UP NEXT TO PLATE
The Kennesaw State baseball team (11-7, 4-2) looks ahead to two midweek games against the No. 12 Georgia and Jacksonville State University. The Owls will travel to Athens, Ga. for a Tuesday game against the Bulldogs (14-5, 1-2), and return home to the Stillwell Stadium for a Wednesday faceoff against future ASUN opponent Jacksonville State (8-10, 1-2).
GEORGIA:
Date: Tuesday, March 23
Time: 5:00 p.m. EST
Starting Pitching
KSU: Ryan Kennedy (1-0, 11.91 ERA)
UGA: Charlie Goldstein (0-0, 4.76 ERA)
Live Stats | Watch
JACKSONVILLE STATE:
Date: Wednesday, March 24
Time: 5:00 p.m. EST
Starting Pitching
KSU: TBA
JSU: TBA
Live Stats | Watch
REMATCH TIME
Tuesday's game against the Georgia Bulldogs is a rematch of UGA's visit to Kennesaw State's Stillwell Stadium on March 3.
Senior Alex Carballo had a game to remember, hitting a three-run homer and a one-RBI double in the Owls' 6-4 win. The performance aided the center fielder in winning that week's ASUN Player of the Week on March 8.
Tyler Simon took the lead for KSU in the team's three-run eighth inning with a triple to left-center field to bring Carballo home.
Jared Rine came in as the team's second reliever and pitched three innings of lights-out ball. The sophomore earned the win after shutting down the UGA offense, letting up two hits and no runs.
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
The Gamecocks have had a difficult start to their 2021 season, currently sitting below the .500 mark with an 8-10 record.
The Owls will hope to capitalize on Jacksonville State's 3-5 record away from home, last dropping two out of three against Murray State in Kentucky.
In its final season before returning to the ASUN Conference, Jacksonville State currently sits at the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference's (OVC) baseball standings.
The Gamecocks are led by the OVC's 2021 All-Conference Preseason Team's pick at catcher, senior Alex Webb.
The transfer from Chipola Community College is currently second in runs-batted-in amongst OVC batters, bringing 21 Gamecock baserunners to home plate.
TERRIFIC TERENCE
Kennesaw, Ga.'s hometown hero Terence Norman is the reigning RBI leader of the ASUN Conference, swinging in 20 runs in the season so far.
The right fielder and designated hitter hit a towering solo shot in the Owls' monstrous 15-2 win against the Lipscomb Bisons on Saturday afternoon, tying the conference lead for home runs with four; however, Norman had his best performance of the season the weekend before in a 17-6 win against Bellarmine.
The senior went three-for-six with a three-run, opposite field blast in the opening inning and was a triple shy of the cycle.
The KSU powerhouse's contact hitting is admirable as well, hitting for a .315 batting average. Norman also leads the team in slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage.
TOLVE OR NOT TOLVE
In Kennesaw State's Saturday afternoon shellacking of the Lipscomb Bisons, Tyler Tolve could not put a foot wrong. The catcher went five-for-six with a home run and four RBIs.
The Sprayberry High School graduate is tied for second in RBIs among ASUN batters, hitting 17 in the 2021 slate so far.
The KSU backstop has remarkably not hit a double this season, but shares the ASUN lead for triples; Tolve is also a big fly away from tying the conference's home run lead, currently sporting three home runs on his season statline.
The sophomore is hitting .324 in 2021 and those hits have been important for the Owls' offense. Tolve has crossed the plate 20 times this year, the second-best tally in the league.
SPEEDY SHERRILL
No baserunner in the ASUN has more stolen bases than Jesse Sherrill's eight. Half of this is owed to the pace of the second baseman, but Sherrill is also a safe bet to make it on base.
The Owls' leadoff hitter shares the team lead in doubles with five and swings for a .316 batting average. Among the Owls whom have started every game, the Gordon State transfer has struck out the least.
The Floridian's contributions come from both offense and defense, as Sherrill leads the league in turned double plays with 14.
