Kennesaw State (4-3, 0-0 CUSA) vs. No. 20 West Virginia (6-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Mickey Dunn Stadium at Henssler Financial Field
Friday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. vs. West Virginia (ESPN+)
Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. vs. West Virginia (ESPN+)
Sunday, March 1 at Noon vs. West Virginia (ESPN+)
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KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State baseball opens an eight-game home stand on Friday, Feb. 27, at 4 p.m., opening a three-game series with No. 20 West Virginia.
West Virginia enters the weekend following a historic 2025 season that saw the Mountaineers win a program-record 44 games and advance to the NCAA Super Regional for the second consecutive year. WVU also captured the Big 12 regular-season title, securing its second conference championship in the past three seasons. Head coach Steve Sabins is in his second year leading the program after spending nine seasons on staff under former head coach Randy Mazey.
The Pitching Matchups
- Friday: RHP Dawson Montesa (1-1, 4.50) vs. RHP Cooper McMullen (0-1, 3.52)
- Saturday: RHP Chansen Cole (1-0, 2.25) vs. RHP Ty Bayer (0-1, 20.77)
- Sunday: LHP Maxx Yehl (1-0, 1.50) vs. RHP Cole Royer (1-0, 6.75)
Series History
Friday marks the seventh all-time meeting between Kennesaw State and West Virginia, with the Mountaineers holding a 4-2 advantage in the series. The Owls are 1-0 against WVU in Kennesaw and picked up their most recent win in the series on March 8, 2025, earning a 13-9 victory in Morgantown. West Virginia, however, won two of three games in last year's series and enters the weekend having taken the most recent matchup.
CUSA Leaders
Kennesaw State enters the weekend with several players ranked among the Conference USA leaders on both sides of the ball. Right-handed reliever Daniel Powell has been dominant out of the bullpen, ranking sixth in the league with a 1.04 ERA while his 13 strikeouts are the second-most among Conference USA relievers. Powell has also limited opposing hitters to a .154 batting average, the sixth-best mark in the conference, and ranks third with just four hits allowed. Fellow right-hander Cooper McMullen has been equally effective, holding opponents to a .207 batting average, good for ninth in the league, while allowing just six hits, the seventh fewest in Conference USA.
Offensively, Jackson Chirello has emerged as one of the conference's top hitters, leading Conference USA with six doubles while ranking fifth with a .407 batting average among players with at least 20 at-bats. The Owls have also excelled in situational offense, with Shamaar McDuffie tied for second in the conference with two sacrifice bunts and Grayson McCollum tied for second with two sacrifice flies.
McGee's Big Night
James McGee delivered the best performance of his career Tuesday night at Georgia Southern, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, two runs scored, two RBIs and a walk, launching the first two homers of his career and becoming the first Owl to record a multi-homer game on the season.
After his standout performance in Statesboro, McGee is batting 5-for-8 (.625) with a 2.227 OPS, appearing in all but one contest for the Owls.
An Advanced Look
Four everyday starters carry a batting average on balls in play (BABIP) above .400 through seven games. Jackson Chirello leads the KSU offense with a .524 BABIP while Cooper Williams (.500), Grayson McCollum (.474) and Wesley Alig (.421) have also thrived when putting the ball in play. Kennesaw State is the only CUSA program with three players holding a BABIP above .450.
Chirello, McCollum and Williams have each recorded a weighted on-base average (wOBA) above .400 to open the season, led by Chirello's .489 mark with McCollum (.419) and Williams (.406) following. Each member of that trio also owns a weighted runs created plus (wRC+) above 100, which represents league average. Chirello leads the group at 154, followed by McCollum (118) and Williams (111).
Right-handed reliever Daniel Powell holds a 40.9% strikeout rate, the highest among KSU pitchers with at least 5.0 innings pitched. Powell's impressive strikeout rate is the second-highest K% in the conference.
Much of Powell's success has come from his changeup, which has totaled a 41.7% whiff rate, according to Synergy. That is the 12th-best mark amongst all DI pitchers who have thrown at least 50 changeups on the season.
Ticket Information
Fans can take advantage of special ticket promotions throughout the weekend, beginning with Free Friend Friday, where fans who purchase one ticket will receive an additional ticket free of charge. The Owls will also host Scout Night on Saturday, welcoming local Scout groups for a special gameday experience, while tickets for Sunday's series finale are available for just $5 as part of the Sunday Steal a Deal promotion.
Parking
Fans attending this weekend's games should park in the East Parking Deck, adjacent to VyStar Arena, and follow posted signage to the main gate of Mickey Dunn Stadium at Henssler Financial Field. A designated ADA Drop-Off zone is located directly in front of Gate 1, on Kennesaw State Univ. Road.
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.
