Austin Peay State University Athletics

Awards & Honors

OVC All-Freshman Team: 2022
OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll: 2021-22
APSU Dean's List: S22, F22, S23, F23, S24, F24, S25
APSU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll: F21

2025 | Austin Peay

• Played in 39 games for the Govs, starting 11 games in right field, and finishing the year with a .278 batting average.
• Was a double shy of the cycle against Grand Canyon (Feb. 16) in the MLB Desert Invitational, going 4-for-4 with a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning.
• Went 3-for-4 in his start at Lipscomb (May 17), scoring twice and driving in two runs.
• Entered the game late as a defensive replacement at Bellarmine (March 28), and hit a game-winning two-run home run in the ninth inning.

2024 | Austin Peay

• Played in 33 games for the Governors, seeing the duration of the season off the bench, batting .267 with a pair of RBI and scoring nine runs.
• After coming in as a defensive replacement at the top of the seventh against Western Kentucky (March 12), he went 1-for-1 at the plate after an RBI single to third, giving the Govs the lead, then proceeded to collect his only stolen base of the year by swiping second.
• Went 1-for-2 with an RBI single to left against Alabama A&M (April 30) and later scored the same inning in the 35-1 midweek win.

2023 | Austin Peay

• Appeared in 43 games and started 29, batting .299 with six doubles and 21 RBI.
• In ASUN play, he was fourth among regulars with a .329 batting average, and his .444 on-base percentage was second among regulars.
• After beginning the season off the bench, he moved into the starting lineup in mid-March as the Govs searched for offensive answers. Later returned to the starting lineup after Garrett Martin suffered an injury at the end of April.
• Made his debut in the starting lineup with the North Florida series (March 17-19) and opened the series with a 3-for-3 outing. He then provided the game-winning RBI in the series’ final two games – an RBI double in Game 2 and an RBI single in Game 3. He finished the series 5-for-8 (.625) at the plate with four RBI.
• Closed the Bellarmine series with a 2-for-3, four RBI, three-run scored effort (April 2).
• He ended his first stretch of 15 consecutive starts with two RBI in a 1-for-3 outing at the plate at Kennesaw State (April 7).
• Returned to the starting lineup against Florida Gulf Coast (April 30) and again made a splash with a 3-for-5 day at the plate.
• Drove in a career-best five RBI in Game 2 of the Central Arkansas series (May 6), hitting a pair of doubles in a 4-for-5 outing.
• Opened his second stretch of starts with a season-best six-game hit streak (April 30-May 12) that saw him bat .407 (11-of-27).

2022 | Austin Peay

• Appeared in 33 games, starting four, in first season with the Govs.
• Had four hits, a home run, and five RBI in 33 games.
• Made back-to-back starts against Southeast Missouri (April 3) and at Vanderbilt (April 5).
• Notched first collegiate hit at UT Martin (April 9) as he came off the bench.
• His three-run home run off the bench against UT Martin (April 10) not only secured the win for the Govs but was his first collegiate home run.
• Had hits in back-to-back outings in April, going 1-for-4 in the SIUE series finale (April 23) and supplying an RBI with a pinch-hit base hit at Bellarmine (April 27).

Prep Career

• Was a center fielder and pitcher for head coach Brian Hetland at Clarksville High School.
• Helped the Wildcats post a 33-7 record and reach the 2021 TSSAA Class AAA State Championship tournament for the first time since 2010.
• Named to Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle All-Area team as a senior after batting .376 with 28 RBI. On the mound, he posted a 1.48 ERA and 3-3 record with 33 innings pitched.

Personal 

• Thomas Nathaniel Barksdale V is the son of Suzanne and Tommy Barksdale.
• Birthday is Jan. 17
• Has two siblings: Sydney and Benton.