KENNESAW, Ga. – After a massive comeback win over I-75 rival Georgia State, the Owls (12-17, 3-3 CUSA) return to Conference USA play versus Jacksonville State (19-10, 3-3 CUSA) for a three-game weekend series. It'll mark the 41st time KSU has faced JSU with Kennesaw State holding a 23-17 advantage over the two-time conference rival.
Due to weather in the forecast, Sunday's game versus Jacksonville State has been moved to Saturday, creating a doubleheader that will begin at 2 p.m. Game three of the series will begin 45 minutes after the completion of game two. Both games will be nine-inning affairs.
Friday, April 4
Matchup: Kennesaw State Owls (12-17, 3-3 Conference USA) vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks (19-10, 3-3 Conference USA)
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Site: S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field - Marietta, Ga.
Live Stats | ESPN+
KSU Probable Starter: #23
Ty Bayer
Jax State Probable Starter: #22 Jackson Phipps
Saturday, April 5
Matchup: Kennesaw State Owls (12-17, 3-3 Conference USA) vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks (19-10, 3-3 Conference USA)
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Site: S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field - Marietta, Ga.
Live Stats | ESPN+
KSU Probable Starter: #39
Harry Cain
Jax State Probable Starter: #11 Steven Cash
Saturday, April 5
Matchup: Kennesaw State Owls (12-17, 3-3 Conference USA) vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks (19-10, 3-3 Conference USA)
Time: 45 minutes after game two's completion
Site: S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field - Marietta, Ga.
Live Stats | ESPN+
KSU Probable Starter: TBA
Jax State Probable Starter: #55 James Wilson
Series History
Friday's tilt will mark the 41st all-time match-up between the Gamecocks and the Owls. KSU has owned the last three games scoring at least six runs while allowing four runs or less. The Owls have been strong at home versus JSU sporting a 6-1 record.
Lights Out
Owl Fans, make sure to wear all black on Saturday for our Black Out game. The first 200 fans to walk through the gates will receive a KSU Lights Out towel.
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 inning son 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 226.
Strength Of Schedule
According to Warren Nolan's
strength of schedule, the Owl's SOS is ninth in the country. KSU's combined opponent record this season is tabbed at 483-270 which adds up to a 64.0 win percentage.
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.
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.
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 191 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.
