Clarksville, TN - After claiming three wins last weekend to open the 2026 season, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) softball team heads to the Bayou State for the three-day, five-game Carl Vincent Insurance Invitational, Friday-Sunday, at Joe Miller Field in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In addition to the Governors, the tournament field features Lamar, Illinois-Chicago, and host McNeese State.
The Governors open both Friday and Saturday with games against both Lamar and the hosting Cowgirls, with Friday being 11:00am and 4:00pm scheduled first pitches and Saturday's action being a doubleheader beginning at 11:00am. The tournament then concludes with an 11:00am, Sunday contest against Illinois-Chicago.
Last time out, the APSU Govs went 3-2 at the UWG Opening Weekend in Carrollton, Georgia, with a pair of wins against West Georgia and another against Drexel. A Preseason All-Atlantic Sun Conference selection, Brie Howard finished the weekend with a team-best four home runs, 11 RBI, and .412 batting average, while both she and Emillee Baker paced the team with seven hits apiece. In the circle, Alanah Jones claimed a pair of wins after tossing 11.2 innings across three appearances with a team-best eight strikeouts.
Led by eighth-year and the all-time winningest head coach in Austin Peay State University softball history, Kassie Stanfill, the Governors are coming off a 2025 season in which they tied the program record with 39 wins while also securing a record 14 ASUN victories. Stanfill returns 13 athletes from last year's team including ASUN Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Preseason All-ASUN Team selection in outfielder Brie Howard in addition to a preseason all-conference selection and infielder Kiley Hinton.
A reigning First Team All-ASUN recipient following her sophomore season, Howard finished on the team in runs (38), hits (56), triples (3), total bases (93), batting average (.354), and on-base percentage (.440), while her 37 RBI and eight home runs were third and fourth on the team, respectively. Howard has started 102-of-104 games throughout her collegiate career and has earned All-ASUN recognition both seasons in Clarksville.
A two-year starter in the Governors' infield, Hinton started 54-of-55 games for the Govs in 2025, with all her starts coming at second base. She paced the APSU Govs with 13 doubles, 122 assists, and a .988 fielding percentage, with her 122 assists ranking second in the ASUN. The Mishawaka, Indiana native finished fifth on APSU with 46 hits, sixth with 31 RBI and eighth with 25 runs scored.
Stanfill also returns Katie Raper, who started all 50 games she appeared in and whose 14 home runs were the second-most in program history.
For news and updates throughout the 2026 season, follow the Governors on X and Instagram (@GovsSB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com for stories and schedule updates.
The Austin Peay State University softball team heads to the Lone Star State for Sam Houston's Bearkat Invitational, February 20th-22nd, in Huntsville, Texas.