#17 Vols and Govs Set for In-State Baseball Showdown

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – No. 17 Tennessee is back in action and will travel to Clarksville to take on in-state foe Austin Peay at 5:30 p.m. ET.

The Vols were originally scheduled to host Dayton on Wednesday, but the Flyers pulled out of the game on Monday.

BROADCAST INFO

Wednesday’s contest against the Governors will be streamed on ESPN+.

Fans can also listen to the game on UTSports.com and the UT Gameday app, as John Wilkerson calls the action.

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: UT leads, 21-4
In Knoxville: UT leads, 19-4
In Clarksville: 1-0
Neutral Sites: 1-0
Last Meeting: W, 9-4 (May 7, 2019)

This will mark just the second time that the Vols have traveled to Clarksville to take on the Govs. Tennessee won the only other meeting in Clarksville with a 5-3 victory back in 2011. UT has won four straight in the series and 12 of the past 14 meetings.

NOTABLE

Vols vs. In-State Competition
Tennessee is 16-9 in games against in-state opponents since Tony Vitello took over as head coach in 2018. The Vols are 8-3 against in-state competition since 2019.

Midweek Masters
Tennessee has won 13 straight midweek games entering Wednesday’s contest against Austin Peay. The Vols are 30-5 in midweek contests since 2018 when Vitello took over as head coach.

Vols in the Polls
Tennessee entered the 2021 season ranked in the Top 25 nationally in four of the six major polls. This year marked the first time that the Vols had been ranked in the preseason Top 25 since 2007, when UT was ranked as high as No. 11 to begin the season.

The Vols current rankings entering this week are listed below.

Tennessee Current Top 25 Rankings
USA Today                       #17
D1Baseball.com               #18
NCBWA                            #18
Baseball America            #22

Beck Breaking Out
Sophomore outfielder Jordan Beck has been the Vols’ most dangerous hitter this season with a team high three home runs and 12 RBI through nine games. Beck has reached base in all eight games he’s played in this season, with hits in six of those contests. His 12 RBI rank 14th nationally and fourth in the SEC entering play this week.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Austin Peay Governors

2021 Record: 1-5 (0-0 OVC)
2019 Postseason: N/A
Head Coach: Travis Janssen (6th season) // Led the APSU to back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2018 and 2019.
The Govs were picked to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll.
Redshirt junior first baseman John McDonald and redshirt sophomore outfielder Garrett Spain each were named to the All-OVC Preseason Team.
Spain leads the team with a .300 batting average, two homers and four RBI entering Wednesday’s contest.
Projected starting pitcher Luke Brown has thrown 3.1 innings in two relief appearances this season, allowing four runs on three hits and four walks.
After starting the season 0-5, Austin Peay picked up its first win of the year last Sunday with a 12-7 victory against Army.

ON DECK

The Vols wrap up their 10-game homestand with a three-game weekend series against Georgia State. Game 1 is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Friday. All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network + and the ESPN app.

-UT Athletics