Austin Peay State University's baseball team brings a five-game road trip to a close when it heads north for a 6 p.m., Tuesday contest against Southern Illinois at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

Austin Peay has split the first four games of the road trip, but won a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series last weekend at Eastern Kentucky. The Govs have won six of their last nine games thanks to a revitalized offense that has batted .312 over those nine games and averaged 8.4 runs per game. Center fielder Garrett Spain has led the offensive push, batting .405 during a 10-game hit streak with a .833 slugging percentage (4 doubles, a triple, 4 home runs) and 13 RBI.

Southern Illinois (20-6) opened the season with 19 wins in their first 20 games but has lost five of their last six, including the loss of a four-game Missouri Valley Conference series, 1-3, against Illinois State last weekend. Left fielder J.T. Weber had a monstrous outing, Sunday, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and a program-record tying eight RBI. Weber leads the Salukis with 10 home runs and 30 RBI this season while center fielder Tristan Peters is the team's batting leader with a .423 average.

INSIDE THE SERIES

The Series: 44 previous meetings, SIU leads 26-18
Previously: SIU won the 2020 meeting, 4-1, in Clarksville.
Notably: SIU has won four of the last five meetings in the series, APSU only breaking up the streak with a 2019 victory in Clarksville. The Govs won five consecutive games in the series from 2015-17. Southern Illinois has won 17 of the 26 meetings played in Carbondale.

FIRST HACKS

• Austin Peay has recorded four of its five of its six double-digit hit outings this season in its last nine games. 44 of APSU's 66 extra base hits (.512 SLG) have come during the last nine games, including 13 of its 20 home runs.
• Catcher Jack Alexander had a five-game hit streak (.434, 10-23) halted in the Belmont finale, March 27.
• Third baseman Gino Avros is batting .354 (17-48) in 12 games since March 15, including a record-tying six-hit outing at Southeast Missouri, March 20.
• Utility man John Bolton has been a late defensive substitute in his last three games, provided a double and scoring a run at Eastern Kentucky, Saturday.
• Designated hitter Ty DeLancey hit two home runs during the EKU series, batting .313 with five RBI in the three-game set.
• Outfielder TJ Foreman has reached safely in seven-straight games and is batting .450 (9-20) with a .545 on-base percentage during the streak.
• Outfielder Knaje Guthrie has started the Govs' last 10 games in left field after making his collegiate debut off the bench at Southeast Missouri, March 19.
• Shortstop Bobby Head led the Govs with a .500 batting average (7-14) with two doubles during the Eastern Kentucky series, last weekend.
• Designated hitter Matt Joslin has come off the bench in his last six appearances and is 2-for-6 with four RBI at the plate.
• Utility man Skyler Luna has started at second base in Game 2 of the Eastern Kentucky series, Saturday, and went 1-for-4 at the plate. It was his first start since March 19.
• First baseman John McDonald has a hit in six of his last nine games, with three multi-hit games. He is batting .273(9-33) with four RBI and seven runs scored over those nine games.
• Center fielder Garrett Spain has hit four of his six home runs since March 27 (five games played) and has two four RBI outings in his last six games.
• Second baseman Malcolm Tipler opened the Eastern Kentucky series, April 2, with a 1-for-3, three RBI outing that included three walks and three runs scored.
• Outfielder Jeremy Wagner came off the bench twice at Eastern Kentucky and had a hit in each appearance, going 2-for-4 in the series.