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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s baseball team will take a short trip east to face Tennessee Tech in midweek action, as the Governors conclude their nine-game road stretch, starting at 6 p.m., Tuesday, at Bush Stadium in Cookeville, Tennessee.
LEADING OFF
Austin Peay (16-16, 7-5 ASUN) is coming off its third Atlantic Sun Conference series win of the season after taking games one and two of its three-game weekend series from Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Kentucky, just days ago. The Governors have won three of their four ASUN series this season, taking two of three games in each series against Bellarmine, Central Arkansas, and now Eastern Kentucky. Austin Peay is now in a three-way tie for first place in the ASUN Gold Division with Lipscomb and North Alabama. The Governors will face North Alabama at home this weekend.
The Governors are 2-4 in midweek contests this season, as their two wins came from Ohio in doubleheader action back on March 10. They took the first game 18-5, winning by run-rule in seven innings. Then they went on to win game two 15-6 in nine innings.
All four midweek losses this year have been against Southeastern Conference opponents. Three of which were ranked at the time those games were played.
Redshirt junior Ray Velazquez has been heating up at the plate over the last few weeks, as he has now taken the lead on the Governors’ roster with nine home runs, which is tied for the third-most in the ASUN. He has hit four homers in the last five games and has raised his batting average to .296.
Tennessee Tech (10-22, 1-8 OVC) comes into the weekend in last place of the Ohio Valley Conference standings, seven games behind first-place Southern Indiana – Edwardsville. The Golden Eagles were riding an eight-game losing streak before coming into last weekend against Eastern Illinois at home. Tennessee Tech took the series opener by a landslide, 21-6 in seven innings. They then lost games two and three, 13-1 [8] and 9-6, respectively.
The Golden Eagles are 2-5 in midweek action this season, with their two wins both coming against ASUN opponents in Lipscomb (Feb. 17) and North Alabama (March 17).
Tennessee Tech is led by head coach Matt Bragga, who is in his 20th season with the Golden Eagles and his 23rd overall.
PITCHING PROBABLES
Austin Peay’s starting pitcher has not been announced. The Governors will face redshirt junior right-hander Lawson Stricklin. So far this season, Stricklin has made nine appearances on the mound, with two of those being starts. He comes into Tuesday with a 0-1 record and a 12.96 ERA through 8.1 innings of work.
Stricklin’s only decision this year came in his first start of the season at No. 19 Tennessee (March 10), where he threw just one-third of an inning and allowed six runs to cross the plate. His second start came just seven days later at North Alabama (March 17), where he threw the first two innings before being relieved. He threw a near-perfect two frames as he did not allow a hit, while striking out a pair of batters and walking two as well.
SERIES HISTORY
Austin Peay looks to reach 100 wins against Tennessee Tech, as the Governors lead the all-time series 99-87-1 dating back to 1938. The Golden Eagles won the first meeting in ’38, 7-2. Tennessee Tech won 12-straight contests in the all-time series before the Governors took their first win, which came in 1958, when Austin Peay won 5-0.
The Governors enter Tuesday with a two-game winning streak in the all-time series, having won two games last season, one on the road and the other at home in Clarksville. The last win for Austin Peay came on March 25, 2025, as the Governors won 6-5 at home.
The last Tennessee Tech win came on May 15, 2022, in Cookeville, when the Golden Eagles won 14-5.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Fans unable to attend can listen to the midweek contest 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.
The contest will be broadcast 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.