Gamecocks Cross State Line For Series At Kennesaw State

Friday, April 4

Marietta, GA

5:00 PM

Jacksonville State University

Kennesaw State

4/3/2025 3:53:00 PM | Baseball

JACKSONVILLE - Jacksonville State will be making its shortest trip of the season with a visit to Marietta, Georgia to face Kennesaw State for its second Conference USA road series.

The three-game series will be played at S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field due to renovations at KSU's on-campus facility. Friday's series opener will get started at 5 p.m. CT. Due to the anticipated rain in the Atlanta area on Sunday, the two sides will play play a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch of the twnbill is set for 1 p.m. CT. The second game of the day will start 45 minutes after the conclusion of the opening game.

SERIES INFO
Friday, April 4 (5 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters
Jax State: Jackson Phipps (2-1, 2.78ERA), LHP, Jr.
Kennesaw State: Ty Bayer (1-1, 6.00 ERA) RHP, Fr.

Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Gamecock Sports Network
Live Stats: JaxStateSports.com

Saturday, April 5 (Game 1 – 1 p.m. CT)

Probable Starters
Jax State: Steven Cash (3-1, 4.06 ERA), LHP, Jr.
Kennesaw State: Harry Cain (1-2, 5,58 ERA) RHP, R-Jr.

Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Gamecock Sports Network
Live Stats: JaxStateSports.com

Saturday, April 5 (Game 2 – 45 minutes after Game 1)

Probable Starters
Jax State: James Wilson (1-0,2.66 ERA), RHP, Jr.
Kennesaw State: TBA

Live Video: ESPN+
Live Audio: Gamecock Sports Network
Live Stats: JaxStateSports.com

GAMECOCK STORY LINES
•             Jax State and Kennesaw State, separated by 83 miles, have played 31 times between the two programs with the Owls holding a 17-14 lead in the series. With KSU joining Conference USA this year, the weekend series marks the second conference that the two programs have faced off against each other. The two schools were members of the ASUN for the 2023 series. Jax State is making its first trip to Kennesaw, Georgia since the 2021 season. The two clubs were scheduled for a home-and-home set last season, but the KSU home match up was rained out in the final week of the regular season. The Owls claimed the meeting at The Jim, 8-2, on February 27. The Gamecocks and Owls have played some classic games, including the final game of the 2020 COVID-shortened season. Jax State and KSU played a 15-inning contest in Kennesaw with the Gamecocks prevailing, 14-10.

•             The Gamecocks begin the weekend as the one of the NCAA Division I Baseball leaders in triples. In the first 28 games, Jax State has collected 13 triples (all at home) and ranks sixth behind Arizona (17) and Tartleton State (15). Senior Drew Collins, redshirt sophomore Cooper Blauser and junior Caleb Johnson have three triples each.

•             Junior Carson Hornung extended his on-base streak to 21 games last weekend against Liberty. Hornung has reached base via a walk 27 times, which leads CUSA entering the weekend. Dating back to the last 20 games of the 2024 season and the 21 games in 2025, Drew Collins has reached base in 42-of-the-last-47 games. Individually, a pair of Gamecocks had double-digit hitting streaks snapped in the SEMO series. redshirt sophomore Cooper Blauser had an 18-game hitting streak snapped, while junior Colton Hegwood's 17-game hitting streak came to an end during the series. Blauser has started a new on-base streak that has reached nine games. Junior Brady Thomas has reached safely in nine consecutive games.

•             The Gamecocks were rewarded with a win via forfeit in the opening game of the twinbill against Liberty on Saturday, Match 29. For conference weekends in CUSA, each team is to submit a 27-man roster for the entire series. When Jax State came to the plate in the first inning, it was brought to the umpires attention that Liberty's starting pitcher was not on the 27-man roster that was turned in to the three-man crew prior to the start of the series on Friday, deeming the starting pitcher an ineligible player and the game ended in a forfeit in favor of the Gamecocks. There have been only five forfeits in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1954; the last forfeit was in 1995, and prior to that, 1979. The 1995 MLB forfeit was between the Cardinals and the Dodgers on August 10, 1995. The Dodgers forfeited a home game vs. the Cardinals because of souvenir balls. NC State Wolfpack baseball team was disqualified from 2021 College World Series due to Covid-19 protocols after reaching the semifinals against Vanderbilt.