LEADING OFF

• Austin Peay State University's baseball team continues its five-game home stand when it hosts Bellarmine in a three-game ASUN Conference series on Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park. Due to rain in Friday's forecast, the Govs and Knights open the set with an 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader before playing a 2 p.m. Sunday series finale.
• The current five-game home stand is APSU's longest this season. Between Feb. 24 and March 27, Austin Peay played three home games, four neutral-site games, and 13 road games. The three games at home provided Austin Peay its only home games in a 20-game stretch that began Feb. 24 and at Liberty, March 26.
• 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: Alex Gould (PxP)
RADIO: ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM or via the TuneIn Radio App)
    TALENT: Van Stokes (PxP)
LIVE STATS: PeayStats.com

SERIES HISTORY

THE SERIES: Five previous meetings. APSU leads the series, 4-1.
NOTABLY: Austin Peay and Bellarmine have played a home-and-home series the past two seasons. The Govs won the first three games before Bellarmine claimed a home victory in last season's second game. The APSU-BU series began in 1976 with Austin Peay winning a 4-3 contest in Clarksville, where it is 3-0 against Bellarmine all-time.

CLIMBING THE HILL

• Lyle Miller-Green makes his seventh weekend start while still seeking his first victory. He has allowed 4.8 runs per game in his seven starts while the APSU offense has provided 3.8 runs per game in support – and only 2.0 runs per game over his last five starts.
• Jacob Kush tossed his second quality weekend start of 2023 at Liberty, March 26, holding the Flames to two runs over 6.1 innings. In his three weekend starts, Kush has a 3.00 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched while tossing over 100 pitches in each start.
• Austin Peay has not named a Game 3 starter. The Govs lost Opening Day starter Peyton Jula and opening-weekend Game 2 starter Nick James in back-to-back weekends. Jula has returned from his illness that caused him miss the Oklahoma State weekend while James' return in 2023 is still to be determined after he left a start against Purdue Fort Wayne.

FIRST HACKS

• Utility man Matt Aribal started at second base against Murray State, Tuesday, in his first start since March 19. He was 1-for-3 with a triple and run scored against the Racers.
• Outfielder Nathan Barksdale has started in the last eight games and has reached safely in each one. He is batting .348 (8-23) with two doubles, four RBI, and eight walks. Barksdale went 1-for-3 with a RBI double against MSU.
• Outfielder/first baseman Harrison Brown has started at first base in four of the last five games. He is 3-for-17 with three walks (.300 OBP) and three RBI in those starts.  
• Infielder Jaden Brown extended his hit streak to seven games with a hit in all three games of the Liberty series. He is batting .321 (9-28) during the streak with nine RBI.
• Catcher Trevor Conley went 6-for-9 with two doubles and five RBI in two starts against Murray State. He had APSU's lone multi-hit day against the Racers Tuesday.
• Infielder/catcher Gus Freeman saw action in Games 2 & 3 at Liberty and was 1-for-8 with two runs scored in the series.   
• Infielder Jon Jon Gazdar has a hit  in his last three games. He is batting .468 (6-13) with three doubles and four RBI.
• Outfielder Clayton Gray has a hit in his last three games from the leadoff spot. He had five hits, five runs scored, and three RBI while batting .357 during the stretch.
• Outfielder Garrett Martin hit his 10th home run against Murray State Tuesday – Game 25 of the season. He is one of 35 Division I batters with double-digit home runs entering the weekend. Martin is second among ASUN home run hitters, trailing Jacksonville's Kris Armstrong (16 home runs).
• Designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green is another Governor with a three-game hit streak entering the weekend. He has four hits, two home runs, five RBI, and five runs scored while batting .364 during his streak.
• Infielder Michael Robinson saw action in all three games of the Liberty series, coming on as a late defensive substitute in Game 2 (first base) and Game 3 (shortstop).
• Third baseman Ambren Voitik saw a six-game reached safely streak end against Murray State Tuesday. He had six hits, three walks, and was hit by a pitch twice during the streak.

NEXT UP FOR APSU

Austin Peay's five-game home stand concludes when it hosts UT Martin in a 6 p.m. Tuesday game on Maynard Field at The Hand.