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HomeSportsAustin Peay Lady Govs Softball anxious for season to begin

Austin Peay Lady Govs Softball anxious for season to begin

APSU Sports: Austin Peay Women’s Softball

Austin Peay State University Lady GovsClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s softball team will open up the 2013 season under first-year coach Stephanie Paris at the Plainsman Invitational tournament, hosted by Auburn, February 8th-10th, at Jane B. Moore Field.

Austin Peay Women's Softball. (Courtesy: Brittney Sparn/APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Women’s Softball. (Courtesy: Brittney Sparn/APSU Sports Information)

The Lady Govs will square off against East Tennessee, Furman, Army and host Auburn this weekend, as Paris begins her tenure as the school’s seventh head coach since the program began in 1985.

Austin Peay goes into the 2013 campaign with a roster of 19 players, including a senior class of pitcher Morgan Brewer (Collierville, TN), outfielder Jessica Ryan (Newburgh, IN) and catcher/first baseman Shelby Norton (Madison, AL).

Morgan BrewerBrewer was named second-team All-Ohio Valley Conference as a utility player, following a 2012 season that saw her finish with a win-loss record of 10-15 and an ERA of 3.05, with 105 strikeouts in 165.1 innings of work. She also batted .231, with three doubles and eight RBI.

Ryan looks to rebound from her .176 batting average in 2012, but she did finish second on the team with six home runs, while totaling 14 RBI.

Norton was hampered by a broken hand in 2012, finishing with a .194 batting average and five RBI.

Jessica RyanFive juniors also dot the Lady Gov roster, led by Lauren de Castro (Torrance, CA), who earned first-team All-OVC honors after posting a .385 batting average, with 11 doubles, nine home runs and 30 RBI. She also authored a win-loss mark of 6-7, with a 2.54 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 99.1 innings.

Kayla Davidson (South Fulton, TN) is also a third-year starter who will be looking to add some punch to the Lady Govs’ offense. She finished 2012 with a .231 batting average, but hit five home runs and drove in 12.

Austin Peay only has one sophomore on the roster, Laurel Burroughs (Lebanon, TN), but boasts a freshman class of 10, including three local prep products in Aubrey Collins and Courtney Brower, who went to Rossview High School, and Misti Maki, who played at Northeast High School.

Shelby NortonCollins is a red-shirt freshman who transferred to Austin Peay after spending one year at East Tennessee.

In the circle, joining Brewer and de Castro will be junior Taylor Mills (Ft. Gibson, OK) and freshman Abby Guest (Madison, AL)

Austin Peay’s first home game will be on February 26th, as it hosts Alabama A&M at Cheryl Holt Field, while Ohio Valley Conference play starts on March 16th when the Lady Govs host Eastern Illinois.

The OVC tournament will be played May 8th-11th at the home site of the regular-season champion.

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