CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Austin Peay baseball officially kicked off A-SUN conference play this past week, and the team is eager to fight their way back to the .500 mark.
The Govs began conference play when they hosted North Florida for a three-game series. APSU went on to win the series after winning games two and three.
This is a step in the right direction after fighting through adversity the first part of the season, which head coach Roland Fanning and team leaders touched on in an interview with Clarksville Now.
“I’ve seen a lot of grit from this team,” Fanning said. “This team’s been thrown some obstacles, or as we say in baseball, thrown some curveballs in some baseball counts. Some of these things have been unpredictable. However, I think the strength of this team is our team, so we gave guys a chance to get some opportunities that wouldn’t have happened because of that.”
“We’ve went out and challenged ourselves this season, which includes being on the road for the past 12 or 13 games straight. Our team has played good baseball, but we’ve also played some baseball which has exposed us a little bit. But I do like where we’re headed and where we’re trending, so I’m excited to begin conference play and return to our home ballpark.”
Team chemistry
When Fanning was hired on as the Austin Peay baseball coach in June last year, he wasted no time building his roster.
According to APSU Athletics, Fanning and his staff brought in 27 new faces to the program this season, of which 21 were student-athletes recruited from the transfer portal.
When there are that many newcomers in a program, it can be difficult for the chemistry to get together early on, but Austin Peay sophomore infielder Conner Gore thought otherwise.
“Coach has done a good job emphasizing the strength of our team is our team,” Gore said. “We gel really well together as a whole. Every guy in the lineup and in the clubhouse loves one another, and we want to be around each other every day. As an example, we have off days on Wednesday, every guy is up here hanging out still.”
The strength of our team is definitely our team, and I’ve never been with a group that’s been so special. We’re fighting some adversity to start the season with, but that’s only brought us closer together.”
Austin Peay senior right-handed pitcher Peyton Jula followed up Gore’s comments by speaking on togetherness as a team.
“I’ve been on teams’ where that togetherness isn’t there,” said Jula. “It can really show on the field when things weren’t going our way. Right now, like Conner said, our team is fighting adversity.”
“However, you can feel our team is still playing together. We mesh really well, and the strength of our team is our team. Going into conference play, I think we can really get something going if we stay together.”
What’s next
As Austin Peay baseball continues to advance throughout conference play, Fanning realizes that each day serves as an opportunity to grow.
“Whether you win or get beat, every day is a new challenge; every day is a new opportunity,” Fanning said. “We want to take the moments we’ve had up to this point through 17 games and use those to our advantage. Whether it was something positive that you want to trend in the way you want, or areas that have been challenging that you want to sharpen up.”
We’ve been in some really good baseball atmospheres on the road, and we need to take those moments into A-SUN conference play, which is good baseball. We’ll need to play good baseball to beat good teams in our conference. We’ve been there; we’ve been in those moments and tough environments, which I think all of those things you go through during the season prepare you for when the games count the most. I think that’s where we’re headed as well.”
The Govs next challenge will be against their school rival, the Murray State Racers. Austin Peay will take on Murray State on Wednesday, March 22, after the game was postponed on Tuesday.
Message to the fans
Fanning had one final message for Govs Nation as the 2022–23 season continues to progress.
“Come out and watch us play, finally,” Fanning said. “Getting back into your home ballpark is a big deal. Getting back in front of our fans, parents and people here at Austin Peay who come watch us play is a big deal. We’ve had some decent crowds when the weather has been good, and people want to watch baseball around here.
“So, the message is to stick with us, and this season isn’t close to being over with. The best of our season is ahead of us, and there will be a lot of cool games to watch here. Get out and come watch us play baseball. Also, I want to encourage Greek life on campus to continue to come to right field to support our team. They give us an atmosphere behind opponents’ bullpen, and that’ll be a big part in playing at Raymond C. Hand Baseball Park.”