Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team returns to the diamond at home to face Atlantic Sun Conference opponent, North Alabama, in its seventh ASUN series of the season starting on Friday at 6:00pm CT at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
Leading Off
Austin Peay State University returns to Stacheville for another Atlantic Sun Conference series against the Lions of North Alabama. With its sweep over Eastern Kentucky last weekend, this year’s team is the fastest in program history to record 30 wins in a season, doing so in 40 games.
The APSU Govs swept the ASUN Weekly Award recognitions for the second consecutive week, with Jacob Weaver and Ray Velazquez winning the ASUN Pitcher of the Week and Player of the Week awards, respectively. Then, after a short turnaround, the Govs took on Big Ten opponent Purdue and won by a score of 16-10.
First Hacks
Austin Peay State University holds a four-game win streak after falling to Morehead State in their midweek before sweeping Eastern Kentucky last weekend. Following that series, the Govs traveled to West Lafayette and had a slugfest with Purdue University, which resulted in a 16-10 victory over the Boilermakers.
Last week, the APSU Govs batted .252 as a team while hitting 11 home runs, and seven doubles, while tallying 28 RBI over four games. The Governors currently rank in the top 10 nationally in hits, runs, home runs, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging.
Center fielder John Bay entered the week leading the nation in runs scored, and still holds that place with 67 after playing Purdue. The senior slugger struggled at the plate last week, batting .125 (2-for-16) with a home run. He found himself in a good place at the plate at Purdue on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. He is also just nine home runs away from the all-time home run record at Austin Peay, sitting at 16 in total this year.
APSU outfielder Cameron Nickens batted .133 (2-for-15) over four games last week. Going into the weekend series against EKU, he had a 37-game reached base safely streak. That streak ended in the series finale against the Colonels on Saturday at 39 games. That is the sixth-longest streak in program history, where he tied John McDonald for his streak from the end of the 2021 season into 2022. Nickens came into the week leading the nation with 130 total bases. He has dropped to third with 132 after a 2-for-5 performance at Purdue on Tuesday.
Outfielder Brody Szako batted .286 (4-for-14) last week, with all four hits being for extra bases. He hit three home runs, including his third career grand slam, just after hitting his second career slam in the series finale against North Alabama the weekend prior. He helped the Govs offense at Purdue on Tuesday, going 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.
Infielder Andres Matias batted .267 (4-for-15) last week, with a home run and a pair of RBI. His average dropped below .300 on the season two weekends ago, but he still bats .297 while being productive in his role at the bottom half of the order. It showed at Purdue, where he went 2-for-6 with a three-run homer.
Austin Peay State University first baseman/catcher Gus Freeman was one of the hotter bats at the dish last week, batting .385 (5-for-13) with a homer and two doubles, while tallying three RBI. Freeman currently ranks in the top 10 in 10 offensive ASUN categories.
Infielder Kyler Proctor had a slower week at the plate last week, batting .200 (3-for-15). But, he helped power the Govs over EKU in the series finale, where he hit a solo home run, which helped in the one-run win over the Colonels.
Infielder/designated hitter Cole Johnson batted just .188 (3-for-16) with a home run over four games last week. He turned in a solid performance at Purdue on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 with three RBI, which helped supply some runs in the 16-10 victory.
Catcher Trevor Conley has another great week at the plate, batting .333 (3-for-9). He has completely turned his season around after batting .040 in 25 at-bats into the season. He is hitting .304 coming into the week, and bats .408 in conference play, which ranks fifth in the ASUN.
Facing The Lions
Series History
North Alabama leads the all-time series 32-28 after taking two of three games in their first meetings two weekends ago. The Govs took Game 2 on April 13 by a score of 20-0, and was the same game that Lyndon Glidewell threw his no-hitter.
About the North Alabama Lions
The North Alabama Lions come into the weekend third in the Gold Division standings, five games back from the APSU Govs. They have a 10-8 record in ASUN play, and are 15-23 overall. They are on a two-game conference win streak after losing the series opener to Bellarmine last weekend, and then taking the other two in the series. The Lions fell to Murray State in their midweek on Tuesday by a score of 3-10.
At The Plate
North Alabama comes into the weekend with a .241 batting average, which ranks 10th in the ASUN. The Lions have recorded 85 extra-base hits, including 23 home runs, 60 doubles, and a pair of triples, while tallying 155 RBI over 38 games.
Redshirt freshman infielder Petey Craska has led the Lions’ offense this season, leading in two triple-slash categories. He bats a team-leading .320 on the season with a slugging percentage of .438 and an on-base percentage of .491. One of his two home runs on the season came in Game 1 against the Govs two weekends ago.
On The Mound
North Alabama ranks fourth in the ASUN with a team ERA of 5.35. Over 38 games and 326.1 innings, the Lions have allowed 228 runs, 194 earned, and opponents are batting .258 against their staff, the 10th lowest in the ASUN.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Tripp Patterson leads the North Alabama staff with a 2.95 ERA and a .98 WHIP. Despite the good numbers, he has a losing record with three wins and four losses.
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.
