Kent State University
Canisius College
Flashes Host Canisius for the Rematch
4/23/2019 3:11:00 PM | Baseball
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KENT, Ohio – The Kent State University baseball team is set to host Canisius College for a rematch at Schoonover Stadium on Wednesday, April 24 at 4 p.m. Earlier this month, the Flashes stumbled on the road, falling to the Golden Griffins 13-2.
Kent State is coming off a big Mid-American Conference series win at Northern Illinois, where the Flashes jumped a spot in the conference standings. The Flashes are now fourth in the MAC with a 7-6 record, coming in behind Miami, Ball State and Central Michigan.
Freshman Justin Kirby was named a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball in addition to MAC Player of the Week, as announced by the conference and College Sports Madness on Monday, April 22. On Friday at Northern Illinois, Kirby became the first Golden Flash to knock three home runs in a single game since Drew Saylor accomplished the feat against Marshall in April 2005. On the season, Kirby has a .355 batting average and .688 slugging percentage, totaling 19 RBIs and 29 runs scored. He leads the MAC in slugging percentage (.923), home runs (5) and doubles (8) in conference play and is also ranked in the top-ten in five additional offensive categories.
Redshirt sophomore Ben Carew also had a standout week, posting a .444 average, .778 slugging percentage and .600 on-base percentage through four games. He collected eight hits and seven RBIs with three doubles and a home run. In a come-from-behind victory over NIU on Saturday, Carew came up with a two-run double to give Kent State its only lead of the day in the top of the ninth and led the offense, going 4-for-6 with a home run and two doubles. On the season, he currently ranks second in the MAC in overall batting average (.388) and is tied for third in both hits (57) and stolen bases (18) in addition to falling in the top-ten in on-base percentage and runs scored. In conference play, he leads the MAC with seven stolen bases and is tied for sixth in runs scored (16).
Canisius
The Golden Griffins have worked their way back to a winning record since the teams last met, improving from 13-17 on April 8 to 19-18 heading into Wednesday. Canisius is 12-3 and currently leads the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
On the season, the Golden Griffins have averaged more than five runs and eight hits per game while notching 10 hits or more in 15 games. Canisius totaled a season-high 18 base hits in a win over Siena on March 23.
While the Griffs are only batting .267 as a team, they have collected 101 extra-base hits including 21 triples.
The Canisius pitching staff has combined for a 5.73 ERA, allowing 33 home runs and 58 doubles while fanning 281 this season.
Wednesday will mark the eighth time the two programs have met and will conclude this season's home-and-home series. The Flashes lead the all-time series 5-2.
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.
