APSU Lady Govs Softball at Winthrop Adidas Tournament this weekend

Austin Peay Sports Information

Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s softball team looks to end an unplanned 15-day layoff this Saturday and Sunday as it travels to Rock Hill, SC, to participle in the Winthrop Adidas Tournament.

The Lady Govs (1-6) enter the weekend having not played since a February 14th home doubleheader versus Miami (Ohio), with snow and ice in the mid-state area over the past week and a half forcing the cancellation of six scheduled home games since their encounter with the RedHawks.

Austin Peay will open play 1:00pm, Saturday, versus Appalachian State (5-6), followed by a 3:00pm contest versus tournament host Winthrop (5-9).

The Lady Govs conclude play Sunday starting with a 9:00am game versus Coppin State (0-9) and an 11:00am contest versus Wagner (0-0).

Offensively, Laurel Burroughs leads the Lady Govs at a .444 clip, which includes two doubles and two home runs to go with six RBIs.

Niya Sparks (.333), Christiana Gable (.316), Courtney Brower (313) and Morgan Hoeg (.300) also come into the weekend hitting .300 or better.

In the circle, Natalie Ayala has authored Austin Peay’s only win so far this season, coming in at 1-3 overall, with a 6.89 ERA and a team-best nine strikeouts.

Scouting the Opposition at the Winthrop Adidas Tournament

Appalachian State
Appalachian State (5-6) is coming off a 2-2 effort this past weekend at the College of Charleston Cougar Classic, picking up victories versus Pittsburgh and Massachusetts. They are led at the plate by Dani Heichen (.333) and Caroline Chambers (.310) while Katherine Johnson tops their pitching staff with a 3-4 record. The Lady Govs are 1-0 all-time versus the Mountaineers, with the only other meeting coming at the Georgia State Kickoff Classic on February 17th, 2001, a 6-1 APSU decision.

Winthrop
Winthrop (5-9) will be playing its first home games this season after opening 2015 with three straight road tournaments. They are led at the plate by Maddie Antone (.442, five doubles, three home runs) and Sara Allen (.357, nine RBIs). In the circle, Sara Allen leads the Eagles with a 3-3 mark, with 24 strikeouts in 35 innings of work. The Lady Govs are 2-2 all-time versus Winthrop, with the last meeting coming on March 7th, 2009 at the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic, a 2-0 win.

Coppin State
Coppin State (0-9) is winless so far this season, including an 8-0 loss to fellow Ohio Valley Conference member Murray State, February 6th, at Georgia’s Red and Black Tournament. Offensively, Candice Van Horn leads the Eagles with a .235 batting average, including a home run and four RBI. Oashaja Dobie is Coppin State’s number-one starter with a 0-6 record and a 17.91 ERA. This is the first meeting between the Lady Govs and Coppin State.

Wagner
Wagner (0-0) has yet to play this season after having its opening weekend of action cancelled at the Norfolk State Spartan Classic. The Seahawks are coming off a 20-24 2014 season and return 13 letter winners, including their offensive leader Kelsey Parker (444 batting average, with nine doubles and nine home runs to go with 41 RBIs in 2014). Samantha Bedker led the Wagner pitchers with a 10-8 record last season. Austin Peay is 0-2 all-time versus the Seahawks, with the last meeting coming March 7th, 2010 at the USF Under Armor Invitational.