Kent State University
North Carolina Wilmington
Flashes Open Season at UNC-Wilmington
2/15/2024 12:46:00 PM | Baseball
KENT- The Golden Flashes open the 2024 campaign this weekend with a three-game series at the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks.
The Seahawks are coming off a CAA tournament victory and a 34-win campaign. They were picked second in the pre-season CAA poll and placed seven players on the pre-season All-Conference squad. On offense, they are led by sophomore first baseman Tanner Thach who hit .289 with 15 homers and 68 RBI. Four players in the Seahawks projected lineup slugged nine or more homers.
On the bump, RJ Sales is projected to get the opening day start. The righty redshirted last year but was a 2022 Freshman All-American. Fellow righties Jacob Shafer and Zane Taylor each tossed 87 innings last year and went a combined 14-8 over 33 starts.
Kent State was picked to repeat as regular season champions in the MAC pre-season poll after a 42-16 season in 2023. The Flashes return five regulars to their starting lineup led by Mike McNamara who was named a top-20 shortstop by D1Baseball. McNamara and Jake Casey led the squad with 12 homers last year and Casey was named a top-10 prospect in the MAC, also by D1Baseball.
On the mound, the Flashes will hand the ball to Jack Kartsonas to start the season. The righty got the ball to start the MAC tournament in the victory over Western Michigan. The righty pitched to a sub-3.00 ERA in 2023. Lefty Eric Chalus will get the start on Saturday and is 7-3 in his career as a starter. Bickerstaff will step into the rotation after striking out over a batter an inning in relief last year.
The projected rotations are below. The weekend series are streaming on FloBaseball, a subscription-based service. Friday's game will also air on the radio. Live stats will also be provided all weekend, links are available on the baseball schedule page. Kent State will stay on the road next weekend, traveling to Louisiana to take on La Tech.
Friday: RJ Sales, RHP vs Jack Kartsonas, RHP
Saturday: Jacob Shafer, RHP vs Eric Chalus, LHP
Sunday: Zane Taylor, RHP vs Calvin Bickerstaff, RHP
