Clarksville, TN – After posting a 4-1 record during two trips to Evansville, Indiana last week, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team sees its road trip reach Game 13 when it meets Western Kentucky in a Tuesday game at Nick Denes Field in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The game begins at 3:00pm.
The Governors saw an originally scheduled seven-game road trip, which was set to end with the Oklahoma State series, extended after severe weather on March 3rd damaged the fencing on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Austin Peay State University revamped its baseball program during the offseason, with head coach Roland Fanning hired in May. His hiring and a new staff sparked a near-complete flip of the Governors’ roster. The APSU Govs’ 2023 lineup includes 27 transfers – the most of any Division I program – with 17 transfers coming from a previous Division I roster.
Broadcast Information
LIVE STATS: PeayStats.com
Series History
The Series: 162 previous meetings. WKU leads, 96-65-1.
Last season: WKU defeated APSU, 11-6, in Clarksville.
Notably: The WKU series is one of Austin Peay State University’s longest-running series, extending back to 1933 – the second season of Governors baseball. The series has been played almost annually since 1964, with the only break in that run coming during the 2021 season.
Austin Peay State University won five of six meetings from 2016-19, but WKU has won the last two matchups (2020 and 2022). High scoring is a feature of the series, with one team scoring 10 or more runs in 14 of the last 26 games. That includes three games where the winner scored 20 runs (WKU 29 in 2005, WKU 22 in 2017, and APSU 20 in 2019).
Climbing The Hill
Jacob Weaver looks to build on his first start of 2023 – a four-inning outing at Southern Indiana, last Tuesday. The right-hander struck out seven of the 20 batters he faced and allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk.
Weaver left the mound with APSU holding a 6-4 lead but did not qualify for the win.
First Hacks
Austin Peay State University utility man Matt Aribal did not record a hit in seven plate appearances against Purdue Fort Wayne but reached base via two walks and had a successful sacrifice bunt – the Govs’ first this season.
Outfielder Harrison Brown has a five-game RBI streak entering Tuesday’s game. He had the game-winning RBI in both halves of the Govs’ Friday doubleheader sweep against Purdue Fort Wayne.
APSU infielder Jaden Brown saw a four-game hit streak halted in Saturday’s first game against Purdue Fort Wayne. During the streak, he batted .333 (6-18) with a double, home run, and five RBI.
Catcher Trevor Conley saw his five-game hit streak end in Saturday’s second game against the Mastodons. During his streak, he batted .353 (6-17) with two doubles and two RBI.
Infielder Gus Freeman made the most of his first at-bat as a Governor, hitting a solo home run in Game 1 of the Oklahoma State series. He made his first starts at catcher against Purdue Fort Wayne and had a double, walked, and scored twice in the series opener.
Infielder Jon Jon Gazdar has pushed his average up by 94 points over the last seven games. He is batting .480 (12-25) with four doubles and three RBI in the previous seven games with a pair of three-hit outings.
Center fielder Clayton Gray went an impressive 7-for-16 (.438) week against Top 25 teams (Feb. 28-March 5). He has pushed his average up 102 points since Feb. 28, batting .353 (12-34) in his last nine games. Gray also has scored a run in four consecutive games.
Right fielder Garrett Martin bounced back from a hitless stay in Stillwater to piece together a five-game hit streak in Evansville. He batted .533 (8-15) with two home runs, four walks, and three RBI in last week’s five games.
Designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green saw a six-game hit streak end in Game 2 of the Purdue Fort Wayne series and looks to end a three-game hitless streak. He walked four times and had two hits during the series against the Mastodons.
Third baseman Ambren Voitik went 3-for-14 with three walks against Purdue Fort Wayne. He was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two walks in the series’ second game.
Next Up For APSU Baseball
The Austin Peay State University baseball team begins its inaugural season of ASUN Conference play when it hosts North Florida in a three-game series, Friday-Sunday. The ASUN series opener is slated for Friday at 4:00pm before the teams play on Saturday at 1:00pm and Sunday at noon.
