BY BRAD KIRTLEY

Sports Information Director

He sits down far away from everyone else.  That really wasn't a problem last week in the spacious Double A baseball park in Jackson at the Ohio Valley Conference tournament

But even at that, he usually he doesn't sit long, perhaps at best a couple of innings.

In fact, during Austin Peay home games, he nervously paces along the third base side, usually hanging out down where the old picnic area was located. At road games he often can be found walking around the visitor's side.

Always present, though, is that bottled water.

"I think he goes through about 12 bottles of water a game," said Austin Peay shortstop Reed Harper laughingly about his father Ralph Harper, who sips the water to perhaps prevent grinding his teeth because, well, dentists aren't supposed to do that. "He does that (sits to himself) at all sporting events-he likes to take it all in, but when we are playing he just gets away from the action and doesn't really talk to anybody-he just enjoys the game."

Ralph Harper has more than a father-son vested interest in the Austin Peay baseball program. Reed is the All-Ohio Valley Conference sophomore shortstop. Oldest son Ryne is the senior closer, who gained both a save and a victory in the OVC tourney to earn all-tournament honors.

Ralph Harper was an All-OVC middle infielder for the Governors in the early 1980s. In fact, he hit better than .330 his final two seasons and drove in 59 runs as a senior. He teamed with LeBon Joye, now a scout in the Atlanta Braves organization, to form one of the best double-play combinations in APSU history. But as soon as his superb college career ended, he passed on a potential professional career, opting for dental school at the University of Memphis.

It is only natural that his two sons are excelling in the sport he loves and starred as a Clarksville youth and later at APSU.  But it wasn't a case of the father pushing his two boys into the sport.

Reed Harper - First-Team All-OVC Shortstop

"We played everything," Ryne said. "When he got off work we were taking ground balls on the driveway, playing around-the-world (basketball shooting competition) or throwing the football. We always would be doing something athletically. He always pushed us to have fun with it."

Now Ralph and wife Karen are watching their two sons play the game and on the same stage in which he excelled-he arranges his dental appointments in the spring to attend as many games possible. 

Before arriving at Austin Peay, Ryne and Reed had plenty of practice in excelling on the big stage and not just as members of the Clarksville High School baseball team-they both were part of the Wildcats basketball team that advanced the Class 3A state title game. In baseball, Ryne was the Wildcats' starting shortstop before taking to the mound. It was Ryne's move to pitching that opened the door for Reed at short.

"I started out as a shortstop but I pitched a little as a sophomore," Ryne said. "But halfway through the (junior) year, we had started slow, so I started pitching and never looked back from there. Coach Mac (Gary McClure) came and watched me. I started getting a lot of interest and thought 'I guess this is what I should do.' I never looked back from there."

As offers came in, there was never any question where Ryne was destined to land.

"There were a lot of schools that I probably could have gone to," Ryne said. "At first all I wanted was to leave Clarksville, but when it came down to me making a decision I really didn't want to leave Clarksville. Austin Peay is here. I always came over here to watch the games. They always had a good team and were used to winning. They also were the first school to offer me as a pitcher."

Ryne Harper continued to play shortstop for the Wildcats when he didn't pitch. When he did pitch a scrawny sophomore, Reed, moved into the lineup. He had a solid, if not the spectacular, career his brother had at Clarksville High. 

Two years after older brother Ryne came to APSU, Reed walked on to the Governors program.

"I wasn't like Ryne," Reed said. "I always knew I wanted to go to Austin Peay. My dad always talked about he enjoyed going to school here, about the great education you can get here-the great science program they have here. I am a chemistry major, pre-dental, following the same path as my dad.

"Any chance I had to play baseball here I was going to take it. I wasn't going to listen to anyone else's (offers). Everything just fell into place. The fact Ryne was here made it to a point where I really didn't want to go anywhere else."     

Ralph Harper owned a 3.98 grade-point average while at Austin Peay. Sons Ryne, once a pre-dental major but now an accounting major, and Reed have not fallen far from the tree. Both have been nominated for Academic All-America-a student-athlete must have a 3.3 grade-point average or better to be nominated. In fact, Reed was named to Capital One Academic All-District second-team this year.

The baseball side of it has not always been easy, especially for Ryne. When he chose Austin Peay in 2007, the Governors were amidst an incredible run to the NCAA tourney that saw them win their first-ever NCAA tournament game. A night after the epic 2-1, 11-inning, pitching duel between the Govs' Shawn Kelley and Vanderbilt's David Price, who became the No. 1 pick in that season's MLB First-Year Player Draft, Ryne signed his letter of intent.

Ryne Harper - OVC All-Tournament Relief Pitcher

With his 6-4 size, many envisioned Ryne Harper as the next Kelley (who is currently a middle reliever with the Seattle Mariners). Like Kelley on the college stage, Harper's high school career ended with him losing a 1-0 extra-inning pitching duel against Sonny Gray, the now-Vanderbilt star and predicted Top-10 pick in this year's major league draft, next week.

However, from the outset Ryne Harper's career was plagued by injury. He battled elbow and arm issues both his freshman and junior seasons-his 2010 elbow problem limited him to just 33.3 innings. Even during his "healthy" 2009 sophomore season, he sustained an oblique strain, but posted a 4-3 record with a 4.12 ERA. Ryne's struggles almost paralleled those of the Governors, who didn't even qualify for either the 2009 and 2010 OVC tournaments.

