Get to Know the Kent State Baseball Roster

Get to know the 2017-18 Kent State Golden Flashes baseball roster

The Golden Flashes have a strong team this season and are looking to make a run in the NCAA tournament Get to know the team that will be representing Kent State University this year.

Introduction

The Kent State baseball team is led by some key returners and newcomers. Let’s get to know the roster that will be taking the field in 2020.

Pitching Staff

The Pitching staff is composed of 16 members consisting of 14 pitchers and 2 catchers. The roster includes 7 left-handed pitchers 6 right-handed pitchers, and 1 switch pitcher. The average height of the pitching staff is 6’2″, with a range from 5’9″ to 6’6″. The average weight is 190 pounds, with a range from 170 to 210 pounds.

The pitching staff has 3 seniors, 5 juniors, 3 sophomores, and 5 freshmen. The roster includes 1 transfer student. The native states represented by the pitching staff are Ohio (8), Pennsylvania (4), New York (1), Florida (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Illinois (1), and New Jersey (1).

Infielders

The Kent State Golden Flashes Baseball Team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The team is a member of the Mid-American Conference East division, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I. The Golden Flashes play their home games on campus at Schoonover Stadium, which opened in 1950 and has a capacity of 2,200 people. Kent State has appeared in five NCAA Tournaments.

Outfielders

The Kent State baseball team roster is made up of 27 student-athletes, including 12 pitchers, four infielders, six outfielders, and five catchers. Get to know the team’s outfielders below.

Outfielders

#23 Tanner Donley
Tanner is a senior from Canal Fulton, Ohio. He is a right-handed batter and throws right-handed. In 2019, he appeared in 47 games and had a batting average of .333 with four home runs and 25 RBIs.

#12 Troy Montague
Troy is a senior from Medina, Ohio. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. In 2019, he played in 50 games and had a batting average of .274 with one home run and 11 RBIs.

#24 Jesse Pautsch
Jesse is a junior from Olmsted Falls Ohio. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. In 2019, he played in 45 games and had a batting average of .308 with four home runs and 37 RBIs.

#4 Alex Dittman
Alex is a sophomore from North Royalton Ohio. He bats right-handed and throws right-handed. In 2019, he played in 38 games and had a batting average of .267 with three home runs and 16 RBIs.

#15 Collin Mathews
Collin is a freshman from Wadsworth, Ohio. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.

Catchers

There are currently three catchers on the Kent State baseball roster: Cole Heavilin, Jesse Franklin, and Natehanlusty. All three have seen action in games for the Golden Flashes this season.

Cole Heavilin is a junior from Norwalk, Ohio. He is listed at 6’0″ and 195 pounds. Heavilin has appeared in 23 games this season, starting 21 of them. He has a batting average of .254 with 19 hits, six doubles, one home run and 11 RBIs.

Jesse Franklin is a redshirt sophomore from Wooster, Ohio. He is listed at 6’1″ and 195 pounds. Franklin has appeared in 19 games this season, starting 16 of them. He has a batting average of .267 with 20 hits, four doubles, no Home Runs and 12 RBIs.

Natehanlusty is a freshman from Barberton, Ohio. He is listed at 5’11” and 175 pounds. Natehanlusty has appeared in seven games this season, starting five of them. He has a batting average of .313 with eight hits, two doubles, no home runs and seven RBIs.

Newcomers

This season, the Kent State baseball team has several new faces on the roster. Here’s a quick introduction to some of the newcomers.

Ethan Hankins is a freshman pitcher from Forsyth, Georgia. Hankins was ranked as the No. 1 High School pitcher in the country by Baseball America coming into this season. He has a fastball that has been clocked at 100 miles per hour and he also throws a sharp curveball.

Dalton Sharpe is a sophomore transfer from Hillsborough Community College Sharpe is an infielder who can play both second base and third base. He’s originally from Brandon, Florida.

Kameron Misner is a freshman outfielder from Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Misner was ranked as the No. 1 high school outfielder in the country by Baseball America coming into this season. He’s known for his powerful bat and his strong arm.

Key Returners

The Kent State Baseball Team is coming off a successful 2019 campaign in which they won the Mid-American conference tournament and made an appearance in the NCAA regional The Golden Flashes will look to build on that momentum in 2020, and they will have a solid core of returners to help them do so. Here are some of the key returners who will look to lead Kent State to more success this season:

First baseman/outfielder Terence Duren is one of the Golden Flashes’ most experienced players, as he is entering his senior season. Duren is a versatile player who can provide some power at the plate and play multiple positions defensively. He was named First Team All-MAC last season after hitting .296 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI.

Pitcher Michael Minor is another key returner for Kent State Minor was named MAC Pitcher of the Year last season after going 9-1 with a 2.35 ERA. He will look to anchor the Golden Flashes’ pitching staff once again in 2020.

Shortstop Zack Shannon is another experienced player who will be looking to lead Kent State this season. Shannon is entering his junior year and was named Second Team All-MAC last season after hitting .270 with four home runs and 27 RBI. He will be counted on to provide some production at the top of the Golden Flashes’ lineup this season.

Coaching Staff

The Coaching Staff of the Kent State Golden Flashes Baseball team is led by Head Coach Jeff Duncan. He is assisted by pitching Coach Mike Aldrete, hitting coach Nate Girard, and volunteer Assistant Coach Ryan Bores.

Schedule

The Kent State baseball team has released its full schedule for the 2019 season. The Golden Flashes will play a total of 56 games, including 28 at home.

The season will begin on February 15th with a three-game series against the University of Cincinnati The Flashes will then have a brief break before resuming their schedule with a three-game series against Seton Hall University.

Kent State’s Conference Schedule will begin on March 29th with a three-game series against Bowling Green State University The Golden Flashes will then take on Miami (OH) in another three-game series.

Additional opponents during the season include Wright State Oral Roberts Northern Kentucky, Detroit Mercy Youngstown State and UIC.

Conclusion

The Kent State baseball team is composed of some of the most talented young athletes in the country. These student-athletes come from all over the United States and Canada to pursue their academic and athletic dreams at Kent State University

The Golden Flashes have a rich tradition of success on the diamond, and this year’s team is poised to build on that legacy. led by head coach Jeff Duncan, the Flashes are committed to competing at the highest level and representing Kent State with class and dignity.

We hope you have enjoyed getting to know our team and we look forward to seeing you at Kent State Field this season!