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APSU Baseball finishes five game road trip at Southern Illinois

Austin Peay (12-15, 5-7 OVC) at Southern Illinois (15-14, 3-0 MVC)

Tuesday, April 4th, 2017 | 5:00pm CT
Carbondale, IL | Itchy Jones Stadium

APSU Baseball - Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s baseball team closes its current five-game road trip when it heads northward again, this time to face Southern Illinois in a 5:00pm, Tuesday contest at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

Tuesday’s contest is the second half of the 2017 home-and-home set between the teams. The Govs won the season’s first meeting, 10-3, February 22nd in Clarksville thanks to five home runs, including a pair by right fielder Chase Hamilton.

Austin Peay Baseball faces Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Tuesday. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Baseball faces Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Tuesday. (APSU Sports Information)

Series Notes

The Govs and Salukis will meet for the 39th time in a series SIU leads, 23-16. However, Austin Peay has won the last four meetings in the series, posting 10 or more runs in each of those victories. Southern Illinois also holds a 15-8 edge in games played in Carbondale,

APSU breaking a four-game losing streak at Itchy Jones Stadium with last season’s 16-10 victory.

Probable Starters

APSU: LHP Josh Rye (3-1, 4.94 ERA)
SIU: LHP Henry Boeckmann (0-0, 9.82 ERA)

First Meeting

Hamilton hits two home runs, Govs five, in win over Salukis. Right fielder Chase Hamilton hit two solo home runs as part of a 3-for-4, three RBI performance and led the Govs to a 10-3 victory, February 22nd, at Raymond C. Hand Park. Starting pitcher Josh Rye delivered three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and four relievers combined to allow three runs on four hits in the final six innings.

Power Performance

Austin Peay continues to be one of Division I’s top home run squads, entering the week ranked fifth nationally in home runs per game (1.63) and total home runs (44). The Govs slipped to 11th in slugging percentage (.505) while moving up to 20th in doubles per game (2.22).

Freshman Tyler Hubbard hit a solo home run against Tennessee Tech, March 24th, to become the 13th different Govs batter to hit a home run this season, breaking the program record for most players with a home run in a season.

Hubbard also joined sophomore Brett Newberg as the two Govs to hit pinch hit home runs this season. The Govs 44 home runs already ranks 16th most on the single season list, as the season’s first half comes to a close with Tuesday’s contest.

First Hacks

APSU Baseball - Dre GleasonSenior first baseman Dre Gleason is the only Division I player ranked among the nation’s Top 8 in batting average (7th, .435), on-base percentage (5th, .542), slugging percentage (8th, .783) and RBI per game (7th, 1.37). Gleason has reached base safely in all 27 games this season and currently has a six-game hitting streak.

Redshirt junior Cayce Bredlau snapped a three-game hitless streak with his season’s first three-hit outing at Southeast Missouri, Sunday, which included two doubles and saw him score four times. Junior second baseman Garrett Giovannelli got a turn as the Govs designated hitter in Sunday’s contest and walked three times and stole two bases, he had just five walks and three stolen bases in his first 23 games.

APSU Baseball - Chase HamiltonSenior right fielder Chase Hamilton did not record a hit in Sunday’s contest but supplied three RBI in six plate appearances, his second three RBI outing of 2017. Freshman third baseman Landon Kelly started at third base in the first two games of the Southeast Missouri series, but saw his hitless streak hit a season-high three games.

Sophomore catcher David Martinez saw action in all three games at Southeast Missouri, starting the final two contests, and had one hit and three walks in eight plate appearances. Redshirt freshman utility man Parker Phillips saw his streak of 25 consecutive starts end when he missed the final two games of the SEMO series due to an upper body injury.

Redshirt freshman Max Remy started at both shortstop and second base at Southeast Missouri and had four RBI on the weekend, including all three RBI in Friday’s loss.

Senior utility man Alex Robles added a Saturday start in right field to his repertoire (his seventh different position played) and finished the weekend with a 3-for-5 performance, Sunday. Junior center fielder Imani Willis had a busy Sunday, going 1-for-5 with a first-inning home run, a hit by a pitch and two stolen bases.

Junior second baseman Kyle Wilson was given a break in the first two games of the Southeast Missouri series, but returned to start Sunday’s contest and went 1-for-6 with a RBI. Sophomore Brett Newberg has an extra-base hit in three of his last five pinch-hit appearances (4-for-7, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI).

Toeing The Rubber

Staff Notes
APSU pitchers continue to record strikeouts, with 122 Ks in 136 March innings while racking up 196 Ks through 206 innings this season. Their 8.55 strikeouts per nine innings would break the program record and ranks 75th nationally.

Sophomore Josh Rye is penciled in to make his fifth midweek start, Tuesday, and has posted a 2-1 record and 2.84 ERA while striking out 15 in 12.2 innings in those four previous midweek starts. He suffered his season’s first loss last Wednesday at Middle Tennessee after surrendering three solo home runs in a 3-2 decision.

Next up for APSU Baseball

The Govs return home for a three-game weekend Ohio Valley Conference series against Belmont, Friday-Sunday. The Govs sit three games behind the third-place Bruins after four weekends of league play. Belmont swept SIU Edwardsville last weekend, winning the three-game set by six total runs.

Following the weekend set, the Govs are scheduled to take the week off prior to starting their Easter weekend series at Eastern Kentucky, next Thursday.

Follow APSU Baseball

For additional coverage of Austin Peay’s baseball team, follow the Govs on Twitter @AustinPeayBSB. Austin Peay’s athletics department also maintains several social media

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