Austin Peay vs. Alabama A&M
Wednesday, April 24th, 2018 | 2:00pm CT
Clarksville, TN | Cheryl Holt Field
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s softball team will open its final regular-season homestand, 2:00pm, Wednesday, April 24th, 2018 at Cheryl Holt Field at Joe and Cathi Maynard Softball Stadium as it hosts Alabama A&M for a doubleheader.
The Govs (27-15) come into the matchup versus the Bulldogs having swept an Ohio Valley Conference twinbill at Belmont this past Saturday, while Alabama A&M (19-15) dropped the Southwestern Athletic Conference three-game set at Alcorn State and have a home doubleheader versus Alabama State, Tuesday.
The Austin Peay-Alabama A&M series dates to March 10, 2001 with the Govs holding a commanding 20-1 overall advantage in the series, including a 5-3 victory back on February 13th, in Huntsville, AL. The Govs are 8-0 all-time versus the Bulldogs in games played in Clarksville.
After 42 games this season, the Govs offensively are batting .279 as a team, including five players hitting more than .300. They are led by junior third baseman Danielle Liermann, who enters the mid-week matchup hitting at a .380 clip including a team-high 15 home runs and 46 RBIs.
She is followed by freshman outfielder Bailey Shorter (.333, 3 HR, 16 RBI), junior outfielder Natalie Schilling (.318, 36 R, 30 SB), junior outfielder Kacy Acree (.304, 6 HR, 25 RBI) and junior pitcher/outfielder Morgan Rackel (.303, 7 HR, 26 RBI).
In the circle, the Govs are led by Rackel’s 14-6 mark, which includes a 1.65 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 136 innings of work. She also has recorded two saves. Junior Kelly Mardones has posted an 9-4 mark this season, with a 2.44 ERA and 29 Ks in 89 innings, while sophomore Kelsey Gross comes into the matchup with a 4-5 record, two saves, a 4.34 ERA and 35 k’s in 50 innings pitched.
Follow the Govs softball team on Austin Peay’s official athletics website Let’sGoPeay.com or on Twitter @AustinPeaySB for more information or updates.
About the Alabama A&M Bulldogs
In the circle, Lauren Hayden has been the anchor of the Bulldogs pitching staff this spring with a 10-2 record, a 4.17 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 86.1 innings pitched.
APSU Govs Hit-and-Run
Austin Peay ranks 86th out of 296 NCAA Division 1 softball teams in the latest RPI standings.
Junior outfielder Kacy Acree has a string of reaching base in 18 straight games, tying for the third longest much streak by an Austin Peay softball player since 2000.
Austin Peay is 31-3 all-time in games versus schools from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
This is the first time Alabama A&M has played in Clarksville in five years.
A win in either game versus Alabama A&M would give the Govs their most single-season home wins (7) since 2014.