CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's baseball team is back on the road to face North Alabama in its final Atlantic Sun Conference series of the regular season, starting at 7 p.m., Thursday, at Mike D. Lane Field in Florence, Alabama.
LEADING OFF
Austin Peay (24-27, 14-13 ASUN) is coming off its series loss to Eastern Kentucky last weekend, falling in games one and two in the series before taking the series finale. With the game three win over the Colonels, the Governors clinched a berth in the ASUN Baseball Championship in DeLand, Florida, next week.
Junior DJ Merriweather picked up his fourth win of the season in game three against the Colonels, pitching six strong innings and striking out four batters. The offense went to work and run-ruled the Colonels 15-2 for their first run-rule win since the 16-6 win against Bellarmine on April 17.
North Alabama (25-25, 16-11 ASUN) is also coming off an ASUN series loss to Central Arkansas, which is now tied for second place in the ASUN Gold Division with the Lions. They dropped the first game of the series before winning 12-4 in game two. They then dropped the final game of the weekend, 4-3, before going into their final midweek of the season at Murray State, where they lost 9-5.
The Governors are in a battle for seeding position in the ASUN Championship next week, as both North Alabama and Central Arkansas are two games ahead of Austin Peay in the Gold Division standings.
PITCHING PROBABLES
Sophomore right-hander Colin Carney is projected as the game one starter this week, as he will make his first-career start. He has pitched to a 1-0 record and a 4.71 ERA this season out of the pen.
The Friday starter will be senior Ryker Walton, who is coming off a recent loss to Eastern Kentucky last week. He has pitched to a 2-3 record and a 5.36 ERA this season, with 38 strikeouts across 40.1 innings of work.
The game three starter will be announced at a later time. And the Lions have not announced their starting rotation.
MILESTONES WATCH LIST
Head coach Roland Fanning has a 130-94 record at Austin Peay, which is the fifth-most by a head coach in program history. He is now just four wins away from becoming the fourth-most winningest coach in Austin Peay program history. Leon Sandifer, who collected 133 wins across 18 seasons, is currently ahead of Fanning, with a 133-146 career record as a Governor.
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. Kyle King will have the call.
The series 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 and Instagram for all Governors Baseball updates and ticket information as they happen.
