SCHEDULE UPDATE

The start of the Austin Peay State University baseball team's four-game road trip has been postponed by one day. The Governors game at Murray State is now a 1 p.m., Wednesday game at Johnny Reagan Field due to rain in the forecast Tuesday. The game will be broadcast in the Clarksville area on ESPN Clarksville 104.1 FM.

LEADING OFF

• Austin Peay State University's baseball team returns to the road to begin a four-game road trip when it meets familiar foe Murray State. The Govs and Racers square off in their 218th all-time meeting with a 2 p.m., Tuesday affair at Reagan Field in Murray, Kentucky.
• The Governors brief return home was a success as they won their first-ever ASUN Conference series against North Florida, 2-1. The three-game stretch provided Austin Peay its only home games in a 20-game stretch that began Feb. 24 and ends March 26. The next time APSU faces Murray State it will be to start a five-game homestand – its longest of the season.
• 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

RADIO: ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM or via the TuneIn Radio App)
    TALENT: Van Stokes (PxP) and Cody Bush (analyst)
LIVE STATS: PeayStats.com

SERIES HISTORY

The Series: 217 Previous Meetings, MSU leads, 110-107.
Last Season: APSU won the weekend series, 2-1, in Clarksville.
Notably: The Govs-Racers series is the longest in the Austin Peay record book at 217 games… Austin Peay won the last weekend series between the teams in 2021, 2-1… Austin Peay holds a 11-10 edge since 2017, but Murray State has won five of the nine meetings in Murray since 2017.

CLIMBING THE HILL

• Paul Rector gets the nod to start Tuesday's game in what will be his first start this season. He has made eight relief appearances this season, including a two-inning outing Friday against North Florida. He allowed one run on two hits in those two innings. Rector struck out a season-high three batters in his Governors debut against Illinois State, Feb. 18..

FIRST HACKS

• Utility man Matt Aribal went 2-for-4 in Sunday's series finale against North Florida, his first action since March 11. He improved to 6-for-12 at The Hand this season.
• Outfielder Nathan Barksdale made a splash in his starting debut against North Florida. He ended the weekend with a hit in all three games of the series and led the Govs with a 5-for-8, four-RBI weekend. Barksdale also had the game-winning hit in both the Govs victories in the series.
• Outfielder Harrison Brown saw his five-game RBI streak end with Tuesday's outing at Western Kentucky. He has seven hits and five RBI in his last six games played. Brown had the game-winning RBI in both halves of the Govs' March 10 doubleheader sweep against Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Infielder Jaden Brown has a hit in seven of his last eight games. He is batting .286 (10-35) with seven RBI over his last eight games played. During the stretch, Brown has two-hit outings against Oklahoma State, Purdue Fort Wayne, and North Florida.
• Catcher Trevor Conley also has a hit in six of his last seven games. He is batting .360 (9-25) with five RBI over his last seven games. He was responsible for both RBI in the Govs loss at Western Kentucky, March 14.
• Infielder/catcher Gus Freeman went 2-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases, an RBI, and a runs cored in Game 2 of the North Florida Series. It was his first multi-hit outing as a Governor.  
• Infielder Jon Jon Gazdar closed the North Florida series with back-to-back 1-for-4 outings and started at both second base and shortstop during the weekend set..
• Outfielder Clayton Gray bounced back from an 0-for-5 start against North Florida to go 3-for-7 (.429) and reached base in five of his final nine plate appearances in the set.
• Outfielder Garrett Martin extended his reached safely streak to nine games against North Florida. He was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, and two RBI in Game 2 of the series.
• Designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green opened the UNF series with back-to-back two-hit outings, including a pair of doubles in Game 2 of the set. He finished the weekend 4-for-11 (.364) at the plate.
• Infielder Michael Robinson returned to action against Purdue Fort Wayne and has a hit in five of his eight games since his return. He had a hit in each of the Govs' wins against North Florida and scored three runs.
• Third baseman Ambren Voitik closed the UNF series with a hit, walk, and run scored in Games 2 and 3..

NEXT UP FOR APSU

Austin Peay makes its first ASUN Conference road trip Friday-Saturday at Liberty in Lynchburg, Virginia. It will be the Govs first-ever meeting against the Flames, who have appeared in each of the last three NCAA Baseball tournaments.