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KENNESAW, Ga. – For the first time in program history the Kennesaw State baseball team has earned the Atlantic Sun Conference's highest individual honor as catcher Max Pentecost has been named A-Sun Player of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday.
 
Pentecost earns the award after a year in which he led the nation in total hits with 97 and shattered KSU's single-season batting average record with his .422 mark.
 
"It's an overall blessing," said Pentecost. "All the hard work we put in and the time and effort paid off. I'm glad I could receive this award and it means a lot to me and the team."
 
A Winder, Georgia, native, Pentecost currently holds the nation's longest hit streak at 35 games and counting and is in the top five in the conference in hits, batting average, RBIs (54) and doubles (21) and is named on every major award watch list in the nation.
 
"Max has done a great job for us all the way around," said KSU head coach Mike Sansing. "He's gotten the job done defensively, offensively and with his base running. Things the regular fan may not always see, he's done it all. It's been a great year for him and a great year for us all around as a team."
 
The junior highlighted a slew of awards for the Owls who landed two players on the All A-Sun First Team in Pentecost and closer Justin McCalvin. McCalvin set the new standard for relief pitchers at KSU, breaking the KSU NCAA Division I single-season saves record with his 12.
 
Also being honored were All A-Sun Second Team selections Kal Simmons, Bo Way, Alex Liquori and Jordan Hillyer as well as All A-Sun Freshmen honorees Gabe Friese and Chris Erwin.
 
Simmons, a Freshman All-American from one year ago, backed up his rookie campaign with a .284 year at the plate in which he reached base in all but five games he saw action in. The shortstop also scored 40 runs as KSU's leadoff hitter.
 
Way came out and hit .352 his senior season, knocking 70 hits with 17 of those coming for extra bases, giving him a slugging percentage of .467 with 27 RBIs.
 
Fellow outfielder Liquori held the second highest batting average on the squad with his .361 mark and was also second in doubles with 13. The right fielder was also tied for the league lead in triples with five.
 
Friday night starter Hillyer gets the second team nod after going 7-3 on the year, the most wins on the staff, with an ERA of 3.07 and 65 strikeouts, the fourth most in the league. The righty tossed a team-high 82 innings giving up just 28 earned runs and 26 walks.
 
Friese earned a spot in the starting weekend rotation for KSU, making six starts and 15 appearances. The freshman threw 57.2 innings, picking up 35 strikeouts.
 
Erwin became a true utility player for KSU in his first collegiate season, making eight starts on the hill gaining three wins with an ERA of 3.16. After earning a handful of spot starts in left field, Erwin compiled a batting average of .389 with four RBIs and two extra-base hits.
 
The All-Conference honorees helped lead Kennesaw State to a 33-21 overall record and a 19-11 mark in the A-Sun while bringing the Owls the nation's longest win-streak at 16 games.
 
All eight, which was the most All-Conference selections out of any school, will be honored at the A-Sun baseball banquet held on Tuesday night prior to the conference tournament.

The No. 3 seeded Owls will face off against No. 6 seeded East Tennessee State on Wednesday, May 21, at 10 a.m. ET in Fort Myers, Florida, for game one of the A-Sun Tournament.

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
  
 
 
 

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