by Mike Foster (Sports Editor)
Baseball is a game of trends, and nobody should be more familiar with that mantra than the members of KSU’s baseball team—especially after the week that was.
After trudging through the start of its Atlantic Sun Conference schedule, starting 2-7 in a stretch riddled with defensive miscues, the Owls have won five straight games, including four-straight in league play.
The hot streak began last Sunday, when KSU trailed Florida Gulf Coast 6-1 after four innings and looked to be in jeapordy of being swept. In the next frame, the Owls offense ignited for six runs. KSU beat the Eagles 11-9 and have not looked back since.
“I think (that win) does a lot for you mentally,” head coach Mike Sansing said.
“We’re in a better spot now than we were two or three weeks ago. I feel like we are improving. Defensive is improving, which is a huge factor for us because it’s been a problem for us,” Sansing said. “There’s a correlation between that and our wins and losses.”
In its weekend series against Stetson, the Owls homered in the first inning of all three games, while closer Justin McCalvin earned a save in each contest (he now has six on the year) and catcher Max Pentecost extended his conference-leading hit streak to 20 games.
Pentecost, who was named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list on Wednesday (the award goes to the top amateur player in the country), was 3-for-4 on Sunday with a home run, two RBIs, two doubles, and four runs scored. He hit 8-for-12 in the series against the Hatters.
“I’m just going out there and being aggressive,” Pentecost said. “I’m just playing the game how I know how to play it.”
Fighting Back
After starting the season with wins over in-state foes Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State on consecutive Tuesdays, it appeared the Owls were primed to make a run through the conference schedule. That wasn’t the case in the beginning, but with four conference series left, the Owls could put themselves in position to make the same push they have in the past two seasons.
Despite being 30-30 (13-14 A-Sun) and 34-25 (15-11 A-Sun) in 2013 and 2012, respectively, head coach Mike Sansing’s team fell just short of titles, advancing to the A-Sun title game both seasons.
As of Sunday, KSU has jumped to a tie with North Florida and Jacksonville for fifth place in the conference standings. Lipscomb (24-13, 12-3), Florida Gulf Coast (24-13, 9-3) and Mercer (28-10, 11-4) are currently battling in the top tier, while East Tennessee State is the only other school with an overall winning record at 18-17 and 7-5 in conference.
KSU’s offense is built for the big stage, ranking top-50 in the nation in runs scored and 12th in hits, but the Owls are still searching for the ace of their pitching staff, with main starters Travis Bergen, Jordan Hillyer and Nathan Harsh combining for a 9-10 record. Bergen, who went seven innings Saturday with only four hits and no walks allowed against five strikeouts, is a shave under a 7-to-1 strikeout/walk ratio and leads the team with 48 strikeouts (seven walks).
“They’ve had great performances,” said Pentecost. “Some weekends they may not quite have the control they have other weekends, but they find a way to work, and the offense’s job is to pick them up, and that’s what it’s done.”
McCalvin, who has 40 strikeouts and eight walks as the Owls’ primary late-reliever, boasts the lowest ERA on the team at 1.32.
Week Preview
Despite the conference drama, KSU has some more business to take care of in its backyard. The Owls will visit Panthersville Stadium in east Atlanta on Tuesday to face Nic Wilson and the Georgia State Panthers (17-20, 5-10 Sun Belt), who KSU shutout 3-0 in the first meeting.
The Owls will also visit Coolray Field next Tuesday, April 22, for its rematch against Georgia, who’s won three-straight Southeastern Conference series. KSU beat the Bulldogs (21-14-1, 7-7-1 SEC) 10-7 on Feb. 18.
KSU will spend Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Spartanburg, S.C., for a three-game series against USC Upstate.