After opening the 2011 season as a starter, he quickly was converted into the closer role. He finally found his niche, a role he could sink his teeth in, to the tune of a 6-2 record, eight saves and 54 strikeouts in 44.1 innings. He recorded both a save (against Tennessee Tech in Game 1) and a relief victory (Jacksonville State in Game 2) of the OVC tournament.

"I love being a relief pitcher," Ryne said. "I love being in there with the game on the line. Everything just fell into place.  It's just been an awesome year.  This year found the program back where we want it to be and I love the role I'm in."

Even though Reed Harper was a walk-on, he started all 53 games as a freshman, the first 13 at third base before being moved home to shortstop. He displayed glimpses defensively as freshman, but the offense was another story-he hit a pedestrian .246.

This season has seen Reed start all 55 games at shortstop, making it 108 straight starts in his two-year career. His defense was flawless in the OVC tournament, with him fielding the championship game-ending groundball that sent the Governors to Atlanta for the regional.

After a sluggish start offensively in 2011, Reed emerged as not only as one of the Governors' most productive hitters, but the OVC's as well. Earlier in the season he could've been found at the bottom of the batting order or just as easily the top. But as he continued to swing the bat with authority, he was able to fill a cavity in the middle of the Govs' order. He entered the tournament with a .332 batting average with 23 extra-base hits and 43 RBI.

From April 2 to May 20 Reed was able to carve out an impressive 29-game hitting streak, the third longest in APSU history. During the months of April and May combined, he hit an impressive .389 with 34 RBI.

The Season's Defining Moment

After splitting the first two games of the mid-April series with preseason favorite Jacksonville State, the Governors entered Sunday's final game with a 6-4 OVC record and just 16-18 overall.

The intense battle came down to the final two innings. With a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth, JSU recorded back-to-back two-out hits. With the game on the line, head coach Gary McClure summoned Ryne Harper from the bullpen. And that's just how his brother wants it.

"I know when Ryne is on the mound I am more confident than with anybody else," Reed said without blinking. "We wouldn't prefer to have anyone else out there in a pressure situation to get things done. It's always been like that."

For the Harpers, this game is bigger than the rest. Never before has an Austin Peay team won an OVC series at Jacksonville State. 

With runners on first and second, Ryne faces the eight-hole hitter Andre Bishop. His first pitch is a biting slider that misses away. He comes right back with a fastball on the handle which Bishop grounds to second, ending the inning.

When the Gamecocks counter with eventual first-team All-OVC closer Todd Hornsby, the Govs come alive with the bats. A one-out single by freshman Jordan Hankins gives way to a hard double Reed. He later scores the second of a five-run inning, setting the stage for Ryne to earn the win after 1-2-3 ninth inning.

"Ryne is a completely different person off the field than when he is playing," Reed said. "He's probably the most easy-going guy on our team until he steps on the mound. But once he steps on the mound he's the most intense-you can't talk to him. I have to call time and go all the way up the mound to even get his attention."

That passion, that sole focus serves him well as a closer.

Reed, meanwhile, appears unflappable in almost all situations.

"He's a big smart alec, both of us are, but Reed more so," Ryne said.

"I'm easy going," Reed said. "It's hard to get me completely intense, but I am in the batter's box."

That personality also serves him well in the up-and-down world of an every-day player, where succeeding just one third of your plate appearances is considered successful.

But if Reed commits an error with Ryne pitching, there are no daggers firing from the pitcher's eyes toward his brother. If Ryne allows an inherited runner to score, Reed doesn't drop his head or kick at the dirt in frustration.

"We don't really have to say anything to each other," Reed said. "We're pulling for each other more than anyone. I know if I boot a ball, he's up there trying to cover up for it and he's going to try and strike out the next guy. I know I feel terrible and want the next ball hit to me. We don't ever get mad at each other, at least on the baseball field that is."

"If one of us messes up the other tries to pick up the other one," Ryne said. "There's no need to get mad."

The Culmination

Ralph Harper taught both his sons the fundamentals of baseball and basketball as they were growing up. He also coached them as they vaulted through the respective youth leagues in Clarksville. But once they reached the high school level, he stepped aside, refusing to be that interfering parent who lived vicariously through his sons' success.

"It was like when we got to high school, dad handed us off in both baseball and basketball," Ryne said. "He was hands-on early."

"When I've tried to talk to him about hitting," Reed said, "he'll say 'you'll figure it out. There's nothing I can tell you that you don't already know.' He probably hasn't gone over at bats with me since before high school."

(L-R) Reed, Ralph and Ryne Harper

If someone compliments Ryne or Reed to him, Ralph Harper is always gracious in accepting such praise, but immediately deflects any credit to him to his sons' hard work, their respective teammates or the coaches. Ralph enjoyed his playing days but now he relishes watching his sons and their teammates play...from a distance.

But even Ralph couldn't keep his distance last Saturday. All the Governors' shortcomings of the previous two seasons were swept away with APSU's fourth OVC tournament championship. After the traditional OVC post-tourney awards ceremony, family and friends stormed the field to celebrate with their Governors.

This time it wasn't like pulling teeth to get Ralph Harper close to the action. He finally came down onto the field to congratulate his sons and their teammates. During the ensuing hugs and handshakes, the OVC championship trophy was passed to the Harper brothers for a picture. They looked at each other and immediately handed it to their dad, with Reed positioning himself his right and Ryne to the left, both sporting their 2011 OVC Baseball Championship t-shirts along with grins that would make any dentist proud.

Only this time, the biggest smile belonged to the prideful dentist.