LEADING OFF

• The halfway mark of the ASUN Baseball schedule arrives this weekend when Austin Peay's baseball team hosts Queens University in a three-game conference set. The Govs and Royals get the series underway with a 6 p.m., Friday game on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park. The series continues at 1 p.m., Saturday and noon Sunday.
• APPRECIATIVE GOVS: Austin Peay baseball hosts its annual Military Appreciation Night, Friday, followed by APSU Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day, Saturday. Special promotions are on tap both days and may be found by clicking the promotions link on this page.
• RECENT FORM: Austin Peay split its two midweek games with the road team mounting late comebacks to win each game. The Govs fell to visiting Belmont,  Tuesday, which scored the game's final eight runs to win 12-6. Austin Peay traveled to UT Martin Wednesday and scored the final 10 runs in a 14-9 victory.
• REVAMPED GOVS: Austin Peay revamped its baseball program during the offseason, with head coach Roland Fanning hired in May. His hiring and a new staff sparked a near-complete flip of the Governors' roster. The Govs' 2023 lineup includes 27 transfers – the most of any Division I program – with 17 transfers coming from a previous Division I roster.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

ipTV: ESPN+ / ESPN App
    TALENT (Fri. & Sun.): Ethan Schmidt (PxP)
    TALENT (Saturday): Barry Gresham (PxP), Phil Wood (Analyst)
RADIO: ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM or via the TuneIn Radio App)
    TALENT: Brian Rives (PxP)
LIVE STATS: PeayStats.com

SERIES HISTORY

THE QUEENS SERIES: First-ever meeting.
NOTABLY: Austin Peay and Queens have not met on the baseball diamond prior to this seasons's conference set. Queens moved from Division II to Division I during the summer.

CLIMBING THE HILL

• Jacob Kush has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts, including three quality starts. He owns a 2.48 ERA in 29 innings with 27 strikeouts (8.38 K/9) over the five games and the Govs are 4-0 in that stretch.
• Two-way man Lyle Miller-Green notched his first APSU victory at Kennesaw State last Friday after holding the Owls to three runs over five innings. It was the sixth time in his eight starts he's allowed three or fewer earned runs.

FIRST HACKS

• Utility man Matt Aribal has two starts at second base in the past seven days. He enters this weekend seeking to end a three-game hitless streak dating back to April 1.
• Outfielder Nathan Barksdale saw his streak of 15 consecutive starts snapped against Belmont, Tuesday. He came off the bench at UT Martin and supplied a two-run single in the ninth inning to help break the game open.
• Outfielder John Bay began his return from injury with two appearances as a pinch runner against Bellarmine, April 1-2. They were his first outings since suffering an injury in the season opener, Feb. 17.
• Outfielder/first baseman Harrison Brown extended his ASUN Conference hit streak to six games at Kennesaw State. He leads the Govs with a .415 batting average (14-34) and has 15 RBI (2nd on team) in eight ASUN games.
• Catcher Trevor Conley has pushed his batting average up 89 points since March 11, batting .452 (14-31) over his last 10 games with 11 RBI. That includes a 3-for-5, two-RBI performance in Game 2 of the Kennesaw State series.
• For the third-straight week, catcher Gus Freeman has platooned with Conley behind the plate. He started Game 3 of the Kennesaw State series and Wednesday's midweek outing at UT Martin, earning a walk in both games.
• Infielder Jon Jon Gazdar extended his reached-safely streak to 16 games with a hit in both midweek outings. He has a hit in 11 of his last 12 games and is batting .382 (21-55) with 11 RBI.
• Infielder Conner Gore had six hits in his first two games since his return from injury, April 2 against Bellarmine. He is batting .318 (7-22) with five RBI in five games since his return.
• Outfielder Clayton Gray's batting average is up 89 points in 16 games since March 17. He enters this weekend at a season-best .342 after his first five-hit day as a Governor at UT Martin, Wednesday.
• Outfielder Garrett Martin leads the Govs with five home runs and 20 RBI in ASUN Conference play. He has reached safely in 23 consecutive games since the March 5 Oklahoma State series finale.
• Designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green went 5-for-7 with a double and triple in the Govs' two midweek outings. He is batting .415 (27-65) in his last 15 games, with four home runs and 14 RBI.
• Third baseman Ambren Voitik is batting .378 (14-37) with eight RBI and nine runs scored over his last seven games. The hot stretch has bumped his average up 23 points.

NEXT UP FOR APSU

Austin Peay starts a four-game road trip with a Tuesday nonconference tilt at Southern Illinois. The Govs won the season's previous meeting 14-13 back in the season's fourth game (Feb. 21) as they held off a late Salukis' rally.