Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team concludes its first road trip of 2023 when it meets nationally-ranked Oklahoma State in a three-game series, Friday-Sunday, at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The trip to the Sooner State will be a return home for seven Governors players and three members of the APSU coaching staff, including head coach Roland Fanning.
Fanning took over an Austin Peay 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: Big 12 Network (Sunday only, ESPN+ / ESPN App)
TALENT: Dave Hunziker & Tom Holliday
LIVE STATS: PeayStats.com
Series History
The Series: First Meeting
Notably: This weekend’s series will be Austin Peay State University’s first meeting against a Big 12 team since 2018 when it faced Kansas State in a pair of midweek outings. APSU is 4-7 against current Big 12 teams all-time with wins against Kansas State (2, 1999 & 2018), Oklahoma (1, 2016), and Kansas (1, 2005).
Climbing The Hill
Left-hander Nick James moves into the No. 1 role this weekend after setting season-bests in innings pitched (5.2) and strikeouts (6) in his last start at Dallas Baptist. He leads the Govs with 12 strikeouts in 9.2 innings in 2023.
Right-hander Lyle Miller-Green looks to bounce back from his outing at Dallas Baptist while moving up to the No. 2 role. He has allowed six hits and struck out three in each of his first two starts this season.
Right-hander Jacob Kush will jump into the No. 3 role in Stillwater after pitching at Vanderbilt Tuesday. He held the Commodores to one run on three hits while striking out four in 3.0 innings.
First Hacks
Austin State University utility man Matt Aribal has played three different positions in 2023, including three starts at second base. He walked and scored a run in Tuesday’s game at Vanderbilt.
Outfielder Harrison Brown has three consecutive starts in left field but saw a four-game hit streak end at Vanderbilt, Tuesday. He was 5-for-12 during the hit streak.
APSU infielder Jaden Brown was tapped to make the start at first base against Vanderbilt, his first start there since 2021 at Iowa Western, and he walked twice and scored once.
Catcher Trevor Conley provided a pair of bunt singles and was hit by a pitch in his four plate appearances in the DBU finale, Sunday.
Infielder Jon Jon Gazdar was held hitless in the DBU opener but bounced back with a hit in each of the series’ final two games. He also notched his first homer as a Governor, hitting the top of the left-field wall in Saturday’s contest.
APSU infielder Conner Gore started the first two games of the DBU series but has been held out of the last two games on a coach’s decision. He reached base safely in his first five games this season – with a hit in three of those games.
Center fielder Clayton Gray’s first five base hits this season each went for a double. He broke that string in his first three-hit day in Tuesday’s outing at Vanderbilt.
Designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green hit his fourth home run this season at Vanderbilt and is one behind Martin for the team lead. He was 3-for-4 with three RBI – his fifth multi-hit game and third multi-RBI game.
Infielder Michael Robinson rejoined the APSU Govs lineup with a splash against SIU, on February 21st, hitting his second career grand slam as part of the Govs 6-run fourth inning. He has missed the game at Vanderbilt for precautionary reasons after being hit by a pitch in the DBU series finale.
Third baseman Ambren Voitik moved into the leadoff spot for the first time this season at Vanderbilt. He walked and scored a run in his leadoff debut.
Next Up For APSU Baseball
After concluding its longest road trip of the season in Stillwater, the Austin Peay State University baseball team returns to Clarksville for its longest homestand of 2023. The APSU Govs start the nine-game stretch when they host new Ohio Valley Conference member Southern Indiana in a Tuesday 6:00pm contest on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
