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NATIONAL RANKINGS
APSU: #21 (Baseball America), #25 (NCBWA), RV(26) (USA TODAY)
LEADING OFF
GOVS RETURN TO NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE SEASON
Austin Peay's nationally-ranked baseball team will put the nation's longest win streak, a program-record 15 games, on the line when it competes at the NCAA Baseball Championship's Bloomington Regional, Friday-Monday. The second-seeded Govs open their stay with a Noon (CT), Friday contest against No. 3 seed Florida. Austin Peay's No. 2 seed is the best in program history and the best by an Ohio Valley Conference team since the current format was adopted in 1999. No. 1 seed and host Indiana will face No. 4 seed Valparaiso in the region's other first round game, scheduled for a 6 p.m. (CT), Friday first pitch.
FIRST PITCH
Austin Peay's 45 wins are a program record, topping the 1996 squad's 44-win campaign… the Govs have won 19 of their last 20, including its current 15-game win streak… Austin Peay won the OVC Tournament for the third consecutive year, becoming the first team since Middle Tennessee accomplished the feat from 1990-92… senior shortstop Reed Harper was named OVC Tournament “MVP” after leading the Govs with a .462 batting average and 7 RBI in the tournament… Harper enters the NCAA Tournament with 30 hits (.588) during his 11-game hit streak… junior first baseman Craig Massoni, the OVC's Player of the Year, is challenging for the league's first Triple Crown since 1982, leading the league in batting average (.388) and home runs (16) and sitting second in RBI (68), three behind the leader… junior third baseman Jordan Hankins finished the OVC Tournament with 6 hits (.429) and 6 RBI, including the game-winning RBI in the championship game… sophomore second baseman Brett Carlson has started 10 consecutive games at second base and is batting .314 with 6 RBI in those outings… catcher P.J. Torres was held to one hit in the OVC Tournament and caught 24 of the tourney's 27 innings… senior left fielder Cody Hudson wrapped up the OVC Tournament with a 3-for-3 outing but had four walks in the tourney after posting only 10 walks during the regular season… although right fielder Rolando Gautier missed the final two games of the OVC tournament due to an injury, freshman Tommy Hager jumped in and had 4 hits (.571)… center fielder Dylan Riner has reached base safely in 17 consecutive games and is batting .409 (.447 OBP) with 13 RBI during that stretch… the Govs have used six different players at designated hitter this season, but junior Michael Davis has been the Govs DH for the past six games and batted .455 during the OVC Tournament… junior Zach Hall, who is 8-2 this season, has a 5-0 record and 2.76 ERA during his last six starts, including three consecutive starts as the Govs No. 1… senior Casey Delgado became the Govs first pitcher to record 100 strikeouts, posting six in 6.1 innings in his OVC Tourney win against Tennessee Tech… junior Ryan Quick has posted a 2-0 record, 2.77 ERA and 27 strikeouts (9.35 K/9) in his last four starts… senior closer Tyler Rogers, the OVC's Pitcher of the Year, broke the OVC's career saves mark with his 33rd stop, May 25, against Eastern Kentucky… it also was Rogers 21st save in 2013, keeping him atop the Division I saves list for a seventh consecutive week (one ahead of Oregon's Jimmie Sherfy).
AUSTIN PEAY NCAA TOURNEY NOTES
Austin Peay will be making its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance… it is the first time under the current format, introduced in 1999, that an OVC member has been seeded anything other than a No. 4 seed… it is only the second time in OVC history (Eastern Kentucky, 1984-86) a team has appeared in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments… last season, the Govs were seeded No. 4 in the Eugene Regional and, after a tourney-opening 6-5 loss to host Oregon, APSU shutout both Indiana State and Cal State Fullerton before falling to Oregon in the regional final… Austin Peay's 2011 return to the NCAA Tournament followed a four-year hiatus, and it was placed in the Atlanta Regional hosted by Georgia Tech where they defeated the host in the opening round before dropping contests to Mississippi State and a rematch with Georgia Tech… the Govs have made six NCAA baseball tournament appearances all-time… the Govs first appearance came at the 1996 tournament at the South II Regional, hosted by LSU… APSU returned to the tournament in 2005 at the Knoxville Regional, hosted by Tennessee…and were back two years later in 2007 at the Nashville Regional hosted by Vanderbilt where they stretched the No. 1 nationally seeded Commodores to 11 innings before falling, 2-1… the Govs followed that loss with the program's first NCAA Tourney win against Memphis before bowing out with a loss to Vanderbilt… the Govs are 4-10 in the tournament proper, but also have won a play-in series, 2-1, against Southern to make the field in 1996.
HARPER EARNS OVC TOURNEY MVP HONOR
Senior shortstop Reed Harper was named the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament's “Most Valuable Player” after leading the Govs with a .462 batting average and seven RBI in three tournament contests. He opened the tournament with a 4-for-5 outing against Eastern Kentucky, May 23, that included a two-run single. Harper provided the game-winning and game-clinching RBIs in Game 2 as part of a 1-for-4, two RBI performance. He capped his tourney stay with a game-tying three-run home run in the 1st inning of the championship and was 1-for-4 with 3 RBI. Harper is the sixth Govs player to earn “MVP” honors and joins Nate Manning (1996) and Greg Bachman (2012) as APSU position players to win the honor.
FIVE GOVS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Senior shortstop Reed Harper also led a group of five Austin Peay players who were named to the OVC all-tournament team. Harper and junior infielder Jordan Hankins were named to the all-tournament team for the second consecutive season. Senior outfielder Cody Hudson was tapped for his second all-tourney honor after earning recognition in 2011. Junior first baseman Craig Massoni and junior designated hitter Michael Davis each received their first all-tournament medal.
QUICKLY ABOUT THE OVC TOURNAMENT
Austin Peay swept through the OVC tournament, winning three consecutive games to claim the title… the Govs opened with a 13-4 victory against No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky before downing No. 2 seed Tennessee Tech, 6-2… APSU won the tournament on its first try, handing EKU its second loss to claim the title… the Govs offense posted a .364 batting average with 7 doubles and 3 home runs… Austin Peay also took advantage of 18 walks issued to it by opposing pitchers (.465 OBP)… junior Craig Massoni was held to 3 hits (.375) but also received 6 walks (.643 OBP)… senior outfielder Cody Hudson also was held to 4 hits (.400 BA) but registered 4 walks (.571 OBP)… junior third baseman Jordan Hankins posted a .429 batting average with 6 RBI – two in each game, including the game-winning RBI in the championship… designated hitter Michael Davis had five hits, including two doubles and a home run… the Govs pitching staff posted a 2.33 ERA and held opponents to a .216 batting average… starters Zach Hall (7.1 IP, 3 R, 6 K) and Casey Delgado (6.1 IP, 2 R, 6 K) each put forth quality starts… the bullpen allowed one run in 9.2 innings, including eight consecutive scoreless innings through the tournament's end.
