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Austin Peay Govs open season, Stanfill Era at UAB TournamentAPSU Sports Information
This weekend’s action also marks the first games played by the Governors under new head coach Kassie Stanfill, who was named the program’s 10th head coach in August 2018 after serving as an assistant coach at Louisville. ![]() Austin Peay Softball heads to Birmingham to play in the UAB Tournament this weekend. (APSU Sports Information) The Govs, who are coming off a program-best 39-19 season a year ago, open the tournament, 12:30pm, Friday versus Louisiana-Monroe followed by a 3:00pm contest versus Wright State. At 12:30pm, Saturday, Austin Peay has a rematch with Louisiana-Monroe, followed by a 5:30pm contest against tournament host UAB to end the day’s action. The tournament will conclude on Sunday with the Govs squaring off for the second time against UAB. “I just want to see our group go out and compete,” Stanfill said. “I want to see their composure in different situations, because everything won’t go perfectly. “We’ve been working very hard in practice to create pressure (situations) and I’m eager to see how they respond if that pressure comes this weekend, but as long as we play Austin Peay softball and take one inning at a time, I think we have a good chance of doing well this weekend.” The Govs, who are picked to finish third in the OVC’s preseason poll after finishing in second place with a 17-4 mark in 2018, return 18 letter winners, including senior Morgan Rackel, Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2018 and All-OVC First-Team selection. Sophomore outfielder Bailey Shorter, the OVC’s Freshman of the Year and All-OVC Second-Team selection in 2018, returns as well. Also returning are senior third baseman Danielle Liermann (All-OVC First-Team), senior centerfielder Kacy Acree (All-OVC Second-Team), senior outfielder Natalie Schilling (All-OVC Newcomer Team) and senior pitcher Kelly Mardones (All-OVC Newcomer Team). Scouting the OppositionLouisiana-Monroe Wright State UAB
APSU Govs Hit-and-RunThe 18 returning letter winners are the most by the Govs in school history. Overall, Austin Peay returns 95 percent of its offense and 99 percent of its pitching from its record-setting 39-win team from a year ago. The Govs only have one new player on this year’s roster, freshman infielder Lexi Osowski (San Diego, Calif.) Two members of this year’s team (Natalie Schilling, Katie Keen) are Clarksville products. Austin Peay will play nine teams this season (18 total games) that played past their respective conference tournaments in 2018. The UAB Tournament will mark the 15th time in program history that the Govs have played in a tournament in the state of Alabama, the third-most in any state, trailing only Georgia (17) and Tennessee (16). About APSU Sports Information
Austin Peay State University Sports Information provides the latest news and updates on the Athletic endeavors of the student-athletes at APSU. Under the direction of Brad Kirtley, the APSU SID’s office consists of Cody Bush, and Colby Wilson. To contact the APSU Sports Information office, contact, 931.221.7561. Web Site: http://www.apsugovernors.com
SectionsAssociations, Austin Peay State University, Colleges, Featured Story, NCAA, Ohio Valley Conference, Softball, SportsTopicsAlabama, APSU, APSU Athletics, APSU Softball, APSU Sports, APSU Women’s Softball, Austin Peay State University, Bailey Shorter, Birmingham AL, Clarksville, Clarksville TN, Danielle Liermann, Georgia, Kacy Acree, Kassie Stanfill, Katie Keen, Kelly Mardones, Lady govs, Lexi Osowski, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisville, Morgan Rackel, Natalie Schilling, Ohio Valley Conference, OVC, San Diego CA, Tennessee, UAB, UAB Tournament, Wright State |