By: Michael Goss
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State baseball hits the road for a pair of midweek matchups against two teams in the RPI top-35. The Owls travel to in-state rival #35 Georgia State on Tuesday and then head to Plainsman Park for a battle against #27 Auburn on Wednesday night.
Probable Starters
TUESDAY at Georgia State
First Pitch: 4:00 p.m.
KSU: Luke Torbert (2-1, 27.2 IP, 7.48 ERA)
GSU: Dylan Matela (1-1, 23.1 IP, 8.22 ERA)
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WEDNESDAY – at Auburn
First Pitch: 7:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. CT)
KSU: TBA
AU: Konner Copeland (3-1, 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA)
OWLS VS. PANTHERS
On Feb. 23, KSU defeated Georgia State by a score of 6-4 at Stillwell Stadium. Freshman
Smith Pinson tossed six innings and struck out eight en route to his first collegiate victory on the mound. Shortstop
Tyler Simon and third baseman
Cash Young each hit home runs which proved to be the difference in the game. KSU has won six in-a-row over GSU heading into tomorrow's contest.
OWLS VS. TIGERS
Wednesday's matchup will be the only contest this year between Kennesaw State and Auburn. The game was initially scheduled to be played on Mar. 15 but was rescheduled due to inclement weather. Auburn holds a 6-3 lead in the all-time series with a 3-2 record at Plainsman Park
HOW SWEEP IT IS
After sweeping Stetson April 8-10, Kennesaw State has collected three ASUN Conference sweeps on the season. KSU opened conference play by sweeping Jacksonville and North Florida in weeks one and two. The Stetson sweep allowed the Owls to be the first team in the ASUN to reach the 10-win mark.
CYCLING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS ... TWICE
Against No. 12 Georgia Tech on Mar. 23,
Josh Hatcher became the first Owl in the program's Division I history to hit for the cycle. Hatcher finished the game 4-for-6 with two RBI. Two games later, Hatcher hit for the cycle again in a 4-for-6 performance versus UNF.
2 GETS #200
In a 4-for-6 performance against No. 12 Georgia Tech, senior
Tyler Simon became the 10th player in KSU history to reach the 200-hit milestone. The shortstop achieved the feat in his 191st game wearing the Black and Gold.
THE QUADRUPLE DOUBLE
On Mar. 18 versus Jacksonville, KSU centerfielder
Josh Hatcher became the first player in Owl history to record four doubles in one game. The leadoff hitter finished the game 5-for-5 and compiled eight hits on the series.
MONEY TIME
Donovan Cash has exploded onto the scene in his first year as a starter. The first baseman is second on KSU in multi-hit performances (15) and batting average (.354). He saw his 10-game hit streak come to an end in the series finale at Stetson (Apr. 10).
#HE'S-A-FRESHMAN
In the fourth game of the season,
Hudson Mimbs made the first start of his collegiate career and never looked back. The second baseman collected the first home run of his career at Troy and has compiled 30 starts. Mimbs has scored 11 runs in the last 16 games.
BLAZING BATS
The bats have been on fire for the KSU offense through the first part of the new season. The Owls are averaging 10.4 hits per game and 6.7 runs scored through the first 34 contests. From Mar. 23 – Apr. 2, Kennesaw State posted a seven-game stretch with 11-or-more hits.
HOT START
Kennesaw State won eight of its first 10 games this season for the first time since 2011. This feat has only been accomplished twice in the program's Division I history.
DIAMOND DEBUTS
The
Ryan Coe era begins with many new faces on the diamond in 2022. KSU has 23 players that are in their first year with the baseball program. This accounts for 58% of the team's roster.
ON DECK
KSU welcomes Jacksonville University to Stillwell Stadium for a three-game ASUN Conference series set to begin on Friday night. Earlier in the season, the Owls swept the Dolphins to begin ASUN play with a 3-0 record. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m. on Friday night.
For more information on Kennesaw State baseball, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlsBaseball or like Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
