Clarksville, TN – With Austin Peay football players reporting this weekend, the 2014-15 athletic school year has officially begun, and with it there will be several new and old faces on the sidelines, courts and dugouts as they go there their seasons, as well as several coaching slots still to be filled.
One of the open spots just came open this past week, with men’s golf coach Kirk Kayden announcing that he would be leaving after almost 10 years at the helm to take the same position at Mercer University in Macon, GA.
This will be a position that will need to be filled either on an interim or fill-time basis as soon as possible with the Govs first fall match coming on Septembber 14th at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Burlington, Iowa.The other two coaching vacancies are basketball, with both Carrie Daniels and Dave Loos needing to fill coaching vacancies.
The women’s basketball coaching position should be filled soon, while it will still be a few weeks before the men’s position will be filled.
As for the fall sports and new coaches, football will see several new faces:
Football
Football will see a couple of old-new faces in Brandon Jordan and Leron Eaddy on the sidelines, as they step in and take over the defensive line and defensive back coaching slots respectively.
Jordan played for head coach Kirby Cannon, while he was at Missouri S&T and served as a graduate assistant last year.
Eddy came to Austin Peay and played last year for Cannon after following he hear after transferring from Central Michigan University.
Another chance this season will be with assistant coach Josh Richards, who after being in charge of receivers last season will be the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach this season.
For volleyball, there will be two new assistant coaches on the sidelines with head coach Taylor Mott, with Brian Netzler and Jami Thomas joining the coaching staff replacing Ariel Apolinario – who left after two years as an assistant.
Netzler was a volunteer assistant the past two years at Southeastern Conference member University of Mississippi and before that an assistant at Grand Valley State, helping that squad to three NCAA Division II tournament appearances.
Thomas will be a volunteer coach for Mott, having coached most recently at Clarksville High School this past season.
Volleyball
Netzler was a volunteer assistant the past two years at Southeastern Conference member Mississippi and before that an assistant at Grand Valley State, helping that squad to three NCAA Division II tournament appearances.
Thomas will be a volunteer coach for Mott, having coached most recently at Clarksville High School this past season.
Spring Sports Changes
Baseball
Baseball and head coach Gary McClure will see the return of an old new face on the coaching staff this year in former player Greg Bachman joining as a volunteer assistant coach, while Derrick Dunbar has been elevated from part-time to full-time assistant coach.
Dunbar has been a part-time assistant the past four years, working as the hitting instructor, as well as working with the team’s outfielders among other duties.
Bachman returns to the Governors after retiring from playing professional baseball in the minor’s and will replace Skyler Barnett – who is now an assistant at Carson-Newman.