APSU Athlete of the Week Ridge Smith

APSU Sports Information

Clarksville, TN – After a dynamic first week in a Governors uniform, freshman utility man Ridge Smith, of the Austin Peay State University baseball team, has been named this week’s Copies in a Flash APSU Athlete of the Week.

Smith hit .600 (6-for-10) in his first weekend series against Iowa, smacking four doubles, driving in seven runs and scoring six as the Govs went 1-2 against the visiting Hawkeyes. His .600/1.000/.643 slash-line (average/slugging/on-base percentage) leads the OVC in each category after the first weekend of play.

Smith started his career by going 2-for-3 in Saturday’s season-opener, with a two-run double acting as his first career hit. He was 3-for-5 with three driven in during Saturday’s nightcap and concluded the weekend by going 2-for-5 and driving in the go-ahead run in Sunday’s victory, the 800th of head coach Gary McClure’s career.

His efforts earned him Tennessee Sports Writer’s Association and Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week honors – he’s the first Governor freshman to take OVC Player of the Week honors since Jordan Hankins in 2011.

The Copies in a Flash APSU Athlete of the Week is selected by the APSU Sports Information staff each Tuesday during the academic year. Copies in a Flash, of Clarksville, sponsors the award.

Other notable performances by Austin Peay athletes included

• Freshman center Tearra Banks, of the women’s basketball team, averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Lady Govs in two OVC contests last week.
• Junior Ornella Di Salvo, of the women’s tennis team, won her season’s first singles match, at No. 2 against Lipscomb’s Melissa Kromer (6-2, 3-6, 10-8) and teamed with senior Andra Cornea for win at No. 1 doubles against Deahnna Welcher and Jenny Borck (6-2), Saturday.
• Senior utility player Lauren de Castro, of the softball team, hit her season’s first home run and earned Austin Peay’s lone win in a three-game set against IUPUI.
• Junior Aleksas Tverijonas, of the men’s tennis team, went unbeaten at No. 3 singles against Southern Illinois’ Jorge Cavero (6-4, 7-5) and Lipscomb’s Rob Mitchell (6-5, 6-2) over the weekend. He and senior Jasmin Ademovic defeated Lipscomb’s Miguel Cortez and Stuart Tierney at No. 1 doubles (6-3).
• Senior guard Travis Betran, of the men’s basketball team, averaged 21.0 points in two games last week, going a perfect 18-for-18 from the free-throw line.