Austin Peay vs. UT Martin
Wednesday, May 9th, 2018 | 12:30pm CT
Oxford, AL | Choccolocco Park
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s softball team makes a return to the postseason for the first time in 11 years, 12:30pm, Wednesday at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, AL., when it takes on UT Martin in its opening-round matchup.
The Govs (36-15, 17-4 OVC) enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed, their highest seed in the program’s history, while Tennessee Martin (25-30, 9-11 OVC) enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed.
The Austin Peay-Tennessee Martin matchup to open the tournament will add to what is the most-played series in APSU history, with Wednesday’s game being the 112th meeting all-time — dating back to their first meeting on March 5th, 1986 in Martin, Tennessee.
The Govs trail in the series 76-35 but did sweep the two games played versus the Skyhawks this season in Clarksville, Tennessee, back on April 8th, by scores of 5-0 and 11-2.
Offensively after their 51-game regular season schedule, the Govs are batting a co-OVC leading .280 as a team — including four players hitting over .300 – led by junior third baseman Danielle Liermann.
Liermann enters the OVC Tournament hitting at a .353 clip, including a team-high 15 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Right behind her is freshman outfielder Bailey Shorter (.336, 5 HR, 25 RBI) followed by junior outfielder Kacy Acree (.335, 7 HR, 33 RBI) and junior outfielder Natalie Schilling (.307, 42 R, 37 SB).
In the circle, the Govs lead the OVC with a 2.24 team ERA, led by Morgan Rackel‘s 19-6 record, which includes an OVC-low 1.47 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 157.1 innings of work. She has also recorded two saves.
Junior Kelly Mardones has posted an 13-4 mark this season, with a 2.35 ERA and 37 k’s in 119.1 innings, while sophomore Kelsey Gross comes into the postseason with a 4-5 record, five saves, a 3.77 ERA and 38 k’s in 51.1 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.
First meeting recap
Austin Peay pounded out 23 hits versus Tennessee Martin during their regular-season meeting and outscored the Skyhawks overall 16-2.
Rackel would author a two-hit, complete-game, shutout in the opener — striking out 11 — while Kelly Mardones picked up the win in Game 2, giving up two runs on six hits.
About the UT Martin Skyhawks
The Skyhawks enter the tournament hitting .264 on the season, led by Jodie Duncan’s .299 batting average and 26 RBIs. Alli Fulcher and Gracyn McBride lead UT Martin in home runs, with five each.
In the circle, the Skyhawks predominantly use two pitcher, with Caitlin Karo posting the team’s best win-loss record at 16-10, but with Hannah Ridolfi leading UTM in ERA (2.58), innings pitched (171) and strikeouts (65).
APSU Govs Hit-and-Run
This is the 11th time the Govs have made the OVC Championship Tournament field, having gone 5-20 overall in those previous appreances.
Austin Peay’s best result in the OVC Championship Tournament was 2-2 back in 1995, finishing in fourth-place.
Junior outfielder Kacy Acree was a string of reaching base in 27 straight games and a string of 14 straight games recording a hit.
Junior Danielle Liermann collected two hits versus Tennessee State this past Sunday giving her 157 career hits, the most by an APSU player in their first three seasons.
The Govs 15 losses are the fewest by any OVC team this season.
Sophomore Kelsey Gross tied the school single-season record of five saves after picking up a save in all three games played last week. The three saves in consecutive games is a school record.
Junior Morgan Rackel ranks third in the national in strikeouts-to-walk ratio, averaging 9.25 strikeouts to every one walk given up.
