Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) softball team, winners of their last eight games, will host Jacksonville State, winners of seven straight, this weekend at Cathi Maynard Park-Cheryl Holt Field, in a battle of the two hottest teams in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The three-game OVC series will begin with a, 1:00pm, doubleheader on Sunday and conclude Monday, with a single game, also scheduled for a 1:00pm first pitch.
The Governors (18-8, 13-6 OVC) enter the weekend currently sitting in third place in the league’s standings, one game behind second-place Eastern Kentucky and two games back of league leader Southeast Missouri, while the Gamecocks (12-16, 10-7 OVC) have moved up to fifth place after its current win streak.
After 26 games this Spring, Austin Peay State University is led offensively by junior third baseman Lexi Osowski (.461, 4 HR, 19 RBI), who is also currently leading all OVC hitters in batting average, followed by senior shortstop Brooke Pfefferle (.423, 1 HR, 9 RBI).
Three other Govs are hitting over .300 this season, starting with the current OVC Player of the Week, senior outfielder Bailey Shorter (.378, 4 HR, 18 RBI), senior pitcher/first baseman Kelsey Gross (.350, 3 HR, 30 RBI) and senior second baseman Drew Dudley (.340, 2 HR, 7 RBI).
The Gamecocks are led by a couple of home runs threats in Jada Terry (.360, 7 HR, 24 RBI) and Karsen Mosley (.346, 4 HR, 17 RBI), who has accounted for 57 of JSU’s 100 runs scored so far this season.
In the circle, the APSU Govs pitching staff is led by Gross, who is 7-1 this season, with two shutouts, two saves, a 2.18 ERA, and 38 strikeouts in 51.1 innings of work.
She is followed by junior Harley Mullins (6-5, 4.91 ERA, 40 K’s), who has recorded a shutout and two saves, and freshman Jordan Benefiel (5-2, 1.18 ERA, 41 K’s).
Jacksonville State’s pitching staff is led by Nicole Rodriguez (5-2, 2.02 ERA, 61 K’s) and Reagan Watkins (4-4, 2.99 ERA, 61 K’s).
APSU Hit and Run
Austin Peay State University has won their last eight games, their longest win streak since the 2018 season.
APSU is 8-0 at home this season and 10-0 in its last 10 games at Cathi Maynard Park-Cheryl Holt Field, dating back to last season — the second-longest home win streak in program history (15 games 1988-89).
This will be the last regular season between the two schools as OVC members, with JSU leaving the conference after the school year.
Lexi Osowski enters the series with a 13-game hit streak, tying for the third-longest such streak by an APSU Gov since the 2000 season.
Drew Dudley enters the series with a nine-game hit streak.
Kelsey Gross has only allowed two runs, one earned, in her last 16.2 innings pitched.
Austin Peay had two games of 10-or-more hits during their first 19 games, the APSU Govs have now recorded 10-or-more hits in six of their last seven contests.
Kelsey Gross and Kelsey Gray are the only two Govs to start every game this season.
