CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) – A distinct Tennessee flair and family feel dominate the Austin Peay State University baseball team’s eight-man fall signing class, released Friday.

The Governors fall signing class includes five players from Tennessee and one each from Florida, Georgia and Illinois. In addition, three of the signees come from high schools headed by former Governors: Matthew Joslin, who plays at Spring Hill High School for alumnus Paul Lamm; Drew McIllwain who plays at Clarksville High School for alumnus Jesse Cash; and Garrett Spain, who plays at Clarksville High School for Govs former assistant coach Brian Hetland.

The entire roster of the Govs signing class includes the following eight student-athletes:

• Luke Brown, a 5-11, 165-pound right-handed pitcher from Greenbrier
• Michael Carey, a 5-10, 175-pound middle infielder from Tinley Park, Illinois
• Cooper Davidson, a 6-5, 230-pound, right-handed pitcher from Alpharetta, Georgia
• Matthew Joslin, a 6-0, 190-pound, third baseman from Columbia
• Chase Martin III, a 6-1, 200-pound outfielder from Collierville
• Sebastian Martinez, a 5-11, 175-pound utility man/right-handed pitcher from Port St. Lucie, Florida
• Drew McIllwain, a 6-0, 200-pound right-handed pitcher from Waverly
• Garrett Spain, a 5-10, 160-pound outfielder from Clarksville

“I want to thank my assistants Greg Byron and David Weber for their efforts that went into securing this recruiting class,” said Governors head coach Travis Janssen. “We are very excited about the young men and their families that are joining our family. When talking about recruiting, the fit has to be right for all parties involved. The student-athlete, their family, and our program all have to be considered. We think we have eight student-athletes, along with their families, that are a great fit with our program.”

The eight-man class includes three pitchers – each a right-hander – four position players and a two-way man, a good thing since Austin Peay enters the upcoming 2018 season with nine seniors on its roster.

“We needed to replace pitching and we needed to replace a couple of good bats,” said Janssen. “This class is heavy with Tennessee kids, which was one of our goals. We are very comfortable that we met our needs from a position standpoint. Another nice thing about this class is three of these young men were coached by former Governors. This will be a class that has a chance to make an early impact for our program and has a chance to be another building block for the future for our program. I’m very excited about this group of student-athletes that will be joining us next fall.”