CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University's baseball team hosts the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in its first Tropical Tuesday game of 2025 starting at 6 p.m., Tuesday, at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.

Leading Off

The Governors return to the field after winning their second straight ASUN series with a sweep over Central Arkansas last week. It was Austin Peay's first three-game sweep on the road since winning its weekend series at UT Martin in 2022. With its sweep over the Bears, the Governors still lead the ASUN standings one game ahead of the second-place North Alabama Lions, who is 4-2 in conference play.

Governors Bullpen

The Governors as a team last weekend had a combined 6.33 ERA while striking out 27 batters. Strong performances on the hill from Cody Airington, Gavin Braunecker, Kade Shatwell, and Lyndon Glidewell limited the amount of arms used in the pen over the weekend.

• Kade Shatwell appeared twice last week, throwing 2.2 innings and picking up two saves in those two opportunities. He did not allow a single run to score and struck out four batters. His big moment of the week was his appearance in the UCA series finale, getting out of a bases-loaded jam with an out in the inning. He struck out a batter and then retired the next batter on a soft fly out on the infield to escape the inning without damage.
• Cody Airington threw 6.2 innings against Central Arkansas, where he struck out a career-best eight batters. Airington ranks second on the Govs lineup in ERA with a 4.05 ERA.
• Gavin Braunecker matched a career-best 5.1 innings of relief work at UCA, striking out three batters and picking up the win. Braunecker leads the Govs in wins and is at the top of the ASUN rankings with a 4-0 record.
• Lyndon Glidewell has had three straight appearances, throwing five innings or more. In his most recent outing at Central Arkansas, he threw a career-high 7.1 innings in the win while also matching his career-high with four strikeouts. He leads the Govs staff with a 4.02 ERA on the season.

First Hacks

The Governors have won their last five games, including a pair of run-rule victories against Tennessee Tech and Southern Indiana, and have scored 57 runs on 67 hits in that span. 13 of those hits have been home runs, and 27 have been for extra bases. Last weekend against Central Arkansas, the Govs batted .336 and slugged .514 with a .430 on-base percentage.

• Center fielder John Bay is batting .347 on the season after a solid week at the plate last week. Bay was named the ASUN Player of the Week following a .450 (9-for-20) performance over five games last week. He hit three home runs and a double in that span while tallying nine RBI. He is the second Governor to earn the honor this season.
• Outfielder Cameron Nickens had a stellar week at the plate, batting .500 (11-for-22) over five games. He hit a pair of homers and two doubles while tallying nine RBI.
• Outfielder Brody Szako made his return to the Govs' lineup two weekends ago in the ASUN conference opener against Lipscomb after battling an injury that kept him out since the first week of the season. Last week, Szako batted .429 (6-for-14) with three home runs and seven RBI. He also hit a pair of doubles and slugged 1.214 last week. He also found himself on base a lot after walking eight times and being hit by pitches twice for a .640 OBP.
• Infielder Andres Matias had another successful week at the plate last week, batting .400 (8-for-20) in the five games he started at short. He has been a threat in the bottom half of the Govs' lineup, and it showed last week when he had a home run and two doubles while driving in seven runs. He was also two for three in stolen base attempts.
• First baseman/catcher Gus Freeman batted .500 (6-for-12) with a three-run home run and a double in the Central Arkansas series. Freeman drove in six runs in the series and only struck out once. He was hit by a pitch once, adding to his total for the year, which is now 13. He ranks ninth nationally in hit-by-pitches.
• Infielder Kyler Proctor batted .333 (8-for-24) last week over the five games the Governors played. He had a 3-for-5 performance against Tennessee Tech (March 18), hitting a home run and a double with two RBI while also fielding a perfect 1.000 over the week.
• Infielder/designated hitter Cole Johnson batted .292 last week, going 7-for-24 at the plate with two doubles and a home run, tallying six RBI. He made his first career start at first base at Tennessee Tech (March 18), where he went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double and tallied four RBI.
• Infielder Ray Velazquez batted .250 last week over all five games and batted .300 in the series against UCA. Against Central Arkansas, Velazquez hit two doubles and collected a pair of RBI. He has been on a steady pace at the plate over the last few weeks and has proven to be a critical part of the Govs' lineup both at the dish and at the hot corner.
• Catcher Trevor Conley has flipped his season at the plate and is red hot with a bat in his hands. He bats .286 on the season after batting .375 (6-for16) at the plate last week. He hit a double, two home runs, and his first career triple.

Tropical Tuesday

Tropical Tuesdays, presented by Tropical Smoothie Cafe, returns to Raymond C. Hand Park after a long wait since last season. Fans who attend will receive a free promotional item upon arrival!

Ticket Information

Single-game tickets are available now on Ticketmaster.com.

Broadcast Information

Fans unable to attend can listen to the weekend series on ESPN Clarksville 104.1 FM in the Clarksville area or through the TuneIn app on their mobile device.

The midweek contest will be streamed on ESPN+.

Follow Along

Keep up to date with all Governors baseball on the official website of Austin Peay Athletics - www.LetsGoPeay.com. Follow @GovsBSB on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for all Governors Baseball updates and ticket information as they happen.