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HomeSportsAPSU Baseball travels to UT Martin this weekend

APSU Baseball travels to UT Martin this weekend

APSU BaseballClarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University baseball team begins the second half of its Ohio Valley Conference schedule when it meets UT Martin in a three-game series, Friday-Saturday, at Skyhawk Baseball Field.

Austin Peay State University Baseball hits the road this weekend to take on UT Martin. (Robert Smith, APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay State University Baseball hits the road this weekend to take on UT Martin. (Robert Smith, APSU Sports Information)

The Governors enter the series seeking to end a three-game losing streak which halted a stretch that saw it win seven of 11.

Austin Peay State University will look for third baseman Gino Avros to continue his hot stretch in league play where he ranks ninth in batting average (.390) at the midway point. Designated hitter Ty DeLancey has a team-best six home runs and center fielder Garrett Spain leads APSU with 16 RBI in league play.

UT Martin has endured a road-heavy schedule this season, playing 24 of its first 28 away from Martin. UTM is 2-2 at home with a OVC-opening series victory against Belmont, March 11-12, to its credit. Blake Daniels leads the Skyhawks in home runs (3) and RBI (10) while Ethan Whitley possesses a team-best .368 batting average in league play.

Inside The Series

The Series: 127 previous meetings, APSU leads 91-34-2
Previously: APSU won the 2019 series, 2-1, at Martin
Notably: Austin Peay has dominated the series since UT Martin joined the OVC in 1993, posting a 61-17-2 record. The Skyhawks have won two series against the Govs since joining the OVC, 1992 and 2015, both played in Martin.

Probable Starters

Game 1 | Luke Brown (RHP) vs. Winston Cannon (RHP) | Brown will make his fourth straight start as the Govs No. 1 this weekend after earning the win last weekend against Morehead State. In five OVC starts, he is 2-0 with 18 strikeouts in 25.0 innings.

Game 2 | TBA vs. TBA | Nolan O’Shoney was the Govs’ No. 2 role the past three weekends. In five OVC appearances, he has pitched 12.2 innings. In his first start as the No. 2, he held Belmont to one run over a career-high 7.0 innings.

Game 3 | TBA vs. TBA | Drew McIllwain was the Govs No. 3 starter at Eastern Kentucky, April 3rd, and tossed six scoreless frames. He followed that with a start against Morehead State, last weekend. In four OVC appearances, he has 14.1 innings pitched and 13 strikeouts.

 

First Hacks

Austin Peay State University has recorded seven of its eight double-digit hit outings this season since March 20th. The APSU Govs are batting .303 and averaging 7.1 runs over the 14-game stretch that has seen them win seven games.

Catcher Jack Alexander opened the Morehead State series by reaching in all four of his plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, and two RBI. It was his first multi-hit outing since the March 26 Belmont series opener.

Third baseman Gino Avros hit a leadoff home run at Ole Miss, Tuesday, and added a double for his fourth-straight multi-hit game. He is batting .600 (9-15) in the four-game burst with two doubles, a home run, and five runs scored.

Designated hitter Ty DeLancey went 2-for-4 in Game 2 of the Morehead State series, Friday. It was his third multi-hit outing in April after recording only two multi-hit outings prior to the month.

Outfielder TJ Foreman saw a four-game hit streak end in last Friday’s doubleheader against Morehead State which ended a seven-game stretch that brought his average up 59 points after batting .409 (9-22) with four RBI.

Outfielder Knaje Guthrie made his first collegiate home run count, hitting a grand slam in Game 2 of the Morehead State series, last Friday. He has been the Govs starting left fielder since March 20 when he made his first collegiate start at Southeast Missouri.

Shortstop Bobby Head has been the APSU Govs best hitter in April, batting .406 (13-32) with six RBI and seven runs scored. He saw a six-game hit streak end in the Morehead State series finale, last Friday.

First baseman John McDonald had a hit in all three games of the Morehead State series, including a 3-for-3 outing in the series finale. He went 5-for-9 with a home run, three walks, and two RBI in the series.

Center fielder Garrett Spain has been the APSU Govs best bat on the road this season, leading the way with a .323 batting average, five home runs, a .695 slugging percentage, and 14 RBI in the 15 road games to date.

Second baseman Malcolm Tipler went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in the series finale against Morehead State, Friday, providing the Govs lone run. He is batting .500 (6-12) with three doubles during a four-game hit streak he extended at Ole Miss, Tuesday.

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