Mike Foster (Sports Editor)
Even though spring finals have been over for a few weeks now, it’s been a busy May for KSU athletics.
Three of KSU’s men’s teams are flirting with championship play this week, along with other big news:
- Baseball (34-21) faces Stetson this afternoon at 5 p.m. in its second game of double-elimination action in the Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Championship. The Owls, who have won 20 of their last 21 games and 16-straight against conference foes, won yesterday in the championship opener on a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning. KSU is looking to advance to the A-Sun title game for the third straight season, with hopes of advancing as a conference champion to the NCAA DI Baseball Championship. Mercer, which entered the conference tournament as a No. 2 seed, was eliminated earlier today in a 7-1 loss to East Tennessee State. KSU’s in-state rival could advance to the NCAA championship as an at-large; the Bears entered postseason play with a No. 29 RPI ranking. 34 of the 30 teams selected for regional play are non-automatic qualifiers. KSU, ranked No. 66 in the RPI, would likely be out of that discussion despite faring very well in the regular season against teams like Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State.
- KSU’s baseball incline has helped shine a light on junior catcher Max Pentecost, though scouts have known about the five-tool player long before the local media took notice. According to this feature report on Pentecost, who was drafted by the Texas Rangers before coming to KSU three years ago, is expected to be a top-20 pick in this year’s MLB draft. Pentecost scored the winning run in yesterday’s dramatic victory after leading off the final frame with a triple. He leads the nation with a 36-game hitting streak.
- Men’s golf, ranked No. 37 by Golfweek, began its practice round at the NCAA Championships at Prarie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., this morning. The No. 26 seed is one of two mid-majors (the other being UAB) in the 30-team field. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will consist of stroke play, with the top-eight teams advancing to match play quarterfinals that begin Tuesday. The individual championship, which will consist of the top-40 players in the field, will be played Monday. Both the individual championship and match play will air on the Golf Channel, so make sure to tune in and look for the team in black and gold. Kelby Burton, who led the Owls in the NCAA regional in Auburn, Ala., will be head coach Jay Moseley’s number one once again, followed by Jimmy Beck (Jr.), Chris Guglielmo (Fr.), Teremoana Beaucousin (Fr.), and Austin Vick (Jr.).
- Men’s track followed its A-Sun indoor title with the same result in the outdoor A-Sun Championship, which was held at the University of North Florida last week. The men won 13 of 21 events. Andre Dorsey led the way, winning three events (high jump, triple jump and javelin), including setting a conference record in the high jump at 2.16 meters. It was also a familiar result for the women’s team, which finished two points behind champion Jacksonville, who has dominated the conference in the last few years. Several athletes will return to Jacksonville for the NCAA prelims, which will be held May 29-31.
- According to KSUOwlHowl.com, former North Cobb HS forward Jordan Neff will be part of KSU’s men’s basketball program. Neff, who committed to Florida Gulf Coast, then went to Gordon College, and now has returned home, is a 6-foot-7 dunk machine that needs to prove to be a complete and polished player, but he definitely adds more excitement to a program that needs momentum after going 10-80 in the last three seasons. Newly appointed head coach Jimmy Lallathin has definitely created some buzz with hires of big names to assistant coaching positions (former NBA and international star David Rivers and nephew of Bobby Cremins, Jon Cremins). Rumors of Neff’s transfer to KSU had been swirling, quietly through the Twittersphere and beyond, for the past few months.
- After a one-year hiatus due to suspension for hotel vandalism, KSU’s widely popular club hockey team has officially announced its return for the 2014-15 season. The club’s official Facebook page published a statement on May 8: “To our loyal fans, we are happy to announce that the KSU Ice Hockey team has officially been reinstated back into Kennesaw State. Thank you for your continued support through this last year and we are looking forward to bringing hockey to Kennesaw again. We can’t wait to be on the ice in front of our passionate fans. Go Owls!” KSU, which competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), finished 24-4-0-2 in 2012-13.
