Kennesaw State Owls | |
---|---|
2024 Kennesaw State Owls baseball team | |
Founded | 1984 |
Overall record | 419–393 |
University | Kennesaw State University |
Head coach | Ryan Coe (3rd season) |
Conference | Conference USA |
Location | Kennesaw, Georgia |
Home stadium | Fred Stillwell Stadium (Capacity: 900) |
Nickname | Owls |
Colors | Black and gold [1] |
NCAA regional champions | |
2014 | |
NCAA Tournament appearances | |
2014, 2022 | |
Conference tournament champions | |
2014, 2022 | |
Regular season conference champions | |
2016 |
The Kennesaw State Owls baseball team represents Kennesaw State University, which is located in Kennesaw, Georgia. The Owls are an NCAA Division I college baseball program that competes in Conference USA. They began competing in Division I in 2006, joining Conference USA in 2024.
The Kennesaw State Owls play all home games on campus at Fred Stillwell Stadium. Under the direction of Head Coach Mike Sansing, the Owls have played in one NCAA tournament. Over their fifteen seasons in the ASUN Conference, they have won one ASUN regular season title and two ASUN tournaments.
Since the program's inception in 1984, eight Owls have gone on to play in Major League Baseball, highlighted by 2005 World Series champion Willie Harris. Over the program's 37 seasons, 55 Owls have been drafted, including Max Pentecost and Chad Jenkins who were selected in the first round of the 2014 and 2009 drafts, respectively.
Before joining the NCAA in 1994, the Owls additionally won the NAIA World Series in 1994.
Fred Stillwell Stadium is a baseball stadium on the Kennesaw State campus in Kennesaw, Georgia, that seats 900 people. It opened in 1984. A record attendance of 1,314 was set on April 3, 2012 in a game against Georgia Tech. [2]
Records taken from the 2020 KSU baseball record book. [3]
Season | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2006–2021 | Mike Sansing | 15 | 419–393 | .516 |
2022–present | Ryan Coe | 1 | 36–28 | .562 |
Totals | 2 coaches | 16 seasons | 455–421 | .519 |
Records taken from the 2020 KSU baseball record book. [3]
Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic Sun Conference (2006–present) | |||||||||
2006 | Mike Sansing | 24–32 | 12–18 | T-8th | |||||
2007 | Mike Sansing | 32–23 | 13–14 | T-5th | |||||
2008 | Mike Sansing | 30–26 | 21–12 | 2nd | |||||
2009 | Mike Sansing | 30–22 | 20–9 | 2nd | |||||
2010 | Mike Sansing | 23–32 | 12–15 | 8th | |||||
2011 | Mike Sansing | 32–25 | 18–11 | 3rd | ASUN tournament | ||||
2012 | Mike Sansing | 34–25 | 15–11 | 3rd | ASUN tournament | ||||
2013 | Mike Sansing | 30–30 | 13–14 | T-6th | ASUN tournament | ||||
2014 | Mike Sansing | 40–24 | 17–9 | 3rd | ASUN tournament Louisville Super Regional | ||||
2015 | Mike Sansing | 28–28 | 10–10 | 6th | ASUN tournament | ||||
2016 | Mike Sansing | 29–27 | 17–4 | 1st | ASUN tournament | ||||
2017 | Mike Sansing | 25–32 | 10–11 | 5th | ASUN tournament | ||||
2018 | Mike Sansing | 25–30 | 11–10 | 3rd | ASUN tournament | ||||
2019 | Mike Sansing | 27–29 | 11–13 | 7th | |||||
2020 | Mike Sansing | 10–8 | 0-0 | N/A | Season canceled on March 12 due to Coronavirus pandemic [4] | ||||
2021 | Mike Sansing | 29-22 | 13-8 | 2nd (East) | ASUN tournament | ||||
2022 | Ryan Coe | 36-28 | 19-11 | 1st (East) | ASUN tournament Hattiesburg Regional | ||||
Total: | 455–421 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion |
Year | Record | Pct | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | 3–3 | .500 | Eliminated by Louisville in Louisville Super Regional |
2022 | 1–2 | .333 | Eliminated by Southern Miss in Hattiesburg Regional |
Totals | 4–5 | .444 |
Year | Name |
---|---|
2014 | Max Pentecost |
Year | Position | Name | Team | Selector |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | P | Chad Jenkins | 3rd | CB |
2014 | C | Max Pentecost | 1st | ABCA |
BA | ||||
CB | ||||
NCBWA | ||||
2022 | OF | Josh Hatcher | 3rd | CB |
Year | Position | Name | Selector |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | SS | Kal Simmons | CB |
