Since being hired in the fall of 1991 on the campus of Kennesaw State University, Mike Sansing has been nothing short of remarkable.
Sansing has led the Owls to seven national tournaments, including a pair of national titles, winning the NAIA title in 1994, earning the 1996 NCAA Division II crown and an appearance in the 2014 NCAA Super Regionals.
In 2019, Sansing led Kennesaw State to a 27-29 record that ended with three student-athlete's on the ASUN First Team All-Conference list (Jake Franklin, Terence Norman and Justin Russell). The season also included his 1,000th win as the skipper for Kennesaw State on March 13, 2019 against Presbyterian. The Owls also knocked off West Virginia to open the season, a 5-3 victory over a club that hosted a regional later in the season. Sansing also mentored Josh Coburn, who was drafted in the 25th round by the Detroit Tigers.
The 2018 season ended with a 25-30 mark, including an appearance in the ASUN baseball tournament. There, the Owls fell to North Florida and Stetson. In June, Grant Williams and A.J. Moore extended their playing careers, as each were selected in the 10th round of the MLB Draft. Williams went to the Red Sox, while Moore was selected by the Cincinnati Reds.
The manager led the Owls to another deep ASUN postseason run in 2017, reaching the semifinals of the Championships in Deland, Florida to finish third in the conference. Kennesaw State finished the season 25-32 overall and 10-11 in conference play, and reached the semifinals of the tournament for the fourth time in seven seasons. Sansing guided a total of six all-conference winners, including Defensive Player of the Year Grant Williams and first team members Taylor Allum, Austin Upshaw and Williams.
After 28 seasons at Kennesaw State, Sansing’s career record now stands at 1,121-664 for a .628 winning percentage in 31 years of collegiate coaching, which included a three-year stint as the head coach at Shorter College from 1989-91 where he won 102 games. He has compiled a 1,019-609 (.637) overall record at Kennesaw State since his arrival in 1992, winning his 900th game at KSU’s skipper on March 31, 2015 against Western Carolina in a 9-2 victory.
In 2016, the skipper added another memorable season to the record books, leading the Owls to their first regular season championship in the ASUN Conference. Sansing guided KSU to a 17-4 mark in the ASUN, winning every series in the regular season – the first team to do that since 2010 in the ASUN. His guidance helped land his first ASUN Coach of the Year honors in 2016, and helped guide five players to the All-Conference Second Team and David Chabut to the All-Freshmen ASUN Team as part of the remarkable 2016 run.
Sansing continued his storied career in 2015, winning his 1,000
th career game on March 27 against USC Upstate in a 5-0 triumph, lifting Sansing to the prestigious milestone. Sansing was a finalist at the Atlanta Sports Awards for Coach of the Year honors and led several players to postseason awards, including Jordan Hillyer and Travis Bergen to First Team All-Conference selections, and Taylor Allum named to the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Team.
In the historic 2014 season, Sansing led the Owls to a slew of firsts, bringing home the first Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in program history with a 7-1 victory over Lipscomb, taking the school's first ever NCAA Division I Regional title and a trip to the Super Regional round in Louisville.
The program's longest tenured head coach, Sansing has guided the Owls move in the NCAA from Division II to Division I and has successfully moved Kennesaw State into a full-fledged DI member with relative ease. During the mandatory four-year reclassification period, Sansing's squads have produced 116 wins, two second-place conference finishes and has had eight players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, while coaching 24 A-Sun All-Conference selections.
In 1994, as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, Sansing's Owls defeated Southeastern Oklahoma for the institution's first ever team national championship. In 1996, as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Sansing's Owls defeated St. Joseph's (Ind.) for the Division II crown. Under Sansing's leadership, the Owls were named as the "Best Division II Program of the 1990's" by Baseball America.
In addition to the two national championships, Sansing has also led the Owls to a pair of national runner-up finishes, five regional titles, four conference regular season championships, three conference tournament championships, one district regular season title and one district championship.
A plethora of accolades have been bestowed upon Sansing since his arrival at Kennesaw State in 1992. In January of 2009, Sansing earned a prestigious honor of being inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Baseball Hall of Fame.
After the championship season of 1996, he was named the NCAA Division II National Coach-Of-The-Year. The 1994 crown earned Sansing the NAIA National Coach-Of-The-Year Award and the Georgia Dugout Club Coach-of-the-Year honor.
