By: Aury St. Germain
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Opponent | NJIT (12-21-1, 4-11)
Date | April 26 / 27 / 28
Time | 2 p.m. / 12 p.m. / 12 p.m.
Location | Bainton Field
Live Stats |
Complete Series
Pitching Matchup
Friday | RHP
Brooks Buckler (2-4) vs. RHP Jared Kacso (1-4)
Saturday | LHP
Ryan Kennedy (3-3) vs. RHP Tyler Stafflinger (1-4)
Sunday | RHP
Jake Rothwell (1-3) vs. RHP Sean Lubreski (4-6)
Leadoff
• The Owls are coming into the series after an incredible offensive performance. KSU tallied 12 runs on 13 hits, led by a
Garrett Hodges, who finished 4-for-5.
• Last weekend, the Owls took the final game of the three-game set against Stetson. The Hatters took the first two games, but the Owls blanked Stetson in the final contest. The win was the first on the road for KSU this season.
• The Owls' defense was the best it has been all season against Stetson. KSU did not commit an error over the weekend. It was the first time this season that the Owls put three-straight games together without an error.
• As a team, the Owls have struggled to plate runs over the past two weeks. The Owls will look to continue their offensive prowess displayed against Georgia State. Before Monday, Kennesaw State plated just five runs in four contests.
• The starting pitching for KSU was impressive on Saturday's double-header against FGCU.
Ryan Kennedy pitched the first game, tossing 6.9 innings and recorded a career-high 8 strikeouts.
Jake Rothwell started the second game on the bump for KSU. He threw 4.0 innings of two-hit ball while
Jared Rine pitched 5.0 innings and gave up just one hit.
• Kennesaw State is 3-9 in midweek contests in 2019.
• Stillwell Stadium was packed on Wednesday (April 3) for the Georgia contest, as 1,402 fans squeezed into the bleachers to watch the game.
•
Terence Norman belted a grand slam against UNCW for the first this season for the Owls.
• KSU dropped three games to Lipscomb to even its conference record to 3-3 after the weekend in Nashville.
• The Owls completed a sweep over North Alabama in its first weekend of conference play.
• The sweep over UMASS was the first sweep over an opponent this season.
• Kennesaw State has launched 30 dingers through 42 games this season, which ranks second in the ASUN and 103rd in the nation. The Owls are led by
Garrett Hodges, who has six moon shots.
• Head Coach
Mike Sansing recorded another milestone in his career on Wednesday night against PC. With the win over PC, he captured his 1,000th win as the KSU skipper.
• The Owls rank 49th in the country in sacrifice bunts, laying down 25 through 42 contests. This figure ranks third in the ASUN.
Pitchers
•
Monty Horn has been lights out this season coming out of the pen. He gave up his first earned run of the season against Lipscomb. He has pitched in 10.0 innings pitched and has struck out 15.
•
Brendan Bickleman has pitched well for KSU, picking up two wins in three starts. He was featured as the Sunday starter for the Owls against UNCW.
•
Brooks Buckler has been a unit on the mound this season for the Owls and has pitched at least 6.0 innings in his last six starts. He has unbeatable command as well - striking out 41 with just 13 walks on the year. His strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks second in the conference
•
Jared Rine has been effective coming out of the bullpen for the Owls. As just a freshman, he as 27.1 innings pitched and has given up just six earned runs . He has 35 punchouts on the year, and has allowed just 17 hits. His best outing come against FGCU, where he pitched 5.0 innings of one-hit ball.
•
Jared Staples has been the most familiar arm on the pitching staff this season, as he leads the team with 17 appearances. He has been effective in his 18.0 innings pitched, ranking sixth on the team in ERA (3.50) while recording 17 strikeouts.
• The Bullpen has stayed balanced for the Owls this season, as 11 Owls have 10 or more appearances this season.
• After not pitching until March 6 against Georgia Tech,
Deviner McCray recorded 10 outings since March 6. After surrendering just one earned run in his first eight outings, he gave up three against Georgia Southern.
•
Jake McLinskey has been a durable arm for the Owls so far. Of his 13 appearances on the year, he has a four starts. He has recorded a pair of wins and struck out 33 batters in 31.1 innings of work. He recorded his career-high in innings and strikeouts against North Alabama in his Friday start.
Outfielders
•
Garrett Hodges has been an anchor in the Owls outfield and at the plate. He has two multi-home run games and is batting .253 this season. He leads the Owls and is third in the ASUN with six no-doubters and is sixth in RBIs with 28. He is looking to find his swing back after batting at a .205 clip in ASUN play.
• After newcomer
Alex Carballo had a dazzling debut for the Owls during opening weekend, in which he batted .417 with a home run, two RBIs and logged a team-high .667 slugging percentage, he has struggled to find his touch at the plate. He is batting .150 in conference play.
•
Terence Norman has found his bat in after struggling to begin the season. The junior is batting .327 with nine doubles, two home runs and 24 RBIs. He has been played well in the field, as he just has one error in 2019. He had an impressive outing against Stetson this past weekend, batting .462.
•
Jake Franklin has been making an impact in the outfield this season, starting 11 games in center field and one game in right and left.
Infielders
•
Jake Franklin has been incredible this season. On the season, he is slashing .292/.481/.391. He also has stole six bases and has collected 23 RBIs. Against UNCW, he hit at a .333 clip with four RBIs, a double and a home run. His 12 doubles rank third in the ASUN.
• A.J. Willoughby has been seeing the field more often as of late. He started each game against FGCU in the field and played two games at first base against Stetson.
•
Jaylen Smith has been a staple in the Owls lineup this season. He is second on the team in at-bats (154).
•
Justin Russell has taken advantage of the DH role this season. He is batting .309 with three home runs and six doubles. He also plays first base when needed.
•
Tyler Simon has found his bat over the last three weeks. He is batting .282 with a double, 4 RBIs and has had an on-base percentage of .362 over the span. He hit his first home run of the season to lead off game three against Stetson.
•
David Chabut has put together an impressive senior campaign. He has started all but one game, and is hitting .277 with four doubles, a triple and 15 RBIs. He is also second on the team with 84 assists in the field.
•
Daniel Seres and
Tyler Tolve have split time behind the dish this season. Seres has been impressive in the field, boasting a .982 fielding percentage. He also hit two home runs in the second game against Binghamton.
•
Tyler Tolve is making his mark early in his Owl career. In his first season donning black and gold, he is hitting at a .288 clip with eight RBIs and a double.
Series History
• These ASUN foes have met just nine times before 2019, with Kennesaw State holding a 6-3 advantage.
