KENNESAW, Ga. – Following a shortened weekend series versus The Citadel, the Owls will take on their fourth in-state opponent as they cap off a 14-game road stretch at Georgia Southern Tuesday night.
Friday, March 14
Matchup: Kennesaw State Owls (8-12, 0-0 Conference USA) at Georgia Southern (10-9, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Site: JJ Clements Stadium - Statesboro, Ga.
Live Stats | ESPN+
KSU Probable Starter: #36 LHP
Ryan Gold
Ga. Southern Probable Starter: #26 RHP Carson Bryant
Series History
Ga. Southern holds a 19-14 advantage over KSU but the two programs are deadlocked over the last 10 matchups at 5-5 since 2018. The Owls last won in Statesboro, Ga. March 14, 2023 in a 4-3 victory.
Potential To Paper
After sitting out most of last season due to injury, highly touted prospect
Cooper Williams is starting to display his star power. Over the previous five games, his bat has been white hot, lacing 10 hits, five RBI with a .455 average. He has used his legs as a weapon accruing six runs scored and three stolen bases. In the Samford series, the lefty posted nine RBI on the back of two home runs, one being a grand slam Friday night. His 1.000 slugging percentage is the best over any four-game stretch of an Owl this season. The Woodstock, Ga. native clipped eight hits, five runs scored, two doubles and a .500 batting average.
Streaks
Boasting team highs in both categories,
Nate Anderson is currently riding a 19-game on-base streak alongside a 10-game hitting streak. No other Owl has posted a double-digit hit streak. Not far behind the outfielder are
Chris Cole and
Cooper Williams as they maintain 12 and 11-game on-base streaks respectively.
Freshman Power
Saturday's square-off versus The Citadel showcased the Owl's young talent in the lineup with
Jackson Bradfield and
Wesley Alig both hitting late-game home runs. In the eighth inning, Bradfield belted his first collegiate home run as exited the yard to left field, lifting the Owls by two runs. In the 10th inning,
Wesley Alig canned his first career grand slam as he roped the ball past the left-field fence. It was just the third grand slam for the team this season and Alig's second college long ball.
100 For Our Guy
On March 12 at Mercer, Kennesaw State scored in five-straight innings to defeat the in-state rival. The win marked head coach
Ryan Coe's 100th career victory at the helm - joining his former coach and KSU Athletics Hall of Famer Mike Sansing as the only two to eclipse 100.
Unbeaten No More
The Black and Gold traveled on the country roads during the second weekend of March for their first-ever series against West Virginia. In game two of the series, the Owls entered the ninth down 9-7 before a game-tying blast from
Cam Suto allowed a go-ahead grand slam from
Donovan Cash.
Ryan Renfroe threw the final three innings of scoreless, one-hit ball to slam the door on the Mountaineer offense. The KSU victory ended West Virginia's perfect start to the season of 13-0.
Return of the Jack
After battling an injury,
Jackson Chirello made his season debut versus Georgia Tech (3/4/25). The highly touted outfielder came into form at the tail end of the 2023 season. In May, the 6'6 lefty raised his batting average by .22 while posting 16 hits in just 14 games. During that stretch, he garnered seven hits in the final regular season series versus the then defending ASUN champion Lipscomb Bisons. During the offseason, Chirello was listed in D1Baseball's Top 150 College MLB Draft Prospects while also cracking the Top 300 among Perfect Games's ranks. The junior was tabbed at 146th and 254th.
Cole Continues to Burn
Center fielder
Chris Cole has been the poster child of "picking up where you left off" this season. The junior has slashed a team-high .333 Avg. and 10 stolen bases. Cole ended the '24 campaign with a team-high .345 average. Through 72 at-bats, Cole maintains a .464 on-base percentage alongside a .887 on-base plus slugging. The lefty from Dallas, Ga. is hitting a whopping .471 when leading off an inning. He broke into the top 10 in Division-I program history in career stolen bases, standing at sixth place with 30 bags. He is six stolen bases away from cracking the top 10 all-time list.
Cash in the Book
First baseman
Donovan Cash is methodically working his way up the all-time DI career records in KSU history. Entering the weekend, he is just three home runs away from breaking Andy Chriscaden's record of 29. Cash has placed himself second in career RBI with 145, seven away from breaking Ronnie Freeman's record of 151. He is also one hit away from breaking into the top 10 as he currently holds 11th place with 213.
Madness in Marietta
Saturday's win over reigning Ivy League Champion Columbia was packed full of drama, with KSU walking it off via the wild pitch in a 10-9 ninth-inning victory. A five-run final inning completed the largest comeback since March 22, 2022, when the Owls overcame seven runs from UNF. It's the second-largest comeback of the
Ryan Coe era. They did so with patience and aggression at the plate with four base knocks (three doubles) and three straight free passes (walk, hit by pitch and wild pitch) in the ninth inning. Freshman catcher
James McGee entered as a pinch hitter in the ninth and lined a double down the left field line, scoring
Chris Cole and marking McGee's first collegiate hit.
