Kennesaw State University Athletics

 

 


 

1994 NAIA Baseball National Champions

1994 NAIA National Champions - It was their first and last appearance in the NAIA World Series and the Owls made the most of it. With Kennesaw State set to advance to NCAA Division II status the Owls left the NAIA a champion and brought home the university’s first intercollegiate athletic national title. Led by Head Coach Mike Sansing, the Owls finished the season on a then-school record 17-game winning streak en route to a 2-0 win over top-ranked Southeastern Oklahoma in the national title game held at Sec Taylor Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Left-handed pitcher Chris McKnight tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout in the title game earning him a spot on the All-Tournament team. He was joined on the team by second baseman Darrell Baggett, catcher Ryan Coe, first baseman David Armstrong and pitcher Todd Kirby. Additionally, Baggett won the Golden Glove Award while Kirby was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Sansing, who was named Regional and District Coach of the Year, guided the Owls to 48-14 overall record including 20-8 in conference play. His squad posted a team batting average of .330 led by outfielder Fabian Herndon’s .382 mark. Coe (.369, 18 HR) set a then single-season school RBI mark with 79 and was named NAIA District Player of the Year and All-American while third baseman Perry Shiver (.371, 11 HR, 42 RBI) earned an All-American Honorable Mention. In addition, Coe, Herndon, Shiver, shortstop George Edwards (.362, 37 RBI) and pitcher John Kown (9-1, 1.88 ERA) earned All-District honors. Coe and Shiver also captured All-Region selections. McKnight finished the season with a 10-2 record and 3.15 ERA. Other key contributors included Chad Morris (10-2, 2.15 ERA), Chris Tracy (6-3, 3.59 ERA), Armstrong (.366, 34 RBI), Jerry Coffey (.313), and Steve Meyer (.279, 12 HR, 47 RBI).

1996 National Championship Baseball

1996 NCAA Division II National Champions - After beginning the season 5-6, the Owls rebounded to go 43-11 the rest of the way finishing 48-17 to claim their first NCAA Division II National Championship with a win over St. Joseph’s (Ind.) at Paterson Field in Montgomery, Ala. After finishing second to Columbus State in both the Peach Belt Athletic Conference (PBAC) regular season (17-6) and tournament the Owls beat the Cougars when it counted the most – by taking 2-out-of-3 games in the South Atlantic Regional Tournament to advance to the college world series. Playing at Paterson Field for the first time, KSU swept its way to a second national crown by going 4-0 in the tournament. Jason Childers capped off a season of perfection (12-0, 2.01 ERA) by pitching the game of his life. The junior fired a seven-hit, complete-game shutout in the 4-0 title game win. For the season, Childers was named PBAC and South Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year along with earning First Team All-American status. Junior catcher Chris Halliday (.354, 10 HR, 48 RBI) also had a season to remember that ended with him being named First Team All-South Atlantic Region and All-PBAC along with garnering the MVP of the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship. Other key contributors for the Owls on the mound were pitchers Matt Houmes (6-3, 2.78 ERA), Derek Perkins (7-3, 3.52 ERA), Chris Bowen (5-1, 3.45 ERA) and Alex Garcia (5-2, 2.96 ERA). Hitting notables in addition to Halliday were Brian Mallette (.360, 34 RBI, 21 SB), Joe Parks (.356, 37 RBI, 37 SB), Nathan Cothran (.306, 57 RBI), Brannon Whatley (.300, 31 RBI) and Brian McDevitt (.273, 48 RBI). Childers, Halliday and Parks were selected to the All-Region team.

 


 

2003-04 Men's Basketball National Champions

2003-04 NCAA Division II National Championships - After starting the season 0-2, Head Coach Tony Ingle guided his team to 26-straight wins to capture the NCAA Division II National Championship in Bakersfield, Calif., topping Southern Indiana 85-59 in the title game. The historic win became the first-ever NCAA basketball crown claimed by a Georgia college. First-Team All-American guard Terrence Hill, who scored 26 points in the title game, was named the CBS Player of the Game along with the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, while All-PBC forward Reggie McKoy and Region MVP Georgy Joseph turned in solid performances. Joseph was also named to the All-Tournament Team. The Owls’ 35-4 mark was the best in the nation and KSU became the first team to go undefeated (16-0) in the 12-team Peach Belt Conference. Ingle’s squad was led by Hill (16.1 ppg, 104 assists), along with Tommy Thompson (7.1 ppg, 142 assists), Rey Luque (12.3 ppg), McKoy (8.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg), Joseph (8.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 41 blocks), Cardell Talley (7.2 ppg), Kevin McDonald (4.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Justin Thompson (3.1 rpg).

