Evansville, IN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team closes a five-game road trip when it travels north for a Tuesday nonconference tilt against long-time regional foe Evansville at German American Bank Field at Charles Braun Stadium. The game begins at 6:00pm.
Austin Peay State University is 1-3 during its current road trip after falling at Ole Miss and then dropping an Atlantic Sun Conference series at Kennesaw State. Evansville is closing out an eight-game homestand Tuesday.
The Purple Aces are 2-5 during the stand, suffering a sweep in their Missouri Valley Conference opening series against Murray State before rebounding to win its series against Southern Illinois.
Haven’t We Met Before?
The APSU Govs alumnus Matt Wollenzin, a member of the 2010-14 APSU squads, is in his second stint as an Evansville coach. He rejoined the Purple Aces in July 2022 after previously being on the staff from 2016-17.
In between, he was an associate head coach at Bethany Lutheran College in Makato, Minnesota. Wollenzin also has coached the Northwoods League’s Mankato Moondogs, earning his 100th win with that team last summer.
Five APSU 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 APSU 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.
Atop The Rankings
Austin Peay State University enters the week ranked No. 4 nationally in slugging percentage (.609) and home runs (60) while also ranking sixth in doubles (72). The APSU Govs are also among the nation’s Top 10 in batting average (8th, .329).
Right fielder Lyle Miller-Green is ranked third nationally with 15 home runs, fourth with a .842 slugging percentage, and ninth with 41 RBI.
APSU center fielder John Bay is 29th nationally with 11 home runs and is 26th in Division I with a .806 slugging percentage.
Shortstop Jon Jon Gazdar is the ASUN’s “Toughest Batter to Strikeout,” averaging a strikeout every 12.8 at-bats (31st via NCAA) or in 6.7 percent of all plate appearances (35th via D1Baseball).
Austin Peay State University starting pitcher Andrew Devine is one of only nine pitchers in Division I with multiple complete games this season. He is 19th nationally, allowing only 5.18 hits per nine innings.
Reliever Titan Kennedy-Hayes leads the ASUN, ranked 21st in Division I with four saves in 2024.
First Hacks
Austin Peay State University center fielder John Bay extended his reached-safely streak to 14 games with a pair of walks in the Kennesaw State finale. During the streak, he is batting .333 with a .455 on-base percentage.
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 week on a nine-game hit streak and an 18-game hit safely streak. During the streak, he is batting .375 (9-for-24) with six walks.
Catcher Trevor Conley extended his hit streak to nine games with a base hit in the Auburn series opener on March 8th. However, he was injured in that game and has missed the Govs’ last 14 games.
Catcher Keaton Cottam went 1-for-3 at Ole Miss and has a hit in three of his four starts this season, including back-to-back starts.
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 saw his eight-game hit streak end with his first back-to-back hitless outings of the season to close the Kennesaw State series, though he did walk twice in the final two games.
Infielder Conner Gore made his season debut off the bench at Lipscomb on March 17th. He is 5-for-12 with two doubles and a triple in six games.
APSU right fielder Clayton Gray enters the week on a five-game hit streak. He is batting .440 (11-for-25) with 12 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, batted .431 during March with 10 doubles and 10 home runs for a .986 slugging percentage. He also walked 17 times, scored 31 runs, and had 26 RBI in the 18-game month.
Infielder Justin Olson led the APSU Govs with a .400 (4-for-10) batting average during the Kennesaw State series. He has a home run in three of his last four games and has a hit and RBI in all four games.
Austin Peay State University infielder Brody Szako enters the week on a team-best 10-game hit streak. He is batting .375 (15-for-40) with four home runs and 14 RBI during the streak and has scored an RBI in nine of the 10 games.
Infielder Ambren Voitik hit his fifth home run at Kennesaw State on Friday. It was his third home run of ASUN play. Since March 22, he has been batting .393 (11-for-28) with 12 RBI and 10 runs scored.
Infielders Andres Matias, Mateo Hernandez, and outfielder Nathan Barksdale have been part of the APSU Govs’ “Hands Team,” each entering the game defensively when the Govs are leading late.
Series Details
The Series: 71 previous meetings, Evansville leads, 43-26-2.
Notably: Austin Peay State University and Evansville meet for the first time since the Purple Aces swept a home-and-home series in 2022. Prior to 2022, the teams had alternated three-game win streaks in the series dating back to 2013.
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.
