CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Austin Peay State University's baseball team announced, Wednesday, that Reed Harper, of Clarksville, has committed to attend the university for the 2009-10 academic year and join the team for its 2010 campaign.

Harper, a 6-1, 170-pound infielder, is in his senior year at Clarksville High School. As a junior, Harper batted .411 with 20 RBI and 11 doubles for the Wildcats. He was named first-team all-district and was selected to The Leaf Chronicle's All-Area squad. During the summer, Harper played for the Clarksville Orioles and compiled a .390 batting average with seven home runs, 24 doubles and 55 RBI. He also has strong ties to the Govs program ? his father, Ralph, who is a 1981 alumnus and played four seasons and his brother, Ryne, currently is a sophomore pitcher. A two-sport athlete, Harper also was an all-district and all-area selection in basketball.

“We are excited Reed will be joining our program next season,” said Govs head coach Gary McClure. “Reed had an excellent summer with the Clarksville Orioles and attracted a lot of attention from different schools. We believe Reed is the best player in the city and the type of athlete we need in our program for us to have continued success. Reed has solid baseball tools and is a player that we feel can play all the infield positions. The most exciting thing to us is his baseball instincts. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and finds ways to get the barrel of the bat on the ball. With physical maturity we feel Reed can be a very good player for us in the future.

2010 Austin Peay Baseball Incoming Class

• Alex Belew, 6-2, 190-pound, left-handed pitcher, O'Fallon, Mo. (Ft. Zumwalt West HS)
• Eric Davis, 6-2, 195-pound, right-handed pitcher, Pontiac, Ill. (Rend Lake College)
• Reed Harper, 6-1, 170-pound, infielder, Clarksville, Tenn. (Clarksville HS)
• John Hogan, 6-0, 200-pound, first baseman, Imperial, Mo. (Vianney HS)
• Cody Hudson, 5-11, 175-pound, outfielder, Germantown, Tenn. (Houston HS)
• Matt Marsh, 6-3, 185-pound, right-handed pitcher, Clinton, Tenn. (Clinton HS)