April 15, 2008

KENNESAW, Ga.--After an offensive explosion on Saturday, Kennesaw State's baseball team will play host to UAB in the first game of a home-and-home series. First pitch today at Stillwell Stadium is set for 6:00 p.m., with a crawfish boil as part of "Mardi Gras Night" starting one hour prior to first pitch.

During the final six games of a seven-game win streak, Kennesaw State outscored its opponents by a combined 43-20. After a 14-5 setback to USC Upstate on Friday, the Owls scored 43 in Saturday's doubleheader, including a 32-3 pounding of the Spartans. Kennesaw State scored in eight of the nine frames, including seven in the ninth after being shut out in the eighth inning.

KSU set all-time school records in for most team at bats (60) and hits (35), while Jacob Robbins, Martin Baker and Tyler Stubblefield tied the school record for at bats in a game with eight. The Owls set school Division I records for runs scored, runs batted in (31), doubles (eight) and total bases. Robbins and Baker each had six hits on the game for a D-I KSU record, with Robbins scoring a D-I school record five runs.

Jace Whitmer hit .529 (11-of-19) with a homer and 11 RBIs during the past week, in which the Owls went 4-1. Whitmer drove in multiple runs in four of the five games this past week. The sophomore now leads the team in RBIs with 31.

For most of the year, the Owls were last in the A-Sun in team batting average. But after hitting .422 as a team for the week, the Owls are batting a season-high .283 on the season. KSU's opponents are also hitting .283 for the year.

The Owls are outscoring their opponents 45-19 in the first inning of games.

UAB (14-20) enters after just coming up short against No. 7 Rice in Conference USA action. The Blazers were swept by Rice in the series, but took the Owls to extra innings in the final game of the series.

Blazers' left fielder Phil Bell was named C-USA Co-Hitter of the Week on Monday. Bell hit .542 with three homers and 16 RBIs during the previous week.

Ryan Rodebaugh is scheduled to get the start this evening for the Owls. This will be Rodebaugh's second start of the year. The freshman is 1-0 with an earned run average of 4.35.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow in Birmingham, Ala. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m. CDT.