Week 6 Series Notes | Atlantic Sun Weekly Release
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team opens its first season of Atlantic Sun Conference play this weekend by traveling to Kennesaw State for a three-game series at the Stillwell Baseball Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga.
NKU enters the weekend looking for a turnaround after starting the season with a 2-19 record. The Norse are currently in the midst of a 13-game losing streak, one shy of the school record set in 1998.
The Norse dropped a 4-3 decision at Cincinnati on Wednesday. NKU scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 3-2 advantage, but the Bearcats responded with two of their own to regain the lead for good.
Josh Myers and
Bradley Vanderglas finished 2-for-5 to lead the Norse. Myers hit a triple and scored twice, while Vanderglas collected one double, an RBI and a run.
Aric Harris allowed two runs and struck out two batters in his second start of the season.
First pitch for Friday's action was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. but forecasted rainstorms forced the start to be changed to 3 p.m. Live stats, broadcast and ASun.TV information are available at NKUNorse.com.
ABOUT KENNESAW STATE: The Owls are 11-10 overall, 1-2 in the Atlantic Sun after cruising to an 11-2 victory over Savannah State on Tuesday. Kennesaw State opened conference play last weekend against Mercer and avoided the series sweep with a 5-4 victory over the Bears on Sunday.
Bo Way has started every game for the Owls and is hitting at a .369 clip to lead the offense. He has recorded 14 runs, 13 RBIs, four doubles, two triples and a home run. He enters the series looking to extend his 16-game hitting streak. Way's 31 hits on the season ranks No. 3 in the conference.
Stephen Janas (1-0) has not allowed a run on 11 hits over 15 innings of work this season. He has earned four starts this season and has struck out 13 batters while only walking four. The Kennesaw State pitching staff currently ranks No. 25 nationally with 8.67 strikeouts per nine innings.
NKU/KSU SERIES: The all-time series between NKU and Kennesaw State is tied at one. The two teams split a doubleheader on March 11, 1986 in Kennesaw, Ga. The Norse were on the winning side of a 16-14 slugfest in the opener, but the Owls avoided the sweep with a 2-0 victory in the nightcap.
CLEMENT'S STREAK CONTINUES: Brad Clement has safely reached base in each of NKU's games this season. He started the season with an eight-game hitting streak. That stretch was halted at Texas State on March 2, but he drew a walk to reach base. He has recorded at least one hit in all but five games and has collected hits in the last three games for NKU.
Dating back to last season, Clement has safely reached base in 24 consecutive games. The last time he failed to reach base was in the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament championship game against Indianapolis on May 13, 2012.
BAGSHAW'S SOLID PERFORMANCE: Blake Bagshaw put together a strong performance on Saturday afternoon against Eastern Michigan. The Norse, however, dropped a 2-1 decision to the Eagles in 10 innings. Bagshaw went 6 2/3 innings and only allowed one run on five hits. He recorded eight strikeouts and did not walk a batter.
On the season, Bagshaw (0-3) currently leads NKU with a 4.63 ERA and has struck out 16 batters over 23 1/3 innings of work.
KUZNICZCI'S SPARK: Cody Kuzniczci has made a solid case for himself in the starting lineup recently by providing an offensive spark for the Norse. Over the weekend, Kuzniczci went 6-for-15 (.400) with his first collegiate home run, four RBIs and two runs. He collected at least one hit in each game last week, drew one walk and was hit by a pitch twice.
For the season, Kuzniczci is batting .259, third on the team for those who have played 10 or more games. He has collected seven RBIs and seven runs.