 


 

2003 Soccer Champions

2003 NCAA Division II National Champions - In only its second year of existence, Coach Rob King guided his soccer team to a near perfect season (25-1) while capturing the NCAA Division II National Championship with a 2-0 shutout of Franklin Pierce (N.H.) in Virginia Beach, Va. In the process the Owls became the first team in history to record five shutouts in a national tournament. The only loss of the season came to the defending national champions – Christian Brothers – by a narrow 2-1 margin. It was the program’s final year in Division II play after achieving an impressive 43-1-1 all-time mark. For the season, the Owls dominated by outscoring their opponents 99-11, which included 17 shutout wins (nine straight to finish the season) with the largest margin of victory being 11-0 over Shorter. KSU posted a 3.76 goals scored average while holding its opponents to only 0.42, and out-shooting its opponents 23.5 per game to 7.3. Jessie Fream was named All-American from a team that had a least five other players worthy of the honor – including Janae Gzehoviak who was named the PBC Player of the Year; Laura Tucker (who led the team with 22 goals) the National Tournament Offensive MVP; and Katrina Hirsch the National Tournament Defensive MVP.

 


 

1995 National Softball National Championship Team (Dogpile)

1995 NCAA Division II National Championships - In its first season competing at the NCAA Division II level, Kennesaw State made an immediate impact by posting an impressive 53-5 record and claiming a national championship. It was the first of back-to-back title seasons for the Owls, led by NCAA Division II Coach of the Year Scott Whitlock. After starting the season 8-4, the Owls kicked it into high gear highlighted by a D-II record 40-game winning streak including a perfect 14-0 in conference play. Top-ranked Wisconsin-Parkside snapped the Owls streak with a 4-3 win in the first round of the World Series. The resilient Owls fought their way out of the loser’s bracket by winning five straight games, including a 9-1 win over Wisconsin-Parkside, and defeated Bloomsburg twice to claim the crown.The Owls were led by NCAA Division II Player of the Year Kelly Rafter who finished the season with a 32-5 record to go with a 0.85 ERA. The right-handed pitcher also struck out 196 batters and walked just 26 in more than 230 innings pitched. Also earning All-American, All-Region and All-Peach Belt Conference status were Tonya Carlisle (.420, 47 RBI), and Cara Dornstauder (.373, 53 RBI) -- along with Rafter -- while Colleen Thorburn (.400, 7 HR, 41 RBI) and Kathy Morgan (.349, 37 RBI) were All-Peach Belt Conference selections . Other top contributors were Shannon McDonough (.360), Nada Hlohvosky (.333), Dee Webb (15-0, 1.10 ERA), and Wanda Wiggins (5-0, 1.00 ERA).

1996 Softball National Championship Team

1996 NCAA Division II National Championships - After a 49-8 season, Head Coach Scott Whitlock’s Owls secured their second consecutive national championship. KSU swept through the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament and entered the National Championship Tournament ranked No. 1 in the country. The Owls posted a 4-1 record in the national tournament held at Emporia, Kan., and claimed the back-to-back crown with a 6-4 victory over Nebraska-Omaha. Once again led by the pitching dominance of four-time All-American Kelly Rafter (31-3, 0.83 ERA), Kennesaw State enjoyed a 19-game winning streak and also extended their Peach Belt Conference mark to 42 straight. On the season, the Owls were led with the bat by two-time All-American Cara Dornstauder (.407, 38 RBI) while Kathy Morgan (.393) and Kathy Le (.339, 31 RBI) were named to the All-Peach Belt Conference team. Additionally, Brenda Farrell (18-5, 1.01 ERA) along with Julie Eggert (.335, 38 RBI), Nada Hlohovsky (.323, 31 RBI), Kim O’Kelly (.316), Krissy Streid (.315), Paige Wofford (.296) and Shannon Ross (.287, 32 RBI) were key contributors.

Kennesaw State Years of Affiliation
NAIA - 1982-1994
NCAA Division II - 1994-2005
NCAA Division I - 2005-Present