Punches in Bunches
The stat sheet will tell much of the story for the Owl's turnaround in the last two games versus Columbia, they collected a plethora of hits and runs. Over the final 18 innings of the series, KSU posted 25 hits and 17 runs. The Black and Gold registered 15 hits in Sunday's battle versus Columbia, maintaining a perfect record in the
Ryan Coe era. Since he began in 2022, KSU is now 20-0 when racking up 15 or more hits in a single game.
Anderson's Career Day
Sunday against Columbia not only secured the Owl's first series win of the season but it showcased an astounding performance from outfielder
Nate Anderson. The lefty pounded his second homer of the season as he lifted a three-run shot over the right field fence, solidifying the win for KSU. Earlier in the game, he ripped a triple, scoring two runs and creating a five RBI day, a career-high for the redshirt senior. It's the first time since Nick Colina on Feb. 19, 2023 that an Owl collected a triple and a home run in the same game as he fell just one double shy of hitting for the cycle. Anderson is currently riding a 12-game streak of reaching base, tied for the longest of any Owl this season.
First of Many
In the first square-down of the season, KSU defeated Rutgers 5-3 on the back of a five-run seventh inning. It marked not only the first win of the season but also the first win as a member of CUSA for the Owls. KSU knocked off a BIG10 opponent for the first time since they defeated Michigan in 2023.
Back in the Fold
Returning to KSU are three studs in the field with
Chris Cole,
Jackson Chirello and
Shamaar McDuffie. Cole paced the Owls last season with a .345 average, knocking on the door of top 10 all-time in program history in a single season. Outfielder
Jackson Chirello ended the '24 campaign with a .290 average and 49 hits, along with an Atlantic Sun All-Tournament team bid. ASUN All-Freshman member
Shamaar McDuffie is back to anchor down shortstop in his sophomore season. The sure-handed infielder turned 25 doubles plays while leading the team with 140 assists.
Substituting the Sluggers
The Owls will seek to replace the production of five graduating seniors in
Brayden Eidson,
Nick Hassan, Issac Bouton,
Zac Corbin and
Spencer Hanson. Those five stars produced 55% of total bases, 53% of the team's hits, 51% of runs scored and 30 of the 45 Owl home runs. Four of the five hitters registered averages above .300 and an OPS beyond .833 while all five players combined for a .316 batting average, .877 OPS and earned three postseason Atlantic Sun awards.
S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field
For the duration of the 2025 season, Kennesaw State will be returning to Marietta, Ga. as they will play at S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field for the first time in 10 years. With Mickey Dunn Stadium still under construction, the Owls will return to their roots as the field served as the home to Southern Polytechnic baseball from 1975-2014. Recent upgrades have been made to the historic field including improved lights, dugouts and much more. S. Walter Kelly (1896-1973), a WWI Navy veteran, was a vital part of brokering the land deal that allowed STI to move to Marietta from its initial location, a repurposed Army base in Chamblee, DeKalb County.
Slated for '25
Kennesaw State's first season in CUSA comes with a slew of impressive opponents. The Owls will face five 2024 NCAA Regional squads in Georgia, Georgia Tech, West Virginia along with CUSA foes Dallas Baptist and La. Tech. KSU will face 12 teams who registered an above .500 record last season, featuring eight of the first 10 opponents. They will leave February playing only one below .500 team. Four futures foes registered a Top-50 RPI.
Fantastic Freshman Class
The Owls staff aren't the only ones who are excited about the current freshmen class,
Perfect Game recognized KSU with the 44th-best recruiting class in the country. They are ranked as the best class in CUSA, pacing FIU at 51st, while they are also just one of three conference teams in the top 100. The program ranks well in the state of Georgia, ranking well above in-state rivals Georgia Southern (76), Georgia State (71) and Mercer (57).
Perfect Game listed three Owls in its "Top 500 Fresh Arrivals on Campus," with
Ty Bayer (210),
Nolan McKinstry (423) and
Ethan Osada (471).
No Donuts At Home
Inside the friendly confines of Stillwell Stadium, Kennesaw State baseball had not been shutout in 186 home contests - the fourth-longest streak in the nation. KSU was last shutout at home on Feb. 27, 2018. The Owls have not placed a zero on the home scoreboard under head coach
Ryan Coe.
New in the Nest
Supplementing the existing core of the team are 17 newcomers, including 12 freshmen and five transfers. Coe and the Owls brought in six freshmen arms ranging from Hiram, Ga. to Dana Point, Calif. Highlighting the freshmen position players is Wes Alig, a winner of the Mr. Baseball Award of Tennessee in 2024. Lee University transfer
Cam Suto is returning home after spending three seasons with the Flames after graduating from Sprayberry High School in Marietta. The infielder posted 40 home runs over his career in Cleveland, Tenn.
Drop-Off
There is quite a bit of familiarity with the Owls through the first month and a half of the season as they have at least one game played versus the first eight opponents. Through the rest of the season, KSU will face eight opponents for the first time in program history including six first-time CUSA matchups.
To keep up with the latest on the Kennesaw State baseball team, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook and Instagram.
