LEADING OFF

• Austin Peay heads south for its second ASUN Conference road series when it meets Kennesaw State in a three-game set, Thursday-Saturday, at Stillwell Baseball Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.
• The Governors hit the road after their most offensively prolific two-game span in program history. Austin Peay used a 14-run sixth inning to down Bellarmine, 25-4, Sunday. APSU then rallied from an 11-run deficit, overcame a late two-run deficit, and downed UT Martin in a walk-off 18-17 victory Tuesday. The 43 runs in consecutive games broke a program record of 42 runs in back-to-back games set in 2002 and matched during the 2019 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

ipTV: KSUOwls.com/Watch
RADIO: ESPN Clarksville (104.1 FM or via the TuneIn Radio App)
    TALENT: Van Stokes (PxP)
LIVE STATS: PeayStats.com

SERIES HISTORY

THE SERIES: First-ever meetings.
NOTABLY: Austin Peay makes its first visit to Georgia since a 2016 nonconference series at Mercer. The Governors have played 27 games in Georgia since 1974 and have an 11-15-1 record in the state. That record includes the Govs 2011 trip to the NCAA Atlanta Regional hosted by Georgia Tech where they stunned host Georgia Tech in the first round before dropping decisions to Mississippi State and Georgia Tech.

CLIMBING THE HILL

• Jacob Kush makes the move into the No. 1 spot this weekend. He enters the weekend after tossing his third quality start in his last four outings. Kush has allowed two runs in each of those four starts, posting a 2.63 ERA in 24 innings with 22 strikeouts (8.25 K/9).
• The Govs have not announced their starting pitchers for the remaining two games, with rain forecast throughout the series. Two-way man Lyle Miller-Green, who has started each of the first seven weekends, is expected to see action after allowing three or fewer earned runs in five of his seven starts.

FIRST HACKS

• Utility man Matt Aribal made three-straight starts at second base last week before coming off the bench in the Bellarmine series finale and against UT Martin. He had a hit against Murray State and in the Bellarmine opener.
• Outfielder Nathan Barksdale has started in the last 12 games and has reached safely in all 12. He is batting .333 (11-33) with three doubles, nine RBI, and nine walks. He posted his first career four-RBI outing against Bellarmine Sunday.
• Outfielder John Bay began his return from injury with two appearances as a pinch runner against Bellarmine. They were his first outings since suffering an injury in the season opener, Feb. 17.
• Outfielder/first baseman Harrison Brown led the Govs with a .615 batting average (8-13) against Bellarmine, with three doubles and a home run. He skewered the Knights for seven RBI in the finale, becoming the 13th Governors hitter since 1996 to post at least seven RBI in a game.
• Catcher Trevor Conley brings a three-game hit streak into this week's action. He is batting .444 (4-9)  with a double, two RBI, and two walks during the streak. He has nine RBI in seven games played since March 14.
• For the second straight week, infielder/catcher Gus Freeman saw action in Games 2 & 3 of the weekend series. He had a sac fly in Game 2 and was 1-for-2 in Game 3 of the Bellarmine series.
• Infielder Jon Jon Gazdar extended his hit streak to seven games against UT Martin. He is batting .483 (14-29) with seven doubles and seven RBI during the streak. Gazdar had three doubles against the Skyhawks Tuesday.
• Infielder Conner Gore returned from injury in Sunday's finale against Bellarmine. He has six hits in his first two games since his return, including a walk-off single in Tuesday's win against UT Martin.
• Outfielder Clayton Gray also extended his hit streak to seven games against UT Martin. He has a .412 (14-34) batting average during his streak, with four doubles. Gray has five RBI in his last two games.
• Outfielder Garrett Martin is batting .458 (14-29) with three doubles, five home runs, and 16 RBI in his last seven games. He has reached safely in 18 consecutive games since the Oklahoma State series finale.
• Designated hitter Lyle Miller-Green notched his first four-hit game against Bellarmine Sunday, followed by his first six RBI outing against UT Martin Tuesday. He is batting .400 (12-30) during his seven-game streak, with four home runs and 13 RBI.
• Infielder Michael Robinson appeared as a pinch hitter in Sunday's series finale against Bellarmine and notched an RBI single during the sixth inning.  
• Third baseman Ambren Voitik hit his first home run as a Governor in Sunday's finale and finished the day with his first three-hit outing, going 3-for-4 with four runs scored. He has an RBI in each of his last four games..

NEXT UP FOR APSU

Following the Easter holiday, Austin Peay takes on its only double-midweek set of 2023. First, the Govs host former conference foe Belmont in a 6 p.m. Tuesday contest in Clarksville. APSU heads west to finish its home-and-home set against UT Martin with a 6 p.m. Wednesday match in Martin, Tennessee.