By: By Jake Dorow
KENNESAW, Ga. – It may be hard to believe, but the defending regular-season ASUN champion Kennesaw State baseball team returns to the diamond in just over a week to begin its 2017 campaign. The Owls' first pitch will be part of the annual Atlanta Challenge as they play host to Western Michigan, BYU and Marshall at Stillwell Stadium. The games can be seen live on ASUN.TV with play-by-play announcer
Nathan McCreary on the call.
26th-year head coach
Mike Sansing, who is the reigning ASUN Coach of the Year, looks to build on a dazzling 17-4 ASUN regular-season championship that saw the Owls win every league series for the first time in six years to earn a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
Kennesaw State's strong regular season saw eye-popping offensive numbers as a team, batting .294 while totaling 137 extra base hits with seven hitters batting .300 or better. Meanwhile, the pitching staff posted an impressive 3.60 ERA against ASUN opponents and held hitters to a .251 average in 21 games.
With the season just around the corner, several members of the Black and Gold were rewarded with preseason selections. KSU was picked to finish third in the ASUN Coaches' Poll while starting pitcher
Gabe Friese, senior outfielder
Corey Greeson and junior first baseman
Austin Upshaw all garnered 2017 Preseason ASUN All-Conference selections.
Today's first of a four-part season preview breaks down the Owls' starting pitching and what KSU fans can expect come the weekends on the bump.
STARTING PITCHING
One could argue how important starting pitching can be to a postseason run, and Coach Sansing and the Owls would agree with the durability and consistency shown in 2016. Three pitchers –
Gabe Friese,
AJ Moore and
Chris Erwin –all made 13 starts, while
Tony Dibrell (seven starts) and
Mason Ward (five starts) comprised 91 percent of the Owls' starts. In fact, the 13 starts each from Friese, Moore and Erwin were tied for the ninth-most in a single season.
It all starts with Friese, a right-handed hurler from Kennesaw, who finished 2016 with a 6-2 record and a 4.35 ERA. The 2017 ASUN Preseason All-Conference selection went a perfect 4-0 in league play a season ago in 37.1 frames and finished with 61 total strikeouts. In fact, of his 61 total strikeouts, 24 were looking which tied for eight-most in school history. The hometown senior is on the verge of breaking several KSU D-I records including: innings thrown (20.1 needed), all-time wins (five away), games started (seven away) and batters faced (95 away).
Another right-handed pitcher Coach Sansing will turn to is Dibrell, a 6-3, 205-pounder from Alpharetta, Ga., who looks to build on an impressive 2016 summer in the Cape Cod League. Dibrell was named No. 83 to the Cape Cod League Top Prospects list, announced on D1baseball.com in September. The righty was superb over a combined 39.1 innings, posting a 1.63 ERA and 36 strikeouts during summer ball. The big, tall lengthy junior finished 2016 tied for second on the roster with 66 punch outs in just 54.1 innings. Of his 66 strikeouts, 25 were looking which tied for fourth-most in school history. He also set an individual season record for strikeouts per nine innings, recording 10.93 (min. 50IP) in 2016. Look for Dibrell to make a huge impact on the weekends with his big arm.
The third righty in the mix is Moore, a junior from Dacula, Ga., who is also coming off a strong summer in the 2016 Cape Cod League. The righty that stands 6-4, 205 pounds, was named No. 141 to the Cape Cod League Top Prospects list, announced on D1baseball.com. His strong summer was a tribute to an improved sophomore season for KSU. He was one of three Owls to top 70 or more innings thrown. Moore led the team with 72 punch outs overall and 37 strikeouts in ASUN action. He finished league play with a 3-1 record and a 3.86 ERA in seven starts in 37.1 frames thrown.
True two-way standout Erwin will look to make another impact on the mound. The left-handed product, who hails from Grayson, Ga. and stands 6-0, 172 pounds, was one of three Owls to start 13 games a season ago. Erwin finished 2016 with a 3-3 record and a 5.76 ERA, tossing the most innings (75.0) on the staff. The lefty also totaled 66 punch outs which tied for second on the roster. Erwin finished 2-1 in league play with 34 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. The senior has earned two career ASUN honors, being names second-team All-ASUN in 2015 and All-Freshman in 2014.
The fifth starter, and possible sixth starter to keep and an eye on, are southpaws
Mason Ward and
Nathan Dupree. Ward might be one of the most versatile arms on the roster as he made 19 appearances and five starts for the Black and Gold in 2016. The lefty finished with a 2-1 record in league play and an impressive 2.70 ERA in seven appearances. Ward split time as a starter and reliever, but totaled 15 strikeouts in 20.0 in conference action. Meanwhile, Dupree, a 6-3, 198-pound lefty out of Lassiter High School, is coming off a redshirt season and might be looked at as a starter during midweek play.
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.
-#GoKSUOwls-
