Kennesaw State (2-0, 0-0 CUSA) vs. West Georgia (1-3, 0-0 ASUN)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Mickey Dunn Stadium at Henssler Financial Field
Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. vs. West Georgia
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KENNESAW, Ga. - After an unbeaten start to the 2026 season, Kennesaw State baseball welcomes West Georgia to Mickey Dunn Stadium at Henssler Financial Field to open its midweek slate.
The Pitching Matchup
UWG: Gavin Mask (0-0, 10.80)
KSU: Cole Royer (0-0, 0.00)
Series History
Tuesday marks the 41st meeting between the Owls and the Wolves, with West Georgia holding a slim 21-19 edge in the all-time series.
Kennesaw State swept the two matchups between the programs in 2025, earning a 9-8 victory in 11 innings on April 15 before cruising to a 17-1 win in Carrollton on May 6.
The longtime Division II rivals meet for just the third time since KSU moved to Division I in 2006. West Georgia joined the Division I ranks ahead of the 2025 season.
Weekend Recap
Kennesaw State opened the season with a pair of victories, defeating Evansville 11-3 on Friday and Marshall 10-9 in walk-off fashion Saturday evening.
The Owls used an eight-run eighth inning to pull away from the Purple Aces in the opener, highlighted by an impressive collegiate debut from Grayson McCollum. The freshman third baseman went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Jackson Chirello, Trenton Lyons and Cooper Williams each added two hits.
Cooper McMullen made his first start in a KSU uniform, tossing 5.0 innings of three-hit ball with five strikeouts, two walks and two unearned runs. Daniel Powell followed with a dominant 4.0-inning performance, striking out nine while allowing just two hits.
Saturday's contest featured plenty of power, as the teams combined for six home runs. A wild pitch in the ninth inning allowed Chris Cole to race home with the winning run. After Marshall surged early, Nolan Sliver and Harry Cain combined to limit the Thundering Herd to one run over the final 4.2 innings, giving the KSU offense time to erase deficits in both the seventh and ninth frames.
The Owls were scheduled to face both Marshall and Evansville on Sunday, but heavy rain forced the cancellation of both games.
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.
