Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University men’s baseball team begins a challenging seven-game road trip when it meets Dallas Baptist in a three-game nonconference series, Friday-Sunday, at Horner Ballpark in Dallas, Texas.
The seven-game excursion takes the Govs to DBU before a Tuesday contest against Vanderbilt. Austin Peay State University then heads back to the Southern Plains for a three-game series at Oklahoma State next weekend.
Head coach Roland Fanning notched his first win as a head coach in the opening weekend against Illinois State. He took over an Austin Peay State University program that posted 19 wins in 2022 after serving as an assistant the past 15 seasons, including stints at Oklahoma State and Kentucky.
Fanning’s hire sparked a near-complete flip of the Governors’ roster. Austin Peay State University’s 2023 lineup includes 27 transfers – the most of any Division I program – with 17 transfers coming from a previous Division I roster.
Austin Peay State University was picked to finish 11th in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll. Meanwhile, D1Baseball.com tapped the APSU Govs to finish eighth and marked the Govs as one of its Top Turnaround Teams in a preseason podcast.
Broadcast Information
ipTV: DBU (PatriotBroadcastingNetwork.com)
TALENT: Reagan Ratcliff & Brendan Smith
LIVE STATS: PeayStats.com
Series History
The Series: Three previous meetings | DBU leads, 3-0
Notably: Austin Peay State University and Dallas Baptist opened the 2021 season with a three-game set in Dallas. The Patriots swept the APSU Govs and posted a 36-6 scoring margin. Harrison Brown and Peyton Jula, who started Game 2 of that 2021 series, are the lone members from that team remaining on the Govs’ 2023 roster.
Climbing The Hill
Peyton Jula gets the nod at No. 1 for the second consecutive weekend. In the season opener, he sandwiched a stretch where he retired six straight batters between an opening where four batters reached and scored and an ending that saw four of five reach with three scoring.
Nick James was the lone APSU Govs starter to pick up a victory during the opening weekend. He allowed three batters to reach, allowing one run, with two outs in the first. James then shut down Illinois State, retiring 10 of the final 12 batters he faced, four via strikeouts.
Lyle Miller-Green shook off the rust in his first start since 2021, making the longest appearance by a Govs’ starter against Illinois State. He went five innings and did not allow an earned run after the first frame. Miller-Green also helped his own cause going 5-for-6 with two home runs and five RBI.
First Hacks
Utility man Matt Aribal went 4-for-4 in his debut, Saturday, scoring twice and driving in a run. He was held without a hit in Sunday’s finale but walked and scored.
Outfielder Harrison Brown saw action in all three games of the SIU series, including a start in Game 2 of the set. He was 1-for-3 with two RBI in that start and had a pinch-hit single in the 10th inning of Sunday’s finale.
Shortstop Jaden Brown had a home run in his first two games played for the Govs. He was held without a homer against the Salukis, but was 1-for-5 with a RBI and a stolen base.
Catcher Trevor Conley notched his first Governors hit in Game 2 against the Redbirds, the double also was his first extra-base hit. He walked and stole a base in the Illinois State series finale.
Catcher Jacob Curtis made his Austin Peay State University debut against Southern Illinois, Tuesday, and while he did not record a hit he reached base safely in three of his five plate appearances.
Infielder Jon Jon Gazdar posted his third-straight two-hit outing against Southern Illinois, Tuesday, notching his second double of the season. He is second on the team in batting average (.545).
Infielder Conner Gore was the Govs Opening Day second baseman but has moved to first base the past three games. He has reached base safely in all four games this season, earning a walk in each of the last three.
Center fielder Clayton Gray broke through in Sunday’s series finale against Illinois State with a pair of doubles in a 2-for-6 performance. He followed that with a double in a 1-for-5 outing against Southern Illinois.
Right fielder Garrett Martin has a home run in back-to-back games after hitting two against Southern Illinois Tuesday as part of a 3-for-5, two RBI effort that also saw him earn the Govs first intentional walk.
Infielder Michael Robinson rejoined the Austin Peay State University lineup with a splash Tuesday against SIU, hitting his second career grand slam as part of the APSU Govs 6-run fourth inning.
Third baseman Ambren Voitik has a hit in all four games of the 2023. He posted his second consecutive 2-for-6 performance against SIU and recorded his first extra-base hit (a double) while starting in left field.
Next Up For APSU Baseball
The Austin Peay State University men’s baseball team returns back to Tennessee and will head down I-24 for a midweek outing against Vanderbilt slated for Tuesday at 4:00pm. It is the sixth-straight season, minus the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign, the APSU Govs have traveled to Vanderbilt.
