Kent State University
Dallas Baptist University
Wheels Up to Dallas Baptist for 2019 Opener
2/14/2019 4:17:00 PM | Baseball
Favored Flashes begin season with a three-game series at Dallas Baptist
Live Stats | Live Video/Audio | Game Notes (PDF)
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State baseball team will open the 2019 season with a trip to the Lone Star state to face Dallas Baptist this Friday through Sunday, Feb. 15-17, at Horner Ballpark in Dallas. The games are scheduled for 7:30, 3:00 and 1:00 p.m. EST, respectively.
The Golden Flashes have once again been tabbed the favorites to win the Mid-American Conference regular season title, as released by the conference office Wednesday morning in addition to three other publications (Baseball America, D1Baseball and Perfect Game).
With a 121-50 record and three-consecutive conference regular season pennants over the last three seasons, Kent State will look to repeat as the MAC Tournament Champs and return to the NCAA Regional. The Flashes have made regional appearances twice under now-sixth year skipper Jeff Duncan, and have tallied at least 30 wins for the last 20 seasons.
"We're really excited for the opportunity we have to go down South and play a great program like Dallas Baptist," Duncan said. "Like us, they've had a lot of success and they're a nationally known baseball program, so it will be a really good challenge for us. I just appreciate the opportunity that we have to be down there."
Dallas Baptist is coming off a 42-21 record and an appearance at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional in 2018. The Patriots return three starting position players and 14 pitchers that finished 2018 with the program's fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Projected to finish second to Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference, three Patriots were named to the Preseason All-MVC team, including 2018 Unanimous Freshman All-American and reigning MVC Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Jimmy Glowenke.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing our guys compete," Duncan added. "I think one of the biggest goals for us is to play with a lot of enthusiasm, let the game come to us and really compete. Just win one pitch at a time."
The Flashes return seven seniors, including everyday starters Josh Hollander and Pavin Parks, in addition to four juniors and 10 sophomores. Hollander provides defensive leadership from shortstop, as he finished 2018 with a .977 fielding percentage. Selected in the 24th round of the 2018 Draft by the San Diego Padres, Parks returns to Kent State for his senior season as a defensive asset and offensive spark. He was among national leaders in walks in 2018 taking 54 free passes, while also driving in 52 runs and knocking seven homers.
Kent State also welcomes 13 newcomers spanning seven states to the 2019 roster. Named the No. 25 recruiting class in the nation by Collegiate Baseball's 2018 evaluation of NCAA Division I baseball classes, preseason polls are already directing attention to this season's freshman class. In its preseason MAC rankings, D1Baseball projected Luke Albright as Freshman of the Year, while Perfect Game predicted lefty pitcher Ryan Kircher to take MAC Freshman of the Year. Perfect Game also named seniors Pavin Parks, Pete Schuler, and Connor Wollersheim to its preseason All-Conference team.
Wollersheim, Kent State's probable starter in the season opener Friday evening, enters the 2019 campaign for his senior season. Starting seven games in 14 appearances last season, Wollersheim finished 5-2 with one save and 44 strikeouts across 56.0 innings of work in 2018. The Neenah, Wisconsin native has started on the hill in 19 games and has fanned 115 batters for the Flashes in his career.
The 2019 Kent State Baseball Season is brought to you by Hometown Bank. Hometown Bank and Kent State Baseball – A Winning Team. There's no place like home.
