CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The schedule for the 40th season of Austin Peay State University softball has been announced by seventh-year head coach Kassie Stanfill. The 53-game slate is highlighted by 24 home games and the return of both the Governors Classic and Cathi Maynard Invitational.

The winningest head coach in program history with 151 wins at the helm, Stanfill and the Governors open the season at the five-game Heart of Georgia Classic (Feb. 7-9), hosted by Mercer.

The Governors' season kicks off with a Feb. 7 doubleheader against Florida A&M and St. Joseph's. They then face face Mercer and St. Joseph's the following day before concluding the three-day event against Florida A&M (Feb. 9).

A week after opening the season in Macon, Georgia, Austin Peay treks to the Lone Star State for Tarleton State's Whataburger Invitational (Feb. 14-16), where they face a pair of first-time opponents in Tarleton State and Houston Christian.

The Govs open the tournament with a doubleheader against South Dakota State and the Texans (Feb. 14), before taking on the Huskies and Akron the following day. The five-game tournament concludes the same way it started, with APSU facing the Jackrabbits. 

The final road, nonconference tournament of the season takes the Governors to Greenville, South Carolina for the Furman Classic (Feb. 21-23).

The Govs open the tournament against Holy Cross and Furman (Feb. 21) and take on Northern Iowa and longtime rival Morehead State (Feb. 22) before concluding the tournament against the Panthers the following day. 

The home opener and first of four midweeks await the Govs following Furman's tournament, where Austin Peay hosts Middle Tennessee (Feb. 26) for the 59th time in program history. The contest against the Blue Raiders begins a 12-game, 11-day homestand. 

Austin Peay welcomes Morehead State, Florida Atlantic, and Northern Kentucky for the fourth-annual Governors Classic (Feb. 28 – March 2).

After opening the three-day, five-game tournament against Northern Kentucky, the Govs host Morehead State for the second time during the 2025 campaign in the back half of a doubleheader. They then conclude the tournament with a doubleheader against Florida Atlantic and Morehead State (March 1) and a single, Sunday afternoon game against the Norse (March 2).

Following a midweek against rival Murray State (March 5), the Govs host UMass Lowell, Bucknell, and Appalachian State in the second-annual Cathi Maynard Invitational (March 7-9). 

The Govs host the Mountaineers and River Hawks for an opening-day doubleheader, which is followed by a doubleheader against Bucknell and against UMass Lowell. The tournament and APSU's nonconference slate wraps up against Appalachian State (March 9).

For the 2025 slate, the Atlantic Sun Conference is divided into two divisions: Gold and Graphite. Teams only play members within their respective division during the regular-season slate. Austin Peay, Bellarmine, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Lipscomb, and North Alabama reside in the Gold Division, while Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, North Florida, Queens, Stetson, and league newcomer West Georgia are in the Graphite Division. 

APSU opens ASUN action with a trio of contests in the Bluegrass State against Bellarmine (March 14-16) and remains north for a midweek against Southern Indiana (March 19) in Evansville, Indiana.

After a home series against Lipscomb (March 22-23), APSU travels to Conway, Arkansas (March 28-30) to face the Bears before beginning its longest homestand of the conference season.

The Govs then host Bellarmine (April 4-6) and North Alabama (April 12-13) for a trio of games to conclude the first half of ASUN play.

A trip to Richmond, Kentucky is next on the docket for the Govs, who face Eastern Kentucky (April 18-19) in their penultimate road series of the regular season, and then travel to Cookeville, Tennessee, for their final midweek against Tennessee Tech (April 23).

Austin Peay then hosts Central Arkansas (April 25-27) in its final home series, before concluding the regular season at Lipscomb (May 1-2).

For the second-straight season, the ASUN Softball Championship (May 6-10) will be hosted at Choccolocco Park in Oxford Alabama.

All Austin Peay home games, including select road games, will be broadcasted live on ESPN+. Game times for the entire 2025 softball season are found on the schedule pages linked to this release.

Schedule Notes

• All-Time Against the Slate: Austin Peay is 202-348-1 all-time against its 2025 slate. Its most meetings against a single opponent are 105 against Tennessee Tech, and its most wins are 46 against Morehead State.
• Coach K Against the Schedule: Seventh-year head coach Kassie Stanfill is 48-31 all-time against the 2025 schedule. Her most wins and highest winning percentage against a team she has played at least five times are against Tennessee Tech, who she is 7-1 (.875) all-time against.
• First-Time Foes: Austin Peay will play three first-time opponents in 2025 in Tarleton State, Houston Christian, and Florida Atlantic.
• Travel Facts: The Governors will play in seven different stats – Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, and Arkansas – and will log approximately 5,075 travel miles across their 29 road games.
• Reloaded Roster: Ten of APSU's 22 student-athletes are newcomers this season. Five are transfers – Sam Leski (FGCU), Kayleigh Roper (FGCU), Katie Raper (North Carolina State), Sammie Shelander (Abilene Christian), Maddy Connolly Hojas (Central Arkansas) – while the other five all are true freshmen.
• New Look Support Staff: While the coaching staff remains the same as 2024, Stanfill made three additions to her support staff over the offseason. Former Govs' shortstop Gabi Apiag now is the player development coach, Averie Smith transitions from manager to director of softball operations, and Vanessa Miller joins as a graduate assistant after playing career at Louisville.

Tickets, Please

Season and single-game tickets for the 2025 slate will be announced at a later date.

Follow Team 40 on Social

For news and updates throughout the 2024 softball season, follow the Governors on X and Instagram (@GovsSB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com for stories and schedule updates.