CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's baseball team was tabbed as having the No. 1 junior college recruiting class in the nation, the organization announced Wednesday.
Head coach Roland Fanning added 10 student-athletes to his 2026 signing class this fall, all of whom have experience at the junior college level. Five of which come in as field players, and the remaining five as pitchers.
Devin Wassmann was the first player in the 2026 signing class to become a Governor. He comes from State Fair Community College, where he batted .292 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI over 45 games his freshman year. The Roadrunner outfielder also stole six bases and scored 35 times, while also showcasing his dual power and speed threat slugging .635.
Hayden Bates followed after Wassmann, being second in the class to sign. The infielder comes from John A. Logan College, where he was very hard to get out at the plate his freshman season. Bates batted a scorching .370 with seven home runs and 27 RBI over 42 games.
Clayton Moore, a right-handed pitcher coming from Seminole State College (Okla.), had 11 appearances on the mound. He started nine of those and dealt for 40.2 innings. Moore commanded the strike zone well, walking just nine batters while striking out 22. He posted a 5-2 record as a freshman in 2025.
Augden Hallmark comes from Midland Junior College after posting a 4-1 freshman season with a pair of saves over 28.2 innings in 14 relief appearances. He was dominant in the strike zone, retiring 35 on strikes and walking 12 batters. He allowed 12 earned runs to score on 25 hits for a 3.77 ERA.
Lucas Weaver, a right-handed pitcher coming from Cowley County Community College and brother of APSU alumnus Jacob Weaver, made 18 relief appearances in his first season as a Tiger. He pitched to a 3.22 ERA over 22.1 innings of work, where he allowed just eight earned runs to score, while striking out 21 and walking eight batters.
Tayte Dome was a versatile arm in his first season at Murray State College, where he made 11 starts in 17 appearances on the mound. He had one complete game under his belt and a 4-3 record as a freshman. In his 55.1 innings of work, Dome struck out 85 batters and held batters to a .262 batting average.
Lucas Bixby, a southpaw coming from Lake Land College (Ill.), started 17 games on the mound in his 18 appearances and pitched to a 6-3 record in his first season. He allowed just 22 earned runs to score over 78.1 innings of work for a 2.53 ERA. Bixby struck out 85 batters and walked just 27.
Dominick Kooistra, a utility player in the infield and outfield, comes from Heartland Community College. He began his career at Triton College, where he batted .280 with nine doubles and 15 RBI. He also had a .370 slugging percentage and a .450 on-base percentage. He started all 35 games he played in for the 2024 season.
Dax McCaskill is an outfielder who comes from Cowley County Community College, joining Weaver in the 2026 signing class. In his freshman season, McCaskill batted .369 with a .722 slugging percentage, after hitting 15 home runs, 13 doubles, and four triples. The freshman tallied 69 hits on the season, with 32 of them going for extra bases.
The last to sign in the fall was Joék Rivera-Colon. A .379 batter who hit eight home runs and tallied 29 RBI in his first season. The speedy infielder slugged .671 while also swiping a team-leading 25 bags – 10 more than the next player on the roster.
Both Bixby and McCaskill rank inside the top 10 by Pro Baseball Radar, with both leading their team in multiple categories, while also ranking inside the top five regionally. Bixby is the No. 7 top returning juco pitcher by PBR, and McCaskill is also ranked the No. 7 hitter returning to junior college for the 2026 season.
The JBB's Top Five
- Austin Peay
- Kansas
- Western Kentucky
- Dallas Baptist
- Purdue
"It's a great day to be a Gov!" said coach Fanning. "To be ranked as the No. 1 recruiting junior college class is an honor. It is a testament to our staff's hard work, led by our Recruiting Coordinator Nolan Fanning, Associate Head Coach Jon Littell, Associate Head Coach Keirce Kimbel, Director of Pitching Performance John Bakke, and the Director of Baseball Operations/Chief of Staff herself, Ellie Wiggins. We have a great team! From our graduate assistants, compliance officer, academic coordinator, administration, and the city of Clarksville, it takes everyone to help get this type of recognition and talent! I also want to say thank you to the players who chose to come to Austin Peay and believing in the house. Let's go Peay!"
