Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team hosts Bellarmine on the first of back-to-back home Atlantic Sun Conference weekends, from Friday to Sunday, on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
The Governor and Knights open their three-game series with a Friday 6:00pm contest. The series continues with a Saturday 2:00pm outing before concluding with a Sunday 1:00pm game.
Scene Setter
Austin Peay State University returns home after going 1-4 during a five-game road trip. The Govs are 8-4 at The Hand this season, including a 2-1 home mark in ASUN play. Before falling at Kennesaw State last weekend, APSU won its first two ASUN series (Lipscomb and Queens).
Bellarmine enters the weekend after sweeping North Florida last weekend. The Knights outscored the Ospreys 39-24 in the three-game set, with that 39 runs a quarter of their run production at that point in the season. FGCU and Jacksonville swept Bellarmine to open ASUN play.
On The Mound For The Govs
Right-hander Jacob Weaver notched his first quality start of 2024 in the Govs run-rule victory at Kennesaw State last Friday. His seven-inning outing tied his longest outing of the season (Auburn) and was helped by a season-best three runs of support in the first inning.
Right-hander Andrew Devine is one of the ASUN’s top pitchers at the season’s midway point. He ranks second in the league in ERA (2.81), third in strikeouts (48), and fourth in victories (4) in his first seven starts. Devine has not allowed more than three earned runs since the season opener.
Right-hander Lyle Miller-Green started last Thursday at Kennesaw State and is scheduled for Sunday’s start against Queens. He made his regular rotation appearance in a start against the Owls; he went five innings and allowed five runs on seven hits. LMG has 19 strikeouts in his 23.2 innings pitched as a starter this season.
First Hacks
Austin Peay State University center fielder John Bay enters the weekend without a hit in his last two games, the first time in 2024 he has been held hitless in back-to-back outings. Tuesday’s outing at Evansville also ended his 14-game reached safely streak.
In nine games played since his return to the lineup on March 12th, outfielder/first baseman Harrison Brown has five hits, three home runs, and six RBI.
APSU utility man Jaden Brown enters the weekend on a nine-game hit streak and an 18-game hit safely streak. He is batting .375 (9-for-24) with six walks during the streak.
Catcher Trevor Conley extended his hit streak to nine games with a base hit in the Auburn series opener on March 8. However, he was injured in that game and has missed the Govs’ last 15 games.
Catcher Keaton Cottam made his fifth start of the season at Evansville on Tuesday. After registering a hit in back-to-back midweek starts, he did not record a hit in Evansville.
Austin Peay State University catcher Gus Freeman closed the Kennesaw State series with his second three-hit day of the ASUN season. He reached base in five of six plate appearances, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and two walks.
Shortstop Jon Jon Gazdar returned to the clean-up spot in the order at Evansville and promptly reached base three times, finishing the night 1-for-3 with a double, two walks, and a run scored.
APSU infielder Conner Gore’s start at third base against Evansville was his first start at that position as a Governor. It was the seventh game of his return from injury and he is batting .400 (6-for-15) with six runs scored since.
Right fielder Clayton Gray enters the weekend on a six-game hit streak. He is batting .483 (14-for-29) with 13 RBI during the streak, including a grand slam in Game 2 of the Kennesaw State series.
Lyle Miller-Green, the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year, saw his nine-game hit streak end at Evansville but extended his reached-safely streak to 28 games courtesy his 25th walk of the season.
Austin Peay State University infielder Justin Olson led the Govs with a .400 (4-for-10) batting average during the Kennesaw State series. He has a home run in three of the Govs’ last five games.
Infielder Brody Szako enters the week on a team-best 11-game hit streak. He hit home runs in back-to-back at-bats at Evansville and is now batting .378 (17-for-45) with six home runs and 17 RBI during the streak. He has an RBI in 10 of the 11 games.
APSU infielder Ambren Voitik hit his fifth home run this season and third of ASUN play at Kennesaw State on Friday. Since March 22nd, he has been batting .406 (13-for-32) with 14 RBI and 11 runs scored.
Infielders Andres Matias, Mateo Hernandez, and outfielder Nathan Barksdale have been part of the Govs’ “Hands Team,” each entering the game defensively when the Govs are leading late.
APSU Govs Top Notes and Notables
LMG On Golden Spikes Watch List
USA Baseball named Austin Peay State University’s two-way player, Lyle Miller-Green, to its Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List Thursday. Among baseball’s most prestigious awards, the Golden Spikes Award recognizes the best amateur baseball player in the country.
At the midpoint of the 2024 season, Miller-Green had 15 home runs, fourth-most among Division I hitters and 10 shy of the program’s single-season record. He also ranks fourth nationally in runs scored (44), eighth in slugging percentage (.907), 18th in RBI (41), and 26th in doubles (12).
Five Govs On d1Baseball.com List
Last week, D1Baseball.com released the first update to its Position Power Rankings since the preseason and five Governors were listed among the best at their respective positions. Lyle Miller-Green led the Govs with a No. 10 ranking among outfielders, while Jon Jon Gazdar was close behind at No. 15 among shortstops.
Ambren Voitik’s solid play earned him the No. 36 spot on the second baseman’s list, and John Bay’s hot start put him at No. 51 among outfielders. Andrew Devine also joined the rankings at No. 69 as he entered the week as one of the ASUN’s top pitchers.
About the Bellarmine Knights
Bellarmine provided the ASUN’s biggest surprise in Week 3 of the league race with its convincing sweep of North Florida in Louisville. Besides the gaudy 39 runs scored, the Knights batted .417 with eight doubles and two home runs during the series. Bellarmine also earned 21 walks during the weekend and stole seven bases.
Bellarmine’s offense is led by outfielder Will Aubel, who enters the weekend batting .403 – second among ASUN hitters. He batted .750 (12-for-16) against North Florida last weekend and scored seven runs. Aubel is No. 8 among ASUN hitters with a .469 on-base percentage.
Outfielder Casey Sorg, is the son of former Morehead State coach Jay Sorg. He is 11th among ASUN hitters with a .366 batting average and eighth in slugging percentage (.653) with six doubles and seven home runs. He batted .533 (8-for-15) against North Florida with eight RBI and seven runs scored.
Reed Blaszczyk enters the weekend as No. 20 among ASUN hitters with a .337 batting average. He has a 10-game hit streak entering this weekend’s action after batting .461 (6-13) with six RBI against North Florida.
On the mound, Bellarmine has been enigmatic. With the season starting its eighth week, no Knights pitcher has more than six starts.
Mike Sokol has five starts this season, including back-to-back starts against Jacksonville (Game 3) and North Florida (Game 2).
No member of the Knights’ pitching staff has seen more action than reliever Ryan Johnson, who has pitched 18.1 innings this season.
The BU-APSU Series
The Series: Eight previous meetings, Austin Peay State University leads the series 6-2.
At The Hand: The APSU Govs hold a 5-1 advantage over the Knights at home.
Notably: The Governors-Knights series started with a 1976 meeting between the teams in Clarksville. However, they did not meet again for 25 seasons until 2021 when Bellarmine began its move to Division I. The teams played a home-and-home set in both 2021 and 2022 until Austin Peay State University joined the ASUN for the 2023 season.
Broadcast Information
The game will be available on the ESPN+ courtesy the Ole Miss Athletics Department.
Follow Along
Keep up to date with all Governors baseball on the official website of Austin Peay State University Athletics – www.LetsGoPeay.com. Follow @GovsBSB on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for all APSU Baseball updates and ticket information as they happen.