2015 | DH | Taylor Allum | CB |
2016 | SS | David Chabut | CB |
2018 | 3B | Tyler Simon | CB |
2022 | 1B | Donovan Cash | CB, NCBWA |
Year | Position | Name |
---|---|---|
2014 | C | Max Pentecost |
Year | Position | Name |
---|---|---|
2017 | 2B | Grant Williams |
Year | Handedness | Name |
---|---|---|
2009 | Right | Chad Jenkins |
Year | Name |
---|---|
2016 | Mike Sansing |
Year | Position | Name |
---|---|---|
2022 | 1B | Donovan Cash |
Taken from the 2020 KSU baseball record book. [3] Updated March 15, 2020.
= All-Star | = Baseball Hall of Famer |
Athlete | Years in MLB | MLB Teams |
---|---|---|
Willie Harris | 2001–2012 | Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds |
Brian Mallette | 2002 | Milwaukee Brewers |
Jason Jones | 2003 | Texas Rangers |
Jason Childers | 2006 | Tampa Bay Devil Rays |
Brett Campbell | 2006 | Washington Nationals |
Chad Jenkins | 2012–2015 | Toronto Blue Jays |
Justin Freeman | 2013 | Cincinnati Reds |
Alan Busenitz | 2017–2018, 2023 | Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds |
Richard Lovelady | 2019–2023 | Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics |
Travis Bergen | 2019–2021 | San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks |
Taken from the KSU MLB draft history. [5] Updated November 22, 2023.
The Kennesaw State Owls fields 16 varsity athletics teams, competing for Kennesaw State University. After spending ten years in Division II's Peach Belt Conference, the university fully transitioned to Division I status in the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the beginning of the 2009–10 season. All of Kennesaw State's sports teams compete in the ASUN Conference through the 2023–24 school year. In July 2023, KSU started a transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in advance of its move to Conference USA, which happened in 2024. Of its 18 varsity sports, only women's lacrosse is not sponsored by C-USA. The school mascot is Scrappy the Owl.
Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university in the state of Georgia with two campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta on a combined 581 acres (235 ha) of land. The school was founded in 1963 by the Georgia Board of Regents using local bonds and a federal space-grant during a time of major Georgia economic expansion after World War II. KSU also holds classes at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Dalton State College, and in Paulding County (Dallas). The total enrollment exceeds 45,000 students making KSU the third-largest university by enrollment in Georgia.
The Stetson Hatters baseball team represents Stetson University, which is located in DeLand, Florida. The Hatters are an NCAA Division I college baseball program that competes in the ASUN Conference. They began competing in Division I in 1972 and joined the ASUN Conference in 1986.
The Kennesaw State Owls football represents Kennesaw State University in college football. The Owls team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Conference USA (CUSA). The team began play in 2015 as a member of the Big South Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. In 2022, KSU's full-time home of the ASUN Conference launched an FCS football league, with KSU as one of its initial six members. After the 2022 season, KSU started the transition to the FBS, in advance of the school's 2024 move to CUSA.
Fifth Third Stadium, known as Kennesaw State University Stadium until 2013, is a stadium near Kennesaw, Georgia, that is primarily used as the home for the Kennesaw State Owls football team as well as the KSU women's soccer and women's lacrosse teams. It was built as a soccer-specific stadium and opened May 2, 2010, with the first match played on May 9. The facility is the result of a public-private partnership between Kennesaw State University and the now-defunct Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer.
The Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represents Kennesaw State University, located in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, United States near the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw. The school's team will start competition in Conference USA (CUSA) in 2024–25 after 19 seasons in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They are currently led by head coach Antoine Pettway and play their home games at the KSU Convocation Center.
Fred Stillwell Stadium is a baseball venue located in Kennesaw, Georgia, USA. It is home to the Kennesaw State Owls of the NCAA Division I ASUN Conference. Stillwell Stadium has been home to the program since its 1984 inception. Its seating capacity is 1,200 spectators.
Sports in Atlanta has a rich history, including the oldest on-campus NCAA Division I football stadium, Bobby Dodd Stadium, built in 1913 by the students of Georgia Tech. Atlanta also played host to the second intercollegiate football game in the South, played between the A&M College of Alabama and the University of Georgia in Piedmont Park in 1892; this game is now called the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. The city hosts college football's annual Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the Peachtree Road Race, the world's largest 10 km race. Atlanta was the host city for the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics, and Downtown Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park was built for and commemorates the games.
Mike Sansing is a former American college baseball coach, who a majority of his career served as head coach of the Kennesaw State Owls baseball team. He was named to that position prior to the 1992 season, when Kennesaw State was an NAIA team. He led the Owls as they joined the NCAA's Division II in 1994, and in 2005 began the process to elevate the program to Division I, completed for the 2010 season.
The 2015–16 Kennesaw State Owls women's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Owls, led by fourth-year head coach Nitra Perry. They played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center, in Kennesaw, Georgia and were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). They finished the season 11–19, 6–8 in ASUN play, to finish in fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of ASUN tournament to Stetson.
The Kennesaw State Owls women's basketball team represents Kennesaw State University in the sport of College basketball. They are a mid-major team in NCAA Division I, and will play their first season in Conference USA (CUSA) in 2024–25 after 19 seasons in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Owls host their opponents at the KSU Convocation Center, nearby to their Kennesaw Campus. They are coached by Octavia Blue.
The 2016–17 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls were led by second-year head coach Al Skinner and played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center on the university's campus in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). They finished the season 14–18, 7–7 in ASUN play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 5 seed in the ASUN tournament, they defeated USC Upstate before losing to Florida Gulf Coast in the semifinals.
The 2017–18 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls were led by third-year head coach Al Skinner and played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center on the university's campus in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 10–20, 6–8 in ASUN play to finish in sixth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the ASUN tournament to Jacksonville.
The 2018–19 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia and were led by fourth-year head coach Al Skinner. They finished the season 6-26 overall, 3–13 in ASUN play to finish in a tie for 8th place, and due to their tiebreaker over Stetson, they qualified for the conference tournament. As the #8 seed in the ASUN tournament, they lost in the first round to top-seeded Lipscomb 71–86.
The 2019–20 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by first-year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 1–28, 0–16 in ASUN play to finish in last place. They failed to qualify for the ASUN tournament.
The 2020–21 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by 2nd-year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 5-19, 2-13 in ASUN Play to finish in last place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the ASUN tournament to Liberty.
The 2021–22 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by third-year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the East Division of the ASUN Conference.
The 2022–23 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by fourth-year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season with 26–9, 15–3 in ASUN play to earn a share of the regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the ASUN tournament, the Owls defeated Queens, Lipscomb, and Liberty to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the school's first-ever trip to the tournament. As the No. 14 seed in the Midwest region, they lost in the first round to Xavier.
The 2023–24 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by first-year head coach Antoine Pettway, played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season 15–15, 6–10 in ASUN play to finish in ninth place. As the No. 9 seed in the ASUN tournament, they lost to Jacksonville in the first round.
The 2023–24 Kennesaw State Owls women's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Owls, led by third-year head coach Octavia Blue, played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference. This was the Owls' last season as members of the ASUN Conference, as they will be moving to Conference USA, effective July 1, 2024.