By: Aury St. Germain
KENNESAW, Ga.- Following an opening weekend in which the Owls went 3-0 for the first time since 2013, Kennesaw welcomes No. 5 Georgia to Stilwell Stadium on Wednesday.
Opponent: Georgia
Date: Feb. 19
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Stillwell Stadium
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Kennesaw State Game Notes
Pitching Matchup
Kennesaw State: RHP
Luke Torbert
Georgia: RHP Garrett Brown
Top Storylines
• The Owls are coming off an impressive weekend, going 3-0 for the first time since 2013. KSU's bats were on fire, scoring 36 combined runs while just allowing 15.
• Alex Carballo was the offensive star over the weekend, finishing 5-for-10 with two doubles and a home run. The senior plated eight runners and slugged 1.000.
• In his Kennesaw State debut, Nick Hassan went four-for-five at the plate and collected five RBI.
• Ryan Kennedy impressed in his first start as the Friday starter. The junior picked up the win after pitching five innings, and holding opponents to a .167 average.
• Justin Russell picked up right where he left off in 2019. Over opening weekend, the senior hit .500, smashed three doubles and collected four RBI.
• KSU entered 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 in 2020.
