Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team makes its final homestand of the 2025 regular season against the University of Central Arkansas, as the Govs host the Bears for Senior Weekend at The Hand.
The Governors’ ninth Atlantic Sun Conference series will begin with their first game of the three-game set starting on Friday at 6:00pm CT Friday at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Leading Off
Austin Peay State University is back home this weekend, as they are set to take on the Central Arkansas Bears for Senior Weekend. The Govs faced the bears in their second Atlantic Sun Conference series this season, and came away with a sweep on the road in late March.
The APSU Govs look to continue their hot streak in ASUN play, as they have won nine-straight conference games, and collected their eighth series sweep at home against Bellarmine last weekend.
With one more conference win, the Govs will clinch the Gold Division title, and head coach Roland Fanning will have become the fastest coach to reach 100 career wins. And with two wins in their next three games, the Govs will become the fastest team to reach 40 wins in a season.
Governors Bullpen
The Austin Peay State University baseball team had a team ERA of 3.48 last week over four games, while striking out 27 batters. As a staff, the Govs also held batters to a .244 batting average.
Graduate left-handed pitcher Gavin Braunecker earned his ASUN-leading eighth win of the season and improved to 8-0 following his quality start in Game 1 against the Knights.
Junior right-hander Lyndon Glidewell had another solid performance, going six scoreless innings in Game 2 against Bellarmine, striking out a career-high nine batters, while only allowing two base hits.
Senior right-handed pitcher Jacob Weaver tossed his second complete game this season in the series finale against the Knights. He matched a season-high with seven strikeouts in the win and improved to 5-1, which is the most wins he has had in a season in his four-year career.
First Hacks
Austin Peay State University had another successful week on the diamond, coming away with another series sweep against the Bellarmine Knights. As a team, the Govs batted .394 with 20 of their 52 hits going for extra bases. Not only did their power show in their weekend series, but their speed showed, as they swiped 13 bags over four games. Nine of which came in the series finale against Bellarmine.
The APSU Govs also came away with a midweek run-rule victory against Morehead State on Tuesday, thanks to a heavy offensive presence. Three Govs had three-hit performances, and Ray Velazquez hit two three-run homers to power the Govs to victory.
The Governors currently rank in the top 10 nationally in hits, runs, home runs, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging. The Govs also have the 9th best win-loss percentage (.776).
Austin Peay State University center fielder John Bay continues to lead the nation in runs scored with 80 this season after crossing the plate seven times over the last five games. After batting .357 a week prior, Bay hit .286 (4-for-14) with a triple and a home run, while tallying five RBI last week. He is now just seven home runs away from claiming the all-time home run record at APSU, with 50 in his career with the Govs.
Outfielder Cameron Nickens had another great week at the plate, batting .600 (9-for-15) with a home run, a triple, and four doubles over four games. The senior transfer is in the running for ASUN player of the year as he has had an amazing year at the plate up to this point, batting .435 on the season with 16 home runs, 23 doubles, a pair of triples, and 62 RBI. He leads the ASUN in all three triple-slash categories, and ranks in the top 10 in 11 offensive ASUN categories, leading in batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, OPS, hits, RBI, and doubles. Nickens also leads the nation with 87 hits and 162 total bases.
APSU outfielder Brody Szako batted .250 (4-for-16) last week, with a double and a triple, and tallying a pair of RBI. He bats .279 on the year, with 21 of his 34 hits going for extra bases. He has 13 home runs, seven doubles, and a triple to his name this season.
Infielder Andres Matias brought his season batting average above .300 again after batting .357 (5-for-14) last week, while tallying four RBI. Matias also fielded a perfect 1.000 last week with 12 assists and four putouts. He was one of three Govs to collect three hits in the Tuesday midweek against Morehead State.
