By: Matteen Zibanejadrad
UP NEXT TO PLATE
The Kennesaw State baseball team (26-14, 12-3) is entering the most important part of its season and it all begins with a weekend series at Liberty (30-11, 14-1). The Owls are slated to play six games against the Flames, hosting the Lynchburg, Va. program a weekend after visiting the Liberty Baseball Stadium. With a stellar showing over the next two weeks, Kennesaw State can leapfrog Liberty as the top seed in the ASUN's Northern Division.
Opponent: Liberty
Location: Lynchburg, Va. | Liberty Baseball Stadium
GAME ONE
Date: Friday, May 7
Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
Starting Pitching
KSU: LHP Jake Rice (8-0, 1.54 ERA)
LIB: TBA
Live Stats | Watch
GAME TWO
Date: Saturday, May 8
Time: 4:00 p.m. EST
Starting Pitching
KSU: RHP Luke Torbert (5-3, 4.76 ERA)
LIB: TBA
Live Stats | Watch
GAME THREE
Date: Sunday, May 9
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Starting Pitching
KSU: LHP Ryan Kennedy (6-0, 4.31 ERA)
LIB: TBA
Live Stats | Watch
LAST TIME OUT
The Kennesaw State baseball team is looking to come back off a 10-0 defeat at the hands of the Mercer Bears on Wednesday night. The offense will hope to get the bats going this weekend, as the team mustered four hits in Macon, Ga.
THE REIGN OF RICE
It's impossible to talk about the Owls' success this season without talking about the successes of Friday starter Jake Rice.
The Birmingham, Ala. native has made a seamless transition from Presbyterian College, boasting an 8-0 record in his nine starts this season. The only pitcher with a better record in college baseball is Vanderbilt phenom and potential first overall pick for the MLB Draft, Kumar Rocker.
The six-foot-one leftie also owns the eleventh-best ERA in the nation with a 1.54 and fourteenth-best WHIP with an 0.85.
The graduate's last performance may have been his best all season, helping the Owls take down No. 24 Georgia Tech with a six strikeout showing. Rice went six innings, giving up one earned run on three hits.
KILLER KENNEDY
Left-handed pitcher Ryan Kennedy has a hot hand and it's shown in a number of his Sunday starts.
The junior has picked up wins in all of his last five starts. In four of those five starts, Kennedy has allowed one run or less.
The hurler from Winchester, Va. pitched 5.1 innings in the Kennesaw State 10-5 win against No. 24 Georgia Tech on Sunday. Kennedy allowed four hits, with his lone earned run coming off of a leadoff home run.
With his win against the Yellow Jackets and the seven-inning complete game shutout against Lipscomb that earned him the ASUN Pitcher of the Week, Kennedy has allowed just one run in his last 12.1 innings.
HODGY'S HOT
Veteran outfielder Garrett Hodges is on a spectacular run right now. In his last 10 games, Hodges is 14 for his last 39 for a .359 batting average with seven RBIs.
He also has a home run in that time, a goner to right field that he tomahawked in the 7-2 win against Lipscomb.
T-NO BAMBINO
No Owl has a better slugging percentage in the last 10 games than Terence Norman's .600.
Kennesaw State's powerhouse is in the midst of a swan song and it's a beautiful tune so far. He is tied for the team lead in home runs with seven, along with his 35 RBIs and .317 average.
Norman is bent on leaving KSU on a high note, which all comes down to this final month of the season.
