The Kent State baseball team departed from the frozen confines of Schoonover Stadium and headed down to Mobile, Ala. to compete in the South Alabama Invitational, which took place from Friday to Sunday. Heading into this season, the Flashes hold the second spot in the Mid-American Conference’s preseason coaches poll.
Friday vs. Eastern Kentucky
The Flashes squared off against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels to open the weekend and season itself.
“I think we had butterflies,” coach Jeff Duncan said. “We haven’t been outside much.”
Redshirt sophomore Gavin Jones, a right-handed pitcher who transferred to KSU from Alabama, was given the nod to toe the rubber in the season opener. Jones gave up only one run on four hits while striking out five and walking none in five innings of work.
“His fastball was in the mid-nineties, and when you can do that, you tend to get away with a lot,” Duncan said. “They peppered him early and he got tested early, but I thought he handled it really well.”
That run came off the bat of EKU catcher Silas Shaffer, who brought home Colby Ott to give the Colonels a one-run lead in the top of the first. But once the clocks struck the fourth inning, it was all Flashes.
Senior outfielder Jake Casey got the runs going for Kent State when he sent a pitch into center field for an RBI triple that would tie the game. Casey would then take a free pass to go home on a wild pitch, giving the Flashes a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth and eighth innings, the Flashes would pile on a pair of runs by the way of two sacrifice flies from junior infielder Luke Matthews.
The Colonels would tack on another run in the bottom of the ninth on a sac fly of their own, but it was ultimately too little too late, as the Flashes would win 4-2 in the opener. Jones was given the winning decision, and senior reliever and saves leader from a year ago Peyton Cariaco earned his first save of 2025.
Saturday at South Alabama
In day two of action in Mobile, the Flashes would take on the host team, the South Alabama Cougars.
Southpaw senior Eric Chalus started the game for the Flashes. Chalus gave up four runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking none in three innings of work.
“He was missing his spots all night long,” Duncan said. “His strength is fastball command, and he didn’t quite have his command on Saturday.”
The runs began to come down on Chalus and the Flashes in the second inning, where Cougar OF/C Duncan Matthews reached on a fielder’s choice to bring home the first run of the game. INF Brenann Holt would advance on a wild pitch and make the trip from third to home to put South Alabama up two to zip.
Matthews’ big day would continue on a double to left center to bring home two more Cougars to make it a 4-0 ball game.
True freshman Sawyer Solitaria would put two runs down for the Flashes with just one swing of the bat on a two-run home run to right-center field to bring home redshirt sophomore Ripken Reese. Solitaria’s homer would make it a 4-2 ball game. This was the first home run for Kent State of the 2025 campaign.
Cougar redshirt senior Lucas Ismaili would respond in similar fashion with a homer of his own to make it a three-run ball game in favor of South Alabama.
In the bottom of the ninth, Solitaria would homer once again to cut the lead down to two, but it was not enough, as South Alabama would prevail by a score of 5-3. Chalus was handed the losing decision.
“Our bullpen kept us in there,” Duncan said. “I did not think we played well at all on Saturday and Sunday.”
Sunday vs. South Illinois-Edwardsville
The final game for the Flashes saw KSU take on a different swarm of cougars, this time the South Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars.
Sophomore Jacob Bean started the finale, allowing four runs on five hits with five K’s and one BB in four innings.
The Cougars wasted no time getting the bats hot and opened the game swinging to the tune of two RBI singles to give SIUE a two-run first inning lead.
The Flashes would bounce back in the third on a Matthews single to cut the lead in half. Matthews was trailed by graduate student Hayden Jatczak, who would tie the game at two apiece on a double down the left field line.
But it was in the third inning where the Cougars would once again take the lead on a single towards the mound to make it 3-2 in favor of SIUE. In the fourth, redshirt junior Mack Mitchell would hit a solo shot to increase the lead for the Cougars.
Jatczak would pick up another run on a sac fly out to right field to bring KSU within one run.
The Flashes would then dig itself a two-run hole off the back of two RBI singles from SIUE.
Junior Chase Bloomer would hit the second homer of the game for the Cougars to put SIUE up nine runs to three.
Solitaria would make it a 9-4 ballgame on his third homer of the season for the Flashes, but SIUE would take the win in the top of the ninth. Bean was handed the losing decision.
Moving forward
The Flashes will head to Macon, Ga. on Friday for a three-game set against the Mercer Bears. Mercer is 2-1 on the season after taking two of three against Milwaukee.
“We need to attack and be more aggressive,” Duncan said.
Gage Wellman is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected] or @GageWellmanKSTV on X.