First baseman/catcher Gus Freeman batted .294 (5-for-17) with a pair of doubles, an RBI, and a stolen base. Freeman comes into the week ranking in the top 10 in seven offensive ASUN categories. Freeman’s 43-game reached base safely streak came to an end in Game 1 against Bellarmine last Friday. His streak tied for the second longest streak in program history with Chuck Abbot (1996) and GarrettSpain (2019). Freeman collected three hits in the contest against Morehead State on Tuesday, while also tallying three RBI.
Austin Peay State University infielder Kyler Proctor batted .250 (4-for-16) last week with a double and a pair of RBI. Proctor has struggled at the plate over the last few weeks, but he still bats .327 on the year with six homers, 13 doubles, and a pair of triples, while tallying 38 RBI and scoring 52 runs. He also went 3-for-5 on Tuesday in the win at Morehead State.
Infielder/designated hitter Cole Johnson earned ASUN Player of the Week recognition after batting .643 (9-for-14) with a pair of home runs and a double, while tallying 10 RBI. He had a multi-hit performance and collected an RBI in every game last week, including a 2-for-3 performance against No. 23 Ole Miss, where he hit a two-run go-ahead homer in the fourth inning.
Catcher Trevor Conley split his time behind the plate last week, catching just two games. He batted .500 (3-for-6) with a pair of doubles and three RBI. He comes into the week batting .318, and bats .403 in conference play, which ranks fifth in the ASUN. Two weeks ago he was named to the Buster Posey Award Midseason Watch List, and is a prime candidate for the national award after showing his grit over the course of the season.
Catcher Keaton Cottam shared his time behind the dish last week, starting in two games. He batted .667 (4-for-6), which included a 4-for-4 game against Bellarmine, where he set a new single-game high with four hits. It was his fourth multi-hit performance this season.
Facing The Bears
Series History
Austin Peay leads the all-time series 7-3 after sweeping the Bears in Conway during week two of ASUN play this season. The Govs have only met Central Arkansas one time at home in program history. That came on February 18th, 2007 in nonconference play, where the Govs won by a score of 10-2.
About the Central Arkansas Bears
Central Arkansas comes into the weekend 10 games back from the Govs in the ASUN standings. They are third in the division with an 11-13 ASUN record, and are 18-27 overall. The Bears lost their series against Eastern Kentucky last weekend, taking just one game in the three-game set, and are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
At The Plate
The Bears come into the weekend as the second best offense in the ASUN, batting .280. As a team, UCA has recorded 127 extra-base hits, which includes 33 home runs, 82 doubles, and 12 triples, while tallying 235 RBI over 45 games.
Junior infielder/catcher Bryce Cermenelli has been a tough out in the Central Arkansas lineup, batting .395 this season, which is .102 points higher than the next guy in the lineup.
On The Mound
Central Arkansas comes into the weekend with a team ERA of 6.97. Over 45 games and 387.1 innings, the Bears have allowed 335 runs, 300 earned, and opponents are batting .299 against their staff, which is the third highest in the league.
Junior right-hander Jacob Pannell has been the most efficient starter for the Bears this season, starting seven of the eight games he has appeared in, and has an ERA of 3.12 on the year. He is not slated to start this weekend, but it would be no surprise if he made an appearance at some point in the series.
Promotional Information
Military Appreciation – Friday
Friday’s game will be Military Appreciation night, as there will be a helicopter and pre-game presentation before first pitch.
Senior Day – Saturday
Saturday’s game will be Senior Day. Seniors will be celebrated prior to first pitch with a pre-game ceremony starting at 1:30 p.m. (CT). Players who will be recognized are: Trevor Conley, Brody Szako, Shawn Scott, Gus Freeman, Andres Matias, Austen Jaslove, John Bay, Jacob Weaver, Nathan Barksdale, Cameron Nickens, Adam Walker, Landon Slemp, Gavin Braunecker, Campbell Holt, Solomon Washington, Deaton Oak, and Davin Pollard.
Mother’s Day – Sunday
Sunday’s game will be in honor of all mother’s, as there will be a pre-game celebration for our player’s mothers.
*General admission tickets will be free to all fans all weekend*
Broadcast Information
All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
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 Governors Baseball updates and ticket information as they happen.
