KENNESAW, Ga. – Sporting fresh legs from no midweek game, the Owls will travel to Huntsville, Texas to wrestle the Sam Houston Bearkats for the fourth Conference USA series of the season. It will be the first time these programs have seen each other, adding another notch in the belt of six first-time Conference USA opponents for the Owls this year.
Friday, April 11
Matchup: Kennesaw State Owls (13-19, 4-5 Conference USA) vs. Sam Houston Bearkats (8-25, 2-7 Conference USA)
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET -- 6:30 p.m. CT
Site: Don Sanders Stadium - Huntsville, Texas
Live Stats | ESPN+
KSU Probable Starter: #23
Ty Bayer
Sam Houston Probable Starter: #35 Noah Kendrick
Saturday, April 12
Matchup: Kennesaw State Owls (13-19, 4-5 Conference USA) vs. Sam Houston Bearkats (8-25, 2-7 Conference USA)
Time: 3 p.m. ET -- 2 p.m. CT
Site: Don Sanders Stadium - Huntsville, Texas
Live Stats | ESPN+
KSU Probable Starter: #39
Harry Cain
Sam Houston Probable Starter: #27 Ryan Peterson
Sunday, April 13
Matchup: Kennesaw State Owls (13-19, 4-5 Conference USA) vs. Sam Houston Bearkats (8-25, 2-7 Conference USA)
Time: 1 p.m. ET -- 12 p.m. CT
Site: Don Sanders Stadium - Huntsville, Texas
Live Stats | ESPN+
KSU Probable Starter: TBA
Sam Houston Probable Starter: TBA
Series History
The weekend series will be the first time either team has faced off in program history.
Strength Of Schedule
According to the NCAA and Warren Nolan, the Owls have the top strength of schedule in the country out of the 309 Division-I programs. KSU's combined opponent record this season is tabbed at 619-326, which adds up to a 65.0 win percentage. KSU has yet to face a team that is below .500 at the time they played them.
Walk-Off Wes
Freshman
Wesley Alig has already showcased his clutch time DNA with the most recent example being his two-run walk-off home run to defeat Jacksonville State 6-4 in the 11th inning (4/5). The infielder took the first pitch he saw to left-center field, signifying his second extra-inning big fly. His first extra-inning dinger was versus The Citadel (3/15) when he pounded a 10th-inning grand slam to propel KSU to victory. Two of his four homers have been in extras, with three coming in the seventh inning or later. The righty is also riding a 16-game on-base streak, a current team-high while being tied for the most multi-hit games of the season with 10.
Notable Ranks
- Cash is top 25 in the country among active leaders in hits, games played and at-bats. He is one of just two players in Conference USA with more than 200 career hits.
- Bayer leads CUSA freshmen in games started (7), second in strikeouts (30 and third in innings pitched (30).
- Alig is tied for second among freshmen in CUSA in home runs (4) and tied for third in RBI (20).
Stellar Starters
Opportunity met preparation for Kennesaw State's weekend starters
Ty Bayer and
Harry Cain as both have shined in their new roles. Over his last two starts, Bayer has dueled out seven innings while allowing just one earned run for a 1.26 ERA. In four of Bayer's seven starts, he has limited opponents to a maximum of one earned run, signaling a 4.50 ERA on the season. Cain has been a workhorse on Saturdays eating up 19.1 innings over his four starts. Posting a team-high 32 innings on the year, he has allowed just two runs in each of his last four appearances.
An In-State Victory
Tuesday's thriller versus Georgia State resulted in KSU's first home midweek triumph of the year. Newcomers
Jackson Bradfield and
Cam Suto pushed forward the 6-5 win. Both players notched two hits and two RBI games with Suto ripping a double down the left field line, tying the game at 5-5. Bradfield slashed a single through the middle of the infield to grasp the lead and the eventual win, marking KSU's second midweek decision of the year. Rhudy earned the win with two scoreless innings on the hill, becoming the fifth Owl with two wins on the year.
Cash in the Book
First baseman
Donovan Cash is methodically working his way up the D-I career records in KSU history. In game three versus La. Tech, Cash delivered a double to deep center field, scoring a run for the Owls and notching his 152nd career RBI, a new KSU D-I program record. Cash broke Ronnie Freeman's previous record of 151 RBI. He is just two home runs away from breaking Andy Chriscaden's record of 29. He is also ninth in career hits with 228, one behind Kennesaw State Hall of Famer Max Pentecost.
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.
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.
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.
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 194 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.
