five doubles, six home runs, 20 RBI and 19 runs over their first eight games to lead the Owls offensively. The two are hitting a combined 22-for-60 (.366) and have competed in all eight games.
7. Four relievers –Brock Turner, Will Bice, Brian Exley and Taylor Wilkes—lead the pitching staff with four appearances each. The four have combined to allow eight runs on 13 hits, while striking out 27 in 18.0 innings of work.
8. The Owls return 26 members from 2016, a team that won 17 games in the ASUN and became the first team since 2010 (FGCU) to win each regular-season conference series.
9. Head Coach Mike Sansing is back for his 26^th season with the Black and Gold. He is the second-youngest coach on the 1,000-win list, and is one of 13 active coaches with 1,000 victories who have coaches at least 10 seasons of D-I baseball.

HISTORY WITH THE BLUE RAIDERS

• Kennesaw State and Middle Tennessee have met three times (2013, 2014 & 2016), with the Blue Raiders holding a slight 6-3 series advantage.
• The Blue Raiders took the first four games of the all-time series matchup, but the Owls have responded by winning three of the last five contest –outscoring MT 30-19 the last five games.
• This will mark the fourth weekend series between the two teams over the past five seasons.
• MT took two of three at Stillwell Stadium in 2016, earning a series-opening 9-3 victory, dropping a 7-0 affair and winning the finale in the 10^th inning by a score of 8-6.

1-2 PUNCH

• Junior teammates Austin Upshaw and Taylor Allum have produced for the Owls offensively through eight games, totaling 22 hits, five doubles, six home runs, 20 RBI and 19 runs. The two are hitting a combined 22-for-60 (.366) and have competed in all eight games.
• Allum, a Grayson, Ga., native, is having a career year thus far, batting .346 (9-for-26) with a team-high, and career high, four home runs. Allum has totaled at least one hit in five of his eight games played, including a 2-for-3 outburst with a grand slam on Opening Day versus Western Michigan.
• Upshaw, a Buford, Ga., native, leads the team with 12 hits and 13 runs, and also leads the team with five doubles and ranks second on the roster with nine RBI.
• The first baseman has totaled at least one hit in seven of his first eight games and has scored a run in seven games. His five-run game on Opening Day versus Western Michigan tied a school record for most runs scored in a single game.
• Upshaw was a unanimous ASUN Preseason All-Conference selection.