CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Austin Peay State University baseball team is preparing to get conference play started this weekend with a three-game series against the Bellarmine Knights.
So far this season, the Govs have played 17 games and compiled a 9-8 record. The Govs got the season started with a four-game series against the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas and won two of the games. Then, the Govs came home for a series against Eastern Michigan and won two out of three.
Austin Peay lost a series to Cincinnati, split another series with Utah Tech, and most recently won a double-header against Ohio. Now, the Govs will look to get conference play started on the right note as they make the short trip up to Louisville.
Austin Peay vs. Bellarmine: What to know
Entering conference play, the Knights have a 4-11 overall record. The team has had a brutal travel schedule so far and has only played one home game this season. The Knights will come into this series hot, winners of their last two games.
The Govs and Knights played each other six times last season, and the Govs won each matchup. Three of the six games were called early due to the Govs leading by 10-plus in the 7th inning. Bellarmine ended last season with a 17-38 overall record and an 11-19 mark in ASUN play.
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Austin Peay has to yet sweep a three-game series this season, and this could be the perfect opportunity. The top of the Govs’ batting order was a bit slow to get going this season, but they may have turned a corner after a couple of dominant performances against Ohio this week.
Govs looking to win third-straight ASUN regular season title in 2026
Dominance in the regular season has become the expectation for the Govs under head coach Roland Fanning. The Govs won 35-plus games in both 2024 and 2025 and won the regular season conference title in both seasons.
However, the Govs are still looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament since last making an appearance in 2013. The team was very close to earning a bid last year, but a loss to the FGCU in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Game ended the team’s season prematurely.
This season, the Govs would love to get to the 40-win mark once again and clinch a third-straight regular season title for the first time in program history.
After the series against Bellarmine this weekend, the Govs will travel down to Oxford for one game against the Ole Miss Rebels. The team then comes back to Clarksville for the first conference series at home, against Lipscomb.
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