CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University's baseball team has swept its last three Atlantic Sun Conference series' to put themselves in a good spot ahead in the conference standings. The Govs look to continue their hot streak against the North Alabama Lions in their fifth ASUN series of the season starting at 6 p.m. (CT), Friday, in Florence, Alabama.

Leading Off

After sweeping Eastern Kentucky last weekend, the red-hot Governors continued their success on the diamond to further their lead in the ASUN standings. They collected their fifth series sweep, the first time a Governors team has done so in a season since the 2013 championship team. And with the loss of #12 UC Irvine to #11 Oregon State a weekend ago, the Govs took hold of the longest win streak in the nation.

Governors Bullpen

The Governors as a team last weekend against Eastern Kentucky had a combined 5.87 ERA while striking out 25 batters. Junior right-handed pitcher Lyndon Glidewell paced the Governors in their series finale against the Colonels with a career day on the mound.

• Lyndon Glidewell made his fifth straight appearance throwing five innings or more. In his outing against EKU, he threw 5.1 innings and collected a career-high seven strikeouts while earning the win. He allowed just two runs in the contest on two hits and five walks, while holding opponents to a .118 batting average.
• Cody Airington threw just 2.1 innings in his appearance, allowing a single run before exiting the game early. He still leads the Govs pitching staff in ERA with a 3.54 over his eight appearances.
• Jacob Weaver lowered his ERA once again after a good weekend on the mound against EKU. His ERA is now at 6.03 following his appearance Friday, where he threw 4.2 innings with four strikeouts. He allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in his outing.

First Hacks

The Governors have won their last 13 games, including five run-rule victories against Tennessee Tech, Southern Indiana, Bellarmine, and two against Eastern Kentucky, scoring 149 runs on 169 hits in that span. 32 of those hits have been home runs, and 68 were for extra bases. Last weekend against Eastern Kentucky, the Govs batted .394 and slugged .691 with a .517 on-base percentage.

• Center fielder John Bay led the Govs lineup in batting average last weekend against EKU going 6-for 11 (.545) with two RBI while collecting three doubles. He hit a pair of homers in the Govs midweek against MTSU, putting him at just 13 home runs away from the all-time home run record at Austin Peay. Bay is also currently ranked second in the nation for runs scored (54), averaging 1.64 runs per game.
• Outfielder Cameron Nickens had another solid performance at the plate last weekend batting .455 (5-for11) with a home run and five RBI. Three of which came in game two of the EKU series where he went 2-for-3 with a homer.
• Outfielder Brody Szako has gotten comfortable in the box after a slow return to the lineup at the beginning of conference. Last weekend he batted .400 (4-for-10) with two home runs and a double, while tallying five RBI. On the season, 13 of his 18 hits have been for extra bases and is ranked fourth in the ASUN with nine home runs.
• Infielder Andres Matias struggled at the plate last weekend batting just an even .200 (2-for-10) with a double and an RBI. That doesn't take away from what he has done all year though. He bats .268 in ASUN play, and .304 on the season while fielding an elite defense at shortstop.
• First baseman/catcher Gus Freeman had a quiet but successful weekend at the plate, batting .333 (3-for-9) and tallying just one RBI. Freeman ranks fifth in the Govs lineup in batting average with a .316, and is batting .348 in conference. He also ranks in the top 10 of six offensive ASUN categories.
• Infielder Kyler Proctor batted .308 (4-for-13) last weekend against EKU, getting a hit in every game, and had two multi-RBI performances in the series. Proctor leads the Govs in multi-hit games with 16, and ranks second in multi-RBI performances with eight on the year.
• Infielder/designated hitter Cole Johnson led the offensive charge for the Govs all weekend batting .500 (6-for-12) with three doubles and seven RBI. The redshirt-freshman had a pair of multi-hit and multi-RBI performances in the series. He had a four-RBI day in game one of the series, hitting two doubles in the contest.
• Infielder Ray Velazquez was productive at the plate against EKU, batting .444 (4-for-9) with a home run and four RBI. He has been consistent at the plate over the last few weeks, and has reached base safely in his last 20 games played in. On the year, he bats .351 with a pair of doubles and four homers after a 4-for-5 four-RBI performance against MTSU, Wednesday.
• Catcher Trevor Conley split time behind the plate last weekend, starting two games behind the dish. He batted .333 (2-for-6), collecting a hit in each game, and had a double to his name. He also reached base on balls twice, and had an on-base percentage of .500.

Facing The Lions

Series History

North Alabama leads the all-time series 30-27. The Governors took two out of three games against the Lions last season, falling in the series finale by a score of 13-14 on May 18. Austin Peay won the regular season title the day before in game two of the series.

Scouting The Lions

North Alabama is tied for second place in the ASUN standings with Lipscomb and Central Arkansas, all with a 6-6 record, and down five games to the first place Govs. The Lions have won their last three games, and lost their ASUN series against Bellarmine last weekend, losing the first two games of the series.

At The Plate

• The UNA offense is currently hitting .229 which ranks 10th in the ASUN. As a team, the Lions have recorded 63 extra-base hits, including 16 home runs, 45 doubles, two triples, and have tallied 107 RBI over 31 games.
• Redshirt freshman Petey Craska has paced the Lions offensively, batting .333 with a home run and 15 RBI. He leads UNA in all triple slash categories, slugging .431 with a .507 on-base percentage. 

On The Mound

• UNA ranks second in the ASUN with a team ERA of 4.53. Over 31 games and 268.1 innings, the Lions have allowed 159 runs, 135 earned, and opponents are batting .236 against their pitchers which leads the ASUN.
• Freshman left-handed pitcher Tripp Patterson leads the Lions' staff with a 2.87 ERA. Despite the good ERA, he has a 2-4 record over eight starts this season. Extra-base hits have been his enemy this year, allowing 14 total with four home runs. He leads the staff in most XBH's given up.

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.

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.