Murfreesboro, Tennessee – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) baseball team will travel to I-24 on Tuesday to take on in-state foe Middle Tennessee in a contest at Reese Smith Jr. Field starting at 6 p.m. A four-game road trip begins with a trip down the road.
This is the first game of a home-and-home pairing between the Governors and Blue Raiders, with Middle Tennessee traveling to Clarksville next Tuesday.
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Austin Peay State returned to action with a 2-1 win over league co-leader Jacksonville in the Atlantic Sun Conference series. The APSU Governors also won a midweek game at Belmont last week, ending a four-game losing streak in midweek dating back to a Feb. 26 win over Gonzaga.
Middle Tennessee dropped the Conference USA series against New Mexico State 2-1 last weekend to begin its current five-game homestand. MT lost 14-1 in its final midweek game against Vanderbilt last Tuesday. The Blue Raiders have lost four straight in midweek since a March 5 win over Southeast Missouri.
Standing on the mound of APSU Government
Right-hander Luke Roland made his third consecutive start in midweek against the Blue Raiders. He pitched 6.2 innings in his past two starts, allowing four runs in both. Prior to his April 2nd appearance in Evansville, he had made eight relief appearances for the Governors.
first hack
After going hitless in back-to-back games for the first time this season, Austin Peay State University center fielder Jon Bey is currently hitting .522 (12-23) with a seven-game hit streak and an on-base percentage. It is also .522. 656 clips.
First baseman/outfielder Harrison Brown started this week with a six-game hitting streak. He batted .476 (10-21) with four home runs, six RBIs, and 11 runs scored during the streak.
APSU utility man Jayden Brown enters this week with an 11-game hitting streak and 20 consecutive safe starts. He has a batting average of .415 (17 wins, 41 losses), 10 RBIs, and eight runs scored on consecutive hits.
Catcher Keaton Cottam made his sixth start of the season at Belmont last Tuesday. He picked up his sixth hit as a starter with an RBI single, a walk, and a stolen base.
Catcher Gus Freeman hit two doubles against Jacksonville, his second double of the season (Queens, March 22). He is batting .368 (7-19) with five RBIs and seven RBIs in six games in April.
Austin Peay State University shortstop John John Gazdar has had two hits in six consecutive games. He is batting .462 (12-26) with six RBIs and eight RBIs in six consecutive games. He has recorded multiple hits in 20 games this season, the most on the team.
Infielder Connor Gore will start at five different positions in 2024 (1B, 2B, 3B, RF, DH). He recorded his first home run of the season on April 7 against Bellarmine, going 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs.
APSU right fielder Clayton Gray enters this week on a 13-game hitting streak. During the streak, he batted .460 (29 hits in 63 at bats) with 23 RBIs and six home runs, including a grand slam in Game 2 of the Kennesaw State series.
Lyle Miller-Green, the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year, had hits in all four games last week, batting .421 (8-19), two doubles, two home runs (both at Belmont), He had 4 RBIs and scored 6 points.
Infielder Justin Olson went 5-for-9 in two games against Jacksonville last weekend, including a bunt single on Saturday. He has six hits in his last three games, batting .462 with two runs batted in and two runs batted in.
Infielder Ambren Vojtik led the APSU Govs with a batting average of .615 (8-13), two doubles, two home runs and six runs scored in last weekend's game against Jacksonville. Since March 22, he is batting .419 (26-62) with 22 RBIs and 19 RBIs.
Infielders Andres Matias and Mateo Hernandez and outfielder Nathan Barksdale were part of the APSU Governors' “Hands Team” and entered the game defensively late in the game when the Governors were leading.
Government top notes and celebrities
Home run record down
In just the 35th game of 2024, Austin Peay State broke the program's single-season home run record. Second baseman Ambren Wojtik's three-run home run in the sixth inning of the final game of the Jacksonville series on April 14 was the APSU Govs' 85th home run of the season. This broke the team's program record of 84 home runs, set in 2017.
With 20 games left in the regular season, the APSU Governors have their eyes set on the 100 home run mark. His current NCAA record at BBCOR bat standard (introduced in 2011) is his 158 home runs, set by Tennessee during his 66 games of the 2022 season.
Lyle Miller-Green joins Golden Spike Watchlist
USA Baseball on Thursday named Austin Peay State University two-way player Lyle Miller-Green to its Midseason Watch List for the Golden Spikes Award. One of baseball's most prestigious awards, the Golden Spikes Award recognizes the nation's best amateur baseball players.
Entering this week's game, Miller-Greene had 18 home runs, second most among Division I hitters and seven away from breaking the program's single-season record. He also ranks third nationally in runs scored (51), fifth in slugging percentage (.880) and ninth in RBIs (47).
5 APSU Governors Named on D1Baseball.com List
Last week, D1Baseball.com released its first Position Power Rankings update since the preseason, with five Governors named among the best players at their respective positions. Lyle Miller-Green leads the Gavs at No. 10 in the outfield rankings, with John John Gazder close behind at No. 15 at shortstop.
Ambren Vojtik's consistent play has put him 36th in the second base rankings, and John Bay's strong start has put him 51st in the outfield rankings. Andrew Devine also entered this week as one of ASUN's top pitchers, joining the rankings at No. 69.
Authenticated
Stay up to date on Austin Peay State University baseball at the official APSU Athletics website (www.LetsGoPeay.com). Follow @GovsBSB on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for the latest Governors Baseball news and ticket information.
