CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's baseball team hits the road to begin its nine-game road stint, beginning with midweek action against No. 22 nationally ranked Alabama, starting at 6 p.m., Tuesday, at Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama.
LEADING OFF
The Governors (12-12, 3-3 ASUN) are set to face the Alabama Crimson Tide (18-7, 3-3 SEC) to begin their nine-game road stretch. Alabama is the third Southeastern Conference opponent that Austin Peay will face this season, after already playing Mississippi State (Feb. 24) and Ole Miss (March 17). The final SEC opponent they will play is Tennessee (March 31).
Following its first week of SEC games at Kentucky, where the Crimson Tide was swept by No. 21 Kentucky, it returned home for its home opening conference series against No. 18 Florida and swept the series, including the series opening no-hitter thrown by Tyler Fay. The no-hitter was the first thrown by an individual in Alabama program history since Eddie Owcar in 1942.
They carry a lot of momentum heading into the midweek after outscoring the Gators 28-11 in their weekend series at home.
The team is led by head coach Rob Vaughn, who is in his ninth season and third with the Tide. He comes into Tuesday's game with a 92-49 record at Alabama.
The Tide were picked to finish 12th in the SEC preseason coaches poll with 87 points. The squad comes into Tuesday nationally ranked in three polls. They are ranked 22nd according to Baseball America, 23rd by USA Today, and 25th by the NCBWA.
The Governors came out of week two of Atlantic Sun Conference play with a win and a pair of losses at home against Lipscomb, who were picked preseason to finish second in the ASUN Gold Division. Austin Peay fell short in its conference home opener, losing game one to the Bisons. They answered back by winning game two in a Saturday slugfest before falling in game three by run rule.
Senior Zion Taylor and redshirt sophomore Cole Johnson led the Governors offensively, as they both landed on the D1Baseball.com Week 6 Top Performers list. The pair combined for nine extra-base hits, including six home runs.
PITCHING PROBABLES
Freshman left-hander Dillon Adkins is slated to start the midweek contest on the hill for his first-career start. His last appearance on the mound came at No. 4 Mississippi State (Feb. 24), where he threw just a third of an inning and allowed one run and struck out a batter. He is matched up against senior JT Blackwood, who has started two games for the Tide this season. He comes into the midweek with a 0-1 record and a 6.10 ERA with four strikeouts across 10.1 innings of work.
SERIES HISTORY
Austin Peay has yet to win a game against Alabama, as the Crimson Tide leads the all-time series, 6-0. The all-time series dates back to 1994, when Alabama beat Austin Peay, 11-1. The last meeting between the two squads was on April 3, 2002, in Tuscaloosa, where the Tide beat the Governors, 12-10.
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. Van Stokes, who is in his 25th season as the Govs play-by-play voice, will have the call all weekend.
The midweek contest will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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 and Instagram for all Governors Baseball updates and ticket information as they happen.
