CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University's softball team opens the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference Softball Championship with a 1:30 p.m. (CT), Tuesday matchup in the opening round of the tournament at the UNF Softball Complex in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Governors enter the postseason as the #8 seed in the tournament after going 30-23 overall with a 12-12 record in league play. APSU is coming off back-to-back series wins to close the regular season, earning a pair of wins both at Lipscomb in the penultimate weekend of the season and against Eastern Kentucky at Cathi Maynard Park. Following a 2-1, nine-inning win against the Colonels in game one of the series, the Govs shutout EKU 8-0 in the second game before having a seventh-inning two-out rally fall short in the finale, dropping a 3-1 decision.
APSU's offense is led by the long-ball, with the team tying the single-season home run record during the final weekend of the regular season with 71. It has three student-athletes with double-figure marks in home runs with Brie Howard (20), Katie Raper (15), and Sammie Shelander (14) pacing the team and ranking top seven in the conference.
In addition to ranking second in the ASUN in home runs, Howard also ranks second in the conference in hits (67), RBI (65), runs scored (52), total bases (137) and extra-base hits (30). Howard is three hits away from tying the single-season hits record and one extra-base hit from matching that record as well, while her RBI and home run marks already are the best in a single season.
In the circle, the Govs are paced by Alanah Jones in all statistical categories. The senior right hander has a 2.87 ERA, 104 strikeouts, 17 wins, and six shutouts across 27 starts and 33 appearances. Her six shutouts and 17 wins rank first and second in the league, respectively, while her ERA and strikeout totals both are fifth in the ASUN.
Last season, the Govs defeated both Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville – who APSU plays with a win against FGCU – in their furthest run in the postseason since being a member of the ASUN Conference. The Govs opened the tournament with a 3-0 win against the Dolphins in a single elimination-game, before then scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn a 5-4 win against the then-reigning ASUN Champions in Florida Gulf Coast in the elimination bracket.
All ASUN Championship games are streamed live on ESPN+. A full tournament central, containing the full bracket, seeding, game times, ticket information, and more can be found HERE or atop this article.
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