KENNESAW, Ga. – Tuesday's match-up will mark KSU's second-ranked opponent this season as they take on No. 19/25 Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. at S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field.
The Owls are fresh off their first Conference USA series as they took two games from the former 20-1 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
Tuesday, March 25 - STEM Night
Matchup: Kennesaw State Owls (10-14, 2-1 Conference USA) vs. No. 19/25 Georgia Tech (20-4, 7-2 ACC)
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Site: S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field - Marietta, Ga.
Live Stats | ESPN+
KSU Probable Starter: #40 RHP
Ryan Renfroe
Georgia Tech Probable Starter: #13 RHP Sam Swygert
Series History
Turning the tides in the series history, Coe seeks to earn his third win versus Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets swiped the first game on March 4 in Atlanta with a 1-4 final. The all-time book favors the Yellow Jackets 26-8 while Kennesaw State has snagged two wins in the Coe era with the most recent victory coming in 2023. In KSU's previous victory (5/10/24),
Smith Pinson earned the start while
Nolan Sliver nabbed the win by pitching 2.2 innings with two punch outs in the 6-5 win.
STEM Night
The first 150 fans through the gate for tomorrow night's game will receive a 3-D printed Owl made by the Mad. Lab from the Kennesaw Campus.
Special Weekend
A mountain of special performances and accolades highlighted the Owl's series win over Western Kentucky. Not only did they secure their first Conference USA win but they handed WKU their second and third losses of the season. The Hilltoppers came into the weekend with the second-best ERA (2.59) in the NCAA while the Owls compiled 18 runs over the three games, averaging six runs per game on the Conference USA leader. The Tops also stood atop CUSA in runs scored while the Owls pitching staff held them to 14 runs, sporting three pitchers that went more than four innings deep (Gold, Cain & Rhudy). KSU cemented its largest margin of victory with a six-run win on Sunday. With two wins versus WKU, The Black and Gold rocketed up the RPI ranks, jumping 38 spots.
Road Warriors
Fresh off the road, Kennesaw State returned to Marietta for the first time in 25 days (Feb. 24 - March 20). The 13-game road stretch signified the longest road trip in Division-I program history. During the 13 games, KSU faced seven opponents, all of which currently hold an above .500 record.
Cash in the Book
First baseman
Donovan Cash is methodically working his way up the DI career records in KSU history. Entering the midweek, he is just two home runs away from breaking Andy Chriscaden's record of 29. Cash has placed himself second in career RBI with 149, three away from breaking Ronnie Freeman's record of 151. He is also ninth in career hits with 221.
Pitching Brilliance
Facing a lethal lineup versus the Hilltoppers, Kennesaw State's arms shined. Out of the pen,
Ryan Gold dialed in his strongest performance of the season with five scoreless innings and racking up a career-high seven strikeouts in the win. Although Saturday didn't go the Owl's direction,
Harry Cain tossed a career-best 5.1 inning while allowing only two earned runs. Dazzling in Sunday's throw-down was
Bo Rhudy as he stacked 4.1 scoreless innings of work, allowing just three hits in his win.
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 and was the only loss of the non-conference season for West Virginia.
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. He is currently riding a reached-base streak of 10 games.
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 .348 Avg. and 12 stolen bases. Cole ended the '24 campaign with a team-high .345 average. Through 72 at-bats, Cole maintains a .483 on-base percentage alongside a .955 on-base plus slugging. The lefty from Dallas, Ga. is hitting a whopping .486 when leading off an inning. He broke into the top 10 in Division-I program history in career stolen bases, standing in sixth place with 32 bags. He is four stolen bases away from cracking the top 10 all-time list.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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 and Walter Kelly Field, Kennesaw State baseball had not been shutout in 189 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.
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.
