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KENNESAW, Ga. - The 2020 Kennesaw State baseball team will take the diamond for the first time this weekend hosting the Atlanta Classic with Georgia Tech and Georgia State. The Owls will play host to St. John's on Friday, Saint Peter's on Saturday and Cincinnati on Sunday, all at Stillwell Stadium.

Opponent: St. John's / Saint Peter's / Cincinnati 
Date:  Feb. 14, 15, 16
Time: 4 p.m. / 2 p.m. / 1 p.m.
Location: Stillwell Stadium

Live Stats / Watch (vs. St. John's)
Live Stats /  Watch (vs. Saint Peter's)
Live Stats / Watch (vs. Cincinnati)

Kennesaw State Game Notes

Pitching Matchups

Friday
KSU | LHP Ryan Kennedy
St. John's | LHP Nick Mondak

Saturday
KSU | RHP Gage Vailes
Saint Peter's | RHP Stephen Carbonara

Sunday
KSU | RHP Jared Rine
UC | LHP Drake Batcho

Top Storylines

• KSU enters the 2020 season after a 27-29 record in 2019, which included a win over eventual regional host West Virginia, and Head Coach Mike Sansing's 1,000th win at Kennesaw State (March 13 vs. Presbyterian, 7-3).

• Kennesaw State baseball features 35 student-athletes, including 18 pitchers and 17 position players. The pitching staff will look new this season as the Owls welcome seven new faces, six freshman and a transfer.

• Out of the 13 infielders on the roster, the Owls return six and welcome seven new faces. Tyler Simon is the most experienced on the dirt, having played in 102 games in an Owls uniform over the last two seasons. 

• There are just four players listed as true outfielders on this roster, headlined by ASUN Preseason Player of the Year, Terence Norman. All three others are familiar faces, as Garrett Hodges, Alex Carballo and Nick Colina are all back. 

•  Head Coach Mike Sansing is one of the most successful baseball coaches of this era. The skipper currently ranks No. 7 on the list of winngest active D-I baseball coaches with 1,121 wins.

• Outfielder Terence Norman was selected as the Preseason ASUN Player of the Year. The senior led the conference in batting average in 2019 (.350) on his way to earning First Team All-Conference honors. 

•  Justin Russell joined Norman on the Preseason All-Conference list after having an impactful season in his first as an Owl in 2019. He mashed 12 home runs last season and hit .308. He was memorizing at the plate in league play, knocking in 25 runs while collecting 30 hits, which ranked second and sixth, respectfully.

• The Owls' weekend will return just one new face from last season. 2019 Saturday starter Ryan Kennedy will see action on Friday's, while newcomer Gage Vailes will see work on Saturday and sophomore Jared Rine will throw on Sunday.

• Kennedy saw 14 starts a season ago, finishing with a 5-3 record with 66 strikeouts with just 25 walks. Opponents hit just .282 versus the Virginia native.

• Rine saw almost all of his work out of the bullpen last season. He made 16 appearances in 2019, with just one start. He finished with a 3.44 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 36.2 innings.

• The Owls will depend on shortstop Tyler Simon in 2020. Last season, he finished the ASUN slate batting .378 which ended as the conference's fifth-best mark. He also recorded 153 assists, which ranked second in the league. He earned his way onto the 2019 Second Team All-Conference list.

• Sophomore Tyler Tolve is primed for a breakout season in his second as an Owl after impressing in the second half of 2019. The catcher finished the year batting .328 (second on the team with more than three at-bats) and slugged .420.

• Kennesaw State's bullpen will see many returning faces. Three of the four (Max Ryan, Monty Horn, Nathan Dupree) lowest ERA's from 2019 will be back donning the Black and Gold. 

• After using his redshirt season in 2019, Logan Fink will look to get significant playing time after the Owls lost three-year starter David Chabut. He impressed coaches during fall and spring scrimmages with his bat and his ability in the field. 

• Coach Sansing welcomed Travis McClanahan as Kennesaw State's pitching coach. McClanahan completed 18 seasons as the head coach at Gordon State College before his tenure as an Owl. There, he mentored 2019 15th round draft pick Adam Leverett, who went to the Phillies.

• The Owls' schedule is home-heavy, as expected, as Kennesaw State plays host to 31 baseball games throughout the season. 

• Because KSU's official equipment sponsor Adidas discontinued making baseball bats, Kennesaw State will be swinging Easton bats for the 2020 season. 

 

 

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