Greensboro, NC – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team now has two All-Americans.
Shortstop Jon Jon Gazdar is the latest to earn All-America recognition, joining outfielder Lyle Miller-Green as a member of the ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-America presented Friday.
They become the Govs’ first All-America teammates since 2013 when second baseman Jordan Hankins, outfielder Cody Hudson, third baseman Craig Massoni, and relief pitcher Tyler Roger were each All-Americans. The pair are also the APSU Govs’ first ABCA All-American since 1981 when Ralph Harper was a Second Team honoree to become the program’s first All-American.
First recognized in 1949, the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-America teams are selected by the ABCA All-America & Coach of the Year committee, which is chaired by Tommy Raffo. The committee also includes Mitch Canham (Oregon State), Dean Ehehalt (Monmouth), Brian Green (Wichita State), Jeff Mercer (Indiana), Brian O’Connor (Virginia), Jim Penders (Connecticut), and Butch Thompson (Auburn).
The finalists for the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove team will be announced via X (formerly Twitter) by Rawlings Sporting Goods (@RawlingsSports) on Tuesday, June 18. The Gold Glove winners in all divisions will be announced on Wednesday, June 19. The ABCA/Rawlings National Pitchers and Position Players of the Year will be announced on Monday, June 24.
Lyle Miller-Green
- 2024 First Team All-American (NCBWA, Perfect Game)
- 2024 Second Team All-American (ABCA)
- 2024 ABCA/Rawlings First Team All-Southeast Region
- 2024 ASUN Player of the Year
- 2024 ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- 2024 First Team All-ASUN
- 2024 Academic All-ASUN
- 2024 NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist
- 2024 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award Semifinalist
- 2024 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Watch List
The Burke, Virginia native rewrote the record books in 2024. He set Austin Peay’s single-season records for home runs (30), RBI (94), and runs scored (94) while batting .393 with a .900 slugging percentage and .533 on-base percentage.
He also set the ASUN single-season records for home runs and runs scored. Miller-Green earned national recognition for his 2024 performance, landing as a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, presented by the NCBWA to College Baseball’s Player of the Year, and the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, presented by the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Miller-Green also was on the Golden Spikes Watch List. He is the seventh Governors athlete to earn a conference’s Player of the Year Award, and the first since 2013 Craig Massoni won the Ohio Valley Conference’s award.
Jon Jon Gazdar
- 2024 ABCA/Rawlings First Team All-Southeast Region
- 2024 Second Team All-American (ABCA)
- 2024 Brooks Wallace Award Finalist
- 2024 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year
- 2024 First Team All-ASUN
- 2024 Academic All-ASUN
Gazdar, a Walnut Creek, California product, finished the season batting .405 with 21 doubles, 55 RBI, and 67 runs scored. He pieced together a 40-game reached safely streak that began March 2nd at UTRGV and lasted until May 12th at Central Arkansas. Gazdar’s streak was the fifth of 40-plus games in program history.
He accomplished that feat while remaining one of the nation’s toughest batters to strike out for a second consecutive year, averaging a strikeout every 16.9 at-bats (5th via NCAA) or in 5.0 percent of all plate appearances (5th via D1Baseball.com).
The APSU Govs’ shortstop also showed off his glove while starting all 54 games and was charged with only seven errors on 193 chances.
John Bay
- 2024 ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-Southeast Region
- 2024 Second Team All-ASUN
Bay enjoyed a season that was only overshadowed by his own teammate in Lyle Miller-Green’s Player of the Year turn. Bay became the first Governors hitter to record 20 doubles and 20 home runs in a season, finishing with 24 home runs and 20 doubles.
He batted .365 with a .817 slugging percentage and .471 on-base percentage while recording 34 walks and 11 stolen bases.
The Shattuck, Oklahoma product also set the Austin Peay State University record with four grand slams this season, including a program-record two grand slams in APSU’s victory against Alabama A&M on April 30th.
