Bottom Line: AC grad is solid pitch man for Owls

Former Augusta Christian School standout Sammy Reed got his senior baseball season at Kennesaw State University off to a solid start by throwing five innings of two-hit ball, as the Owls blanked Belmont Abbey 7-0 last week.

Kennesaw State, which is ranked No. 8 nationally in Division II, should be moving up the poll, thanks to a recent victory over second-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Brad Reed had a stellar career on the diamond with Kennesaw State, and Sammy is following in his older brother's footsteps.

The Owls compete in the Peach Belt Conference, which includes Augusta State University and University of South Carolina Aiken, but Kennesaw does not play in Augusta or Aiken this season.

Reed's closest game to Augusta will be in Milledgeville, as Georgia College & State University plays host to the Owls in a three-game series April 9-10.

Those matchups also will feature a few area talents who now play at GCSU. Reed's former teammate at Augusta Christian, Brett Newton, is a senior pitcher for the Bobcats.

Newton, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound southpaw, is off to a bit of a rough start this season. He was 0-1 in four appearances, with an ERA of 10.13. In five innings, Newton recorded eight strikeouts, but he issued five walks and yielded seven hits.

Philip Tapley is another Columbia County product now suiting up in Milledgeville. The Greenbrier High School graduate played for one season at Manatee Community College before transferring to GCSU.

Tapley has seen limited action as a backup outfielder with the Bobcats, and is expected to pitch some this season.