Kennesaw State (0-0, 0-0 CUSA) vs. Evansville and Marshall
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Mickey Dunn Stadium at Henssler Financial Field
Friday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. vs. Evansville (0-0, 0-0 MVC)
Saturday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. vs. Marshall (0-0, 0-0 SBC)
Sunday, Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. vs. Marshall
Sunday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. vs. Evansville
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KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State baseball officially opens a new chapter this weekend, christening Mickey Dunn Stadium at Henssler Financial Field while beginning the 2026 season with four games in three days against Evansville and Marshall.
The Matchups
KSU's opening weekend rotation features a pair of Georgia Tech transfers alongside a returning starter.
Friday: Max Hansmann (1-1, 6.57) vs. Cooper McMullen (1-0, 3.68)
Saturday: Clint Moak (3-2, 5.52) vs. Ty Bayer (2-3, 5.70)
Sunday (1): Alex Caudill (3-2, 4.08) vs. Cole Royer (1-0, 4.05)
Sunday (2): TBD vs. TBD
McMullen and Royer will make their KSU debuts, while Bayer returns to the weekend rotation after making 14 starts as a freshman in 2025.
A Look Back
The 2025 season brought major change for Kennesaw State, but the Owls responded with its second straight winning season and third under head coach Ryan Coe.
With construction ongoing at Mickey Dunn Stadium at Henssler Financial Field, KSU operated entirely out of S. Walter Kelly Field on the Marietta campus. Despite the temporary move, the Owls thrived at home, posting a 17-9 record.
The season also marked Kennesaw State's transition to Conference USA after nearly two decades in the ASUN. In its inaugural CUSA campaign, KSU finished third in the league with a 17-9 conference record.
A Schedule Built to Test
After facing one of the nation's toughest schedules in 2025, the Owls once again take on a challenging slate.
KSU will play 10 games against Power Four opponents, including weekend series at No. 12 Florida (Feb. 20-22) and at home against No. 21 West Virginia (Feb. 27-March 1), plus home-and-home midweek matchups with No. 6 Georgia (March 3 and 24) and No. 2 Georgia Tech (April 7 and 28).
The Owls face six teams that advanced to an NCAA Regional in 2025: Dallas Baptist, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, West Virginia and Western Kentucky.
Within Conference USA, KSU's strength of schedule ranks among the league's toughest in terms of Power Four opponents and NCAA Regional participants.
Preseason Hype
Kennesaw State was picked to finish third in the Conference USA preseason coaches' poll, just three points shy of second place.
Wesley Alig earned Preseason All-CUSA honors from Perfect Game USA, while Josh Gibbs was tabbed the publication's Preseason CUSA Freshman of the Year.
D1Baseball.com ranked Chris Cole as the No. 133 outfielder nationally in its preseason position rankings, while relief pitcher Daniel Powell was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List, one of just two CUSA pitchers recognized.
Fantasic Freshman
KSU's freshman class is among the highest-rated in program history, earning a No. 45 national ranking by Perfect Game USA. The No. 45 ranking is the highest among all Conference USA programs, with DBU's No. 57-ranked class coming in second.
A total of 10 freshman join the Owls for the 2026 season, including Georgia natives Josh Gibbs, Davis Harper, Jin Kasuya, Grayson McCollum, Avery Shiflett, Hunter Stonecipher, Sam Summerlin and Avery Wilson. Nolan Bethel (Loudon, Tenn.) and Jayden Summerville (Orlando, Fla.) round out the freshman class.
Peach State Presence
Kennesaw State's 2026 roster features 32 student-athletes from the state of Georgia, the most among the state's seven Division I baseball programs.
Rewriting the Record Book
Despite falling short of an NCAA Regional bid, the Owls set multiple program records in 2025.
On the mound, KSU struck out 519 hitters, breaking the previous single-season record of 506 set in 2022. It marked just the second 500-strikeout season in program history, both under the direction of Coe and pitching coach Matthew Passauer.
Offensively, the Owls drew 290 walks, the most in the Division I era, while posting a .387 on-base percentage and .439 slugging percentage.
Record Watch
Chris Cole enters 2026 with 43 career stolen bases, ranking fourth in KSU's Division I era and sixth overall. He needs four steals to move into third place. The career record (all-time and Division I era) is 67.
Cole also carries a .452 career on-base percentage, just two points shy of the Division I-era record (.454).
The Owls Fund
The Owls Fund is the primary fundraising arm of Kennesaw State Athletics with the goal of supporting our student-athletes, coaches and each of our 18 NCAA Division I programs. Through initiatives such as Legacy Lockers, the Dot Martin Scholarship Golf Classic, sport-specific giving opportunities, general donations and season tickets, The Owls Fund connects fans with KSU's programs and student-athletes. Members receive exclusive benefits such as hospitality seating areas and events at Kennesaw State home games, and more. Join The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.
