GAME DAY INFORMATION
Opponent: Georgia Tech 
Date:  March 5 / 6
Time: 5 p.m. / 5 p.m.
Location: Stillwell Stadium (March 5) / Russ Chandler Stadium (March 6)

KSU Notes

Leadoff

•  The Owls are coming off another series win, their second of the 2019 season against UT Martin. Kennesaw State won its first two games of the series but dropped the finale.

•  Brooks Buckler has gotten off to impressive starts in 2019. Although he does not have a decision, he leads the team in innings pitched (19.0) and is third on the team in punchouts (15). He is also the least run supported pitcher on the staff, as he has just had just 3.3 runs per game of support, almost two runs below staff average.

•  Not only has Buckler been effective at striking batters out, he has unbeatable command, walking just two batters. He paces the ASUN and checks in at 68th in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.5 strikeouts per walk).

•  Jared Rine has been effective coming out of the bullpen for the Owls. As just a freshman, he as 11.0 innings pitched and has not given up a run. He has 16 punchouts on the year, and has allowed just two singles. 

•   Jared Staples and Jake McLinskey each have earned a win this season out of the bullpen. They are first and second in appearences, respectively, and neither have given up a run.

•  Against their most recent Power 5 foe, Georgia, the Owls lost 11-1. The Owls committed five errors and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

• The Owls' second weekend featured KSU winning two games. The Owls played a double-header on Saturday, losing the first game 5-2, but came back and won the second contest 5-2. Kennesaw State won the series with a convincing 11-5 win over Towson on Sunday.

•  Garrett Hodges turned in a career-best day at the plate on Sunday against Towson. He went 3-for-3 for a pair of home runs and a double. The five RBIs were a career high along with it being his first multi-home run game. Over the weekend, he hit .455 with a slugging percentage of 1.091.

•  Third baseman David Chabut produced at the plate this weekend after batting at a .667 clip with six hits , including a double and an RBI. He recorded a weekend on-base percentage of .727.

•  The Owls rank 54th in the country in stolen bases per game through 2019, swiping 1.70 bases per game. Against Towson, KSU stolen 11 bases and was caught just once.

•  The starting pitching was exceptional for the Owls over the first weekend. Buckler pitched well against West Virginia, completing 5.0 innings with six strikeouts and allowing just one run. On Saturday, Kennedy pitched 5.0 innings with six strikeouts and allowed just two hits. In his KSU debut, Coburn struck out seven Spiders in just 3.1 innings of work.

•  The pitching staff only allowed two extra base hits in the first three games. After a triple from West Virginia, Richmond doubled for the only other two-plus bagger of the weekend.

•  The Owls bats were hot during opening weekend. The offense yielded 10 extra base hits, including a pair of home runs from Alex Carballo and Terence Norman. Kennesaw State finished the weekend with a team slash of .308/.442/.405.

•  After returning from an injury suffered last season, Jaylen Smith led the Owls at the plate this past weekend. The senior batted .462 with six hits, a pair of RBIs and two doubles. He also stole two bases.

•  Newcomer Alex Carballo had a dazzling debut for the Owls during opening weekend. He batted .417 with a home run, two RBIs and logged a team-high .667 slugging percentage.

•  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.

•  KSU started the 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).

• 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.

Series History
• These will be the 27th and 28th meeting between the two programs, with Georgia Tech holding a 20-6 lead. Last season, the Yellow Jackets took the only meeting 17-7.

Pitching Matchup

Tuesday
KSU: RHP Jake McLinskey (1-0)
GT: RHP Amos Willingham (1-0)

Wednesday
KSU: RHP Jake Rothwell (0-2)
GT: RHP Cort Roedig (0-1)

Up Next
The Owls travel to their first three-game road series of the year against Samford in Birmingham, Ala, beginning on Friday.
 

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