CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University's baseball team returns to the diamond at home to face Atlantic Sun Conference opponent, Bellarmine, in its eighth ASUN series of the season starting at 6 p.m. (CT), Friday, at Joe Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.

Leading Off

The Governors return to The Hand after falling to No. 23 Ole Miss on Tuesday in their midweek contest. Last weekend, the Governors swept its program record seventh series this season against North Alabama. Left-handed pitcher Gavin Braunecker took home ASUN Pitcher of the Week recognition after a seven-inning complete game shutout in the series opener, recording a season-high 10 strikeouts. Just two weekends ago, the Govs swept Eastern Kentucky, making them the fastest team in program history to reach 30 wins in a season, doing so in 40 games. The Govs look to come away with another series win against the Bellarmine Knights in their eighth ASUN series this week.

First Hacks

The Govs rode a seven-game win streak coming into the week, and much of their success can be credited to the hot bats in the lineup. However, a two-run blast from Cole Johnson early in the game was not enough for the Govs to come away with the win. Last week, the Govs batted .345 as a team while hitting four home runs, eight doubles, and a triple, while tallying 39 RBI over four games. The Governors currently rank in the top 10 nationally in hits, runs, home runs, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging.

• Center fielder John Bay entered the last week leading the nation in runs scored, and still holds that spot after scoring eight runs over four games last week, totalling at 73 on the season. The senior slugger had been in a bit of a struggle over the last two weeks, but turned it around against Purdue and North Alabama, batting .357 (5-for-14) with four RBI. His slugging numbers have been low as of late, with his last home run coming on April 15 against Morehead State, yet he still leads the ASUN with 16 this season. He is just nine home runs away from the all-time home run record at Austin Peay, with 48 in his career with the Govs.
• Outfielder Cameron Nickens comes into the weekend leading the nation with 144 total bases this season. He had 12 last week after batting .571 (8-for-14) with a home run, a double, a hit-by-pitch, and five walks. The senior Houston transfer is in the running for ASUN player of the year as he has had an amazing year at the plate up to this point, batting .425 on the season with 15 home runs, 19 doubles, a triple, and 58 RBI. He leads the ASUN in all three triple-slash categories and ranks in the top 10 in 11 offensive ASUN categories, leading in batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, OPS, hits, runs, and doubles.
• Outfielder Brody Szako batted .294 (5-for-17) last week, with a double and three RBI. He bats .284 on the year, with 19 of his 29 hits going for extra bases. He has 13 home runs and six doubles to his name this season.
• Infielder Andres Matias batted .294 (5-for-17) last week, with a home run and a double while tallying five RBI. His average dropped below .300 on the season three weekends ago, but still bats .294 while being productive in his role at the bottom half of the order. It showed at Purdue last Tuesday, where he went 2-for-6 with a three-run homer.
• First baseman/catcher Gus Freeman only batted .231 (3-for-13) with a double and five RBI, but he made up for it by getting on base often. He walked six times and was hit by a pitch once for a .500 OBP last week. Freeman comes into the week ranking in the top 10 in eight offensive ASUN categories. He also carries a 43-game reached base safely streak into the weekend series, which ties for the second-longest streak in program history with Chuck Abbot (1996) and Garrett Spain (2019).
• Infielder Kyler Proctor had another slow week at the plate last week, batting .105 (2-for-19) at the top of the order. Despite his struggles lately, he still bats .326 on the year with six homers, 12 doubles, and a pair of triples, while tallying 35 RBI and scoring 46 runs.
• Infielder/designated hitter Cole Johnson batted .529 (9-for-17) with a pair of doubles and his first career triple last week. He turned in a solid performance in Game 2 of the Govs ASUN series against North Alabama, going 4-for-4 with a double and three RBI, helping power the Govs to a 6-5 win over the Lions. He also had a two-run homer against Ole Miss, and was the only Gov with a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
• Infielder Ray Velazquez has been debatably one of the best bats in the country over the last three weeks, as he has turned in three straight weeks batting over .400. Last week, he batted .533 (8-for-15) with a pair of home runs and a double, tallying eight RBI.
• Catcher Trevor Conley started all three games against North Alabama over the weekend and batted .333 (4-for-12). He has completely turned his season around after batting .040 25 at-bats into the season. He is hitting .308 coming into the week, and bats .393 in conference play, which ranks ninth in the ASUN. Last week, he was named to the Buster Posey Award Midseason Watch List and is a prime candidate for the national award after showing his grit over the course of the season.

Facing The Knights

Series History

Austin Peay leads the all-time series 11-3 after sweeping their first series earlier this season. The Govs are 7-2 at home against the Knights, and look to have a repeat of their road trip just back in late March this year.

Scouting The Knights

The Knights come into the weekend fifth in the ASUN standings, 11 games back from the Govs. They have a 7-14 record in conference play, and are 11-33 overall this season. Bellarmine rides a one-game win streak after losing the first two games against Central Arkansas last weekend, and coming away with a 6-2 win in the series finale.

At The Plate

• Bellarmine comes into the weekend with a .252 batting average, which ranks ninth in the ASUN. As a team, the Knights have recorded 110 extra-base hits, which includes 31 home runs, 70 doubles, and nine triples, while tallying 230 RBI over 44 games.
• Redshirt freshman infielder Landon Akers has been the man to get out in the Knights' lineup. He has started all 44 games for Bellarmine this season, and leads the team with a .365 batting average, which leads the next best bat on the roster by .089 points.

On The Mound

• Bellarmine ranks 12th in the ASUN with a team ERA of 9.84. Over 44 games and 357.2 innings, the Knights have allowed 440 runs, 391 earned, and opponents are batting .343 against their staff, which is the highest of any team in the league.
• Sophomore right-handed pitcher Chase Carver, who is the projected Game 1 starter for the weekend series, has a 3-4 record through 12 appearances and 11 starts. He comes into the weekend with a 7.89 ERA and a 2.22 WHIP over 51.1 innings of work this season. He has had the majority of innings on the mound for Bellarmine this year and looks to have a bounce-back appearance after earning the loss in his last outing against Central Arkansas.

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.

All games 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.