CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (ESPN Clarksville) Competition of course is natural when it comes to sports, but what about after you’ve competed against someone in high school and then you both move on to work together in college? This story is about two former high school athletes who are now with Austin Peay’s Baseball Team.

Gino Avros spent four years with the Rossview High School (RHS) Hawks team and Garrett Spain also played for four years as a Clarksville High School (CHS) Wildcat. They both graduated in 2018 and took their places on the field together with the Govs.

From 2015-18 Avros started off as a freshman player at both second and held on to that third base position for the rest of his time playing at RHS ,which is where you’ll find him on the Govs roster.

Looking back Head Coach Parker Holman at RHS said Avros was a special student.

“He’s one of those kids, it’s more than just baseball to him. He took pride in the community he lived in, he took pride in the school he came to everyday and he took pride in the program he played for and that’s rare,” Holman said.

Avros said he loved playing games against Spain.

“It was always crazy, a lot of fun and the atmosphere was high,” he said. He added that he spent his time on third base praying he could find a way to get Spain out.

Center field is where you could find Spain at CHS games, also from 2015-18. He continues to play at that spot for the Govs.

Head Coach Brian Hetland at CHS said Garrett was a “gritty player that just got after it every day.”

“He was a very good hitter and just a good leader on the team. He worked hard and understood what he had to do to get better. He was the number two batter in the lineup for most of high school,” Hetland said.

Spain said it was always fun playing Rossview as a big-time rivalry.

“You knew a lot of people were going to be at the game, competition was going to be up along with smack talk on Twitter. It was awesome being a part of it and it was a sight to see,” Spain said.

Avros and Spain have been playing baseball with either with each other or against each other on teams since they were both six years old.

Spain said Avros is a great ball player and talked about playing with him.

“You know he’s there, he’s going to have your back and if you’re having a bad day he’s going to make you smile.
It’s just that bond you build over the years,” Spain said.

Avros said it’s a lot of fun playing with Garrett Spain.

“I always liked playing with him more than against him. He’s a great competitor and he loves the game. I consider him one of my best friends and he’s someone I want to be around all the time,” Avros said.

Austin Peay Head Baseball Coach Travis Janssen had this to say when asked about the pair with a long history of baseball behind them and what they bring to his team.

“We couldn’t be happier with both of them,” he said. “They both are contributing as true freshmen. From a playing early stand point they are both very key guys to our team, they’re just doing a great job and they’re kind of serving different roles.”

Janssen added that both players compete so well and they’re both doing a great job early in their careers.