GAME DAY INFORMATION
Opponent: West Virginia / UIC / Richmond
Date:  Feb. 15, 16, 17
Time: 2:30 p.m. / 2 p.m. / 1 p.m.
Location: Stillwell Stadium

Live Stats (vs. West Virginia)
Live Stats (vs. UIC)
Live Stats (vs. Richmond)

Watch (All games) 

KSU Notes

Leadoff

•  The Owls are coming off a 25-30 2018 campaign in which Kennesaw State finished third in the ASUN conference. 

• Tyler Simon and Terence Norman were selections for the 2019 ASUN Preseason All-Conference team. Last season, Norman was tabbed a First Team All-Conference player while Simon was named to the Second Team.

•  Kennesaw State is looking to win it's third-straight opening contest. In 2017, the Owls beat Western Michigan 17-4, and last season, the Owls picked up a win over UCONN 7-3.

•  KSU started 2018 strong, and found itself sitting at 24-18 on April 27. Vying for another conference championship, the Owls  dropped their final 12 out of 13 games, with the sole win coming against NJIT (7-2).

• Despite the late-season struggles, the Owls finished in third place and made it into the ASUN tournament, but fell to North Florida (7-1) and Stetson (2-1).

• The pitching staff for the Owls is the most experienced group for the 2019 Kennesaw State squad. 15 out of the 19 pitchers off the 2019 roster were on the team last season. Three freshman arms are featured on this year's staff and one transfer junior, Josh Coburn.

• This weekend will feature fresh faces for  the Owls. It will be the first time that Kennesaw State will have faced West Virginia, UIC, or Richmond in program history.

Friday Starter
• Brooks Buckler is making his first start of the season after making his name as the Saturday starter for the Owls in 2018. Last season, Buckler went 4-4 in 13 starts and held a 3.31 ERA throughout the season. He pitched 81.2 innings and was the only pitcher on staff last season to have pitched two complete games.

Saturday Starter
• Ryan Kennedy is making his first start of 2019 for the Owls. He moves into a weekend slot after being a midweek starter for the Owls in 2018. He made nine starts last year in 13 appearances and had one of his best outings against No. 4 Clemson, when he allowed just three runs in five innings pitched. He ended the year with a 2-7 record.

Sunday Starter
• Josh Coburn is a new face for the Owls in 2019 after transferring from Jackson State Community College. The Bells, Tenn., native played for Haywood High School where he was named 2016 Conference Pitcher of the Year and was tabbed All-District First team in the same season.

2019 Roster Breakdown
Kennesaw State baseball features 35 student-athletes, including 18 pitchers and 17 position players. The pitching staff is the most familiar group, with 15 players returning from last season, with two freshmen and one transfer joining the staff.

Out of the 10 infielders on the roster, the Owls return six and welcome four new faces. David Chabut is the most experienced on the dirt, having already made 140 starts in an Owls uniform over the last three seasons. Simon is also is featured in the infield, who was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American.

The outfield has more new faces than returning ones, with four first-timers and three players that have donned the Black and Gold before. Just Terence Norman,  Jake Franklin and Garrett Hodges are familiar with the grass at Stillwell Stadium. 


Diaper Dandy
Tyler Simon was phenomenal in 2018 and became a staple in the Owl's infield after making 40 starts in the Black and Gold. For his efforts, he was named as a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. The freshman third baseman was second on the team batting .311. He scored 36 runs and had a slash of .311/.435/.371.

Senior SZN
Jaylen Smith returns to a starting role in 2019 after playing 31 games, with 30 being starts. He was limited last season and missed a large part of the season with an injury. During his time on the field, he batted .271 with a slugging percentage of .424 and an on-base percentage of .320. Despite missing over 20 contests, he finished fifth on the team with 22 RBIs.

#ProOwls
Currently, Kennesaw State baseball has 10 players in Major League systems. The newest additions are Grant Williams (10th Round, Boston Red Sox) and A.J. Moore (10th Round, Cincinnati Reds).

G.O.A.T.
Head Coach Mike Sansing is one of the most successful baseball coaches of this era. The skipper currently ranks No. 9 on the list of winngest active D-I baseball coaches.

1.    Mike Martin, Florida State    1,987
2.    Mike Fox, North Carolina    1,429
3.    Paul Mainieri, LSU    1,415
4.    John Anderson, Minnesota    1,288
5.    Keith Duttin, Missouri State    1,259
6.    Danny Hall, Georgia Tech    1,227
7.    Gary Gilmore, Coastal Carolina    1,180
8.    Tony Robichaux, Louisana    1,149
9.     Mike Sansing, Kennesaw State    1,092
10.    Elliott Avent, NC State    1,057

Up Next
The Owls have a quick turnaround and will be back on the Diamond against Georgia on Tuesday.

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