The Ryan Coe era of Kennesaw State baseball got off to a hot start with a 3-1 series victory over Morehead State University starting Feb. 18.
Coe, a former KSU baseball alumnus, spent 12 years in Major League Baseball as a talent scout for the Texas Rangers before returning to his alma mater as the new coach.
KSU had 28 runners cross the plate during the series, including a 10-run, 11-hit performance in game three of the series.
Starting catcher Mason Jones got the momentum going for KSU when he hit a two-run home run in the 2nd inning to spark a three-run inning for the Owls in game three. They soon followed that effort with a four-run 4th inning, with Luke Torbert picking up the win for the Owls.
Jones was not the only one who hit a home run this series. Third baseman Cash Young hit the first home run of the season in game one when he hit a three-run blast in the second inning, leading the Owls to a 9-5 victory for this game. Reliever Nathan Holler got the first win of the season with Jack Myers on starting duty for opening day.
The Owls also notched their first shutout victory of the year in game two, thanks to the arms of John Bezdicek and Smith Pinson who combined for two total hits with 12 strikeouts. Three of the four runs in this game were scored in the third inning. Bezdicek got the win with Pinson shutting the door to earn his first save of the new campaign.
The hot start to the season came to a quick halt in the fourth game of the series, as KSU fell to MSU 17-5. The Owls went through seven pitchers with none having much success that afternoon, although Brayden Eidson had 3 RBIs this game on a 2-3 batting line.
KSU looks to get back into the rhythm following their loss when they host Georgia State University on Feb. 23, also looking ahead to hosting a three-game series against the Fairfield Stags Feb. 25-27. All upcoming games will be streamed on KSU’s Youtube channel.
