UTM BASEBALL RENEWS IN-STATE RIVALRY WITH AUSTIN PEAY AT SKYHAWK FIELD THIS WEEKEND

MARTIN, Tenn. – Back in the friendly confines of Skyhawk Field following a two-week long excursion away from home, the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball club gears up for hosting duties against a longtime rival on Friday evening, battling the Governors of Austin Peay in a three-game series. Three days removed from each side visiting Southeastern Conference venues, tomorrow's Game 1 in Martin is penciled for a 5:00 p.m. first pitch.

Reaching the halfway point of the 2022 campaign after last weekend's OVC set with SIUE in Edwardsville, the Skyhawks enter the weekend trilogy with an overall record of 8-18 next to a league resume of 1-5. Snatching the opener over the Cougars nearly seven days ago by a 5-3 margin, UTM was last seen in the Magnolia State on Tuesday night when they went head-to-head with the defending NCAA champion Mississippi State Bulldogs in a midweek one-and-done.

This occurred at the exact time that the Governors were also competing against former national champs, traveling to Nashville to meet the Vanderbilt Commodores in a 12-2 decision for the latter. Now that both the Skyhawks and APSU have finished taking on both parties of last season's College World Series, they turn their attention to each other and the next chapter of one of UTM's most longstanding feuds.

Austin Peay rolls into Martin with a record of 10-20, accompanied by an even 3-3 mark against Ohio Valley Conference opponents. Taking one out of three from Belmont in the state's capitol before winning two over Southeast Missouri in Clarksville last weekend, the Governors will hope to improve upon a dreadful road record in which they have gained only one W (the aforementioned Game 2 with the Bruins) in 12 attempts away from home.

Putting up just over six scores per contest this spring, the Governors lead all OVC schools in doubles with 69 – at least 19 better than the other nine teams in the league – also sitting second in the conference in hits (281) and third in RBI (165), overall batting average (.278), and walks (131). Austin Peay has tallied 24 home runs this semester to place fifth in the OVC, just three more than the Skyhawks in four more appearances.

Yearly opponents since UT Martin joined the NCAA Division I ranks back in 1993, the two sides have met at Skyhawk Field 62 times in the past, with 20 of those outcomes favoring the navy and orange. As a whole, the Governors lead the all-time series by a deficit of 94-35 (along with two ties), taking two out of three against UTM last season. The Skyhawks gained the last laugh in that series, however, shutting out APSU in the second half of a Game 3 doubleheader by a 1-0 result in 2021.

Junior right-hander Seth Petry will take the starting role in Friday's opening act for UTM on the mound, followed by classmate Jacob Smith in the ensuing second outing. Austin Peay will counter with a similar RHP/LHP combo, starting Tyler Delong in Game 1 before going with southpaw Harley Gollert – the team's strikeout leader with 43 – in Saturday's second round.

Links to statistics for all three matchups over the weekend can be found below, as well as at the top of this page.

Game 1 Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397507
Game 2 Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397508
Game 3 Live Stats - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=397509

UTM BASEBALL RENEWS IN-STATE RIVALRY WITH AUSTIN PEAY AT SKYHAWK FIELD THIS WEEKEND

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Players Mentioned

Seth Petry

Jacob Smith