Sansing has also won the South Atlantic Regional Coach-of-the-Year award three consecutive years from 1996 through 1998. He was named Peach Belt Conference Coach-of-the-Year in 1995 and again in 1998.
Sansing's knowledge of the game and former success as a player has helped him mentor a slew of All-America selections and major league baseball draftees. Under Sansing's nurture, the Owls have had the Small College Player-of-the-Year in pitcher Donnie Thomas, who was also named NCAA Division II Pitcher-of-the-Year.
In 1999, Sansing coached Jason Jones to the NCAA Division II Position Player-of-the-Year award. Also, Sansing has coached 16 All-Americans and has seen 35 of his players drafted by major league baseball teams and a total of 49 sign MLB contracts.
In 2009, Sansing and his staff had six players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, including the program's highest draft pick in right-handed pitcher Chad Jenkins, who was selected as the No. 20 overall pick in the first round by the Toronto Blue Jays. In addition, in the same draft, pitcher Kyle Heckathorn was selected as a supplemental first round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Owls were one of only two programs including the University of North Carolina to have two players selected in the first round.
Since making the move to DI, there have been 36 players drafted under the tutelage of Sansing including four in 2012. In 2012, the Owls saw Ronnie Freeman selected in the fifth round (183 overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks, followed by Will Howard (22nd – 672), Travis Dean (22nd – 696) and Josh Carr (28th – 874). Others to be selected since the becoming a NCAA Division I member are pitchers Bryan Blough, Ryan Rodebaugh, Justin Edwards, Kenny Faulk, Jason Freeman, Mike Bohan, catcher Jace Whitmer, infielder Tyler Stubblefield (twice) and outfielder Josh Whitaker.
In 2014, Sansing guided the school's highest draft pick in Max Pentecost, who went with the No. 11 overall pick to the Toronto Blue Jays. Sansing’s history of getting Owls drafted continued in 2015, as Travis Bergen (212 overall), Kal Simmons (226 overall), Jordan Hillyer (416 overall) and Will Lowman (586 overall) marked the eighth consecutive season at least one Owl got drafted in the annual event under Sansing.
Sansing has produced nine major league players during his illustrious coaching career. In 2001, Sansing saw his first former player make it to the big leagues when Willie Harris (KSU-1999) made his major league debut for the Baltimore Orioles. Harris, currently playing for the New York Mets, he has played for the Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves during his 10-year major league career.
Since then, pitcher Brian Mallette (Milwaukee Brewers), outfielder Jason Jones (Texas Rangers), pitcher Brett Campbell (Washington Nationals), pitchers Jason Childers (Tampa Bay Rays) and Justin Freeman (Cincinnati Reds) and Jenkins have all made it to the big leagues. Most recently was Jenkins in 2012 when he made his debut, hurling three innings of shutout ball in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Prior to arriving at Kennesaw State, Sansing was the head coach at Shorter College in Rome, Ga. where he led the Hawks to the Georgia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in 1991. Over his three years at Shorter, Sansing had a .648 winning mark while compiling a 102-55 record.
Sansing began his coaching career as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the State University of West Georgia from 1985-86 before moving to Southern Polytechnic University in Marietta from 1987-88.
Before stepping into the coaching realm, Sansing had a stellar career as a player for both Gordon Junior College and West Georgia. He garnered all-conference honors in each of his four seasons as well as being named a three-time team Most Valuable Player. In his senior season at West Georgia, Sansing had a career year while being the Braves' Triple Crown leader. Sansing finished his final year with a .406 batting average, eight home runs and 34 runs batted in.
A native of Atlanta, Ga., Sansing and his wife Barbara make their home in Woodstock with their two sons, Kyle and Brad.
Sansing's Coaching Awards and Accolades
Georgia Dugout Club Baseball Hall of Fame
2009
NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year
1996
NAIA National Coach of the Year
1994
NCAA Division II South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year
2003, 1998, 1997, 1996
NAIA Region Coach of the Year
1994
Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year
2002, 1998, 1995
Georgia Dugout Coach of the Year
2005, 1998, 1996, 1994
Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year
2016
James "Spec" Landrum Coach of the Year
2009, 1998, 1996, 1994
1,000th Career Victory
March 27, 2015 –
Release
1,000th Victory at KSU
March 13, 2019 - Release
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Mike Sansing: A Journey To Remember
Videos, Highlights and Graphics
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