By Julien Benjamin, Staff Writer
Behind a complete game shutout by Jordan Hillyer, head coach Mike Sansing received his 1,000th career victory in a 5-0 win for the Kennesaw State Owls as they began AtlanticSun Conference play Friday evening.
In his 27 year as a collegiate manager, Sansing is currently 18th all-time for wins among active college baseball managers. He had few words to describe the emotion of achieving history, as Sansing simply praised his players that have all at some point contributed to his remarkable record.
“This team is different than last year’s, and every team I’ve had is different,” Sansing said. “They have their own identities, and I’ve been blessed with some great guys.”
“It was special to get the victory for Sansing,” Hillyer said. “We’ve all known it was coming, and it was definitely in the back of my mind all game.”
KSU (13-12, 1-0) battled through a pitcher’s duel early in the game before breaking out for five runs in the sixth to outlast USC Upstate (8-18, 0-1).
“Hillyer did an excellent job,” Sansing said. “When you throw a game like that, you set a tone. I can’t think of anything he didn’t do well tonight.”
Hillyer continued his season long excellence on the mound, throwing a two-hit shutout against the Spartans, with 11 strikeouts. Hillyer has recorded a 1.44 ERA over his last three starts with 33 strikeouts, and has 57 total for the year. His 1.85 season ERA is second best in the conference.
The junior right-hander ended the game with a scoreless ninth inning after allowing a leadoff double to start the frame. “Those last three outs are always the hardest,” he said. Hillyer would not allow a ball out of the infield the rest of the inning, finishing the game with a strikeout to clinch Sansing’s milestone victory.
Senior first baseman Chris McGowan led off the scoring for the Owls in the sixth inning with a one-out home run to right field to give KSU a 1-0 lead. The next six batters reached base for the Owls with RBI singles from Grant Williams and Corey Greeson. Chris Erwin’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Jeremy Howell and ended the game’s scoring with a 5-0 KSU lead.
The Owls collected 14 hits with the lower half of the lineup providing most of the offense. Freshmen Taylor Allum and Williams went a combined 6-for-8, and Greeson had two RBIs as he went 2-for-5. McGowan hit his first home run of the season and he finished 1-for-4, raising his batting average to .230 with seven RBIs.
“We’ve still got to maximize more on our scoring opportunities,” Sansing said. “Grant and Jeremy did well offensively, but getting five runs on 14 hits isn’t usually the case.”
KSU continues their series against the USC Upstate Spartans with a 2 p.m. matchup on Saturday. Lefthander Travis Bergen will start for the Owls.
