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The Austin Peay baseball team took on Stetson in the ASUN Tournament on Wednesday with both battling for the right to call themselves conference champions.
During the regular season, each program finished tied atop the league standings in a three-way deadlock that also include Florida Gulf Coast. A premature โ2024 champsโ post was on the minds of many when the college baseball rivals took the field.
The Austin Peay Governors sat at 20-9 on the final day of the regular season, and a game up on both FGCU and Stetson. With at least a share of the ASUN crown wrapped up, the social media team decided to post a graphic of the on-field accomplishment.
๐ง๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ก ๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐. ๐ฉโพ๏ธ
๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ.#LetsGoPeay | #โฃ๐ ฑ๏ธ๐ ฐ๏ธ๐ pic.twitter.com/4qrywD5FbP
โ Austin Peay Baseball (@GovsBSB) May 18, 2024
โTrophy season at the hand,โ that pinned post read on X. โ2024 ASUN Regular Season Champions!โ
A win in the season finale wouldโve successfully secured an outright title.
Unfortunately, the Govs dropped their final contest while both Stetson and FGCU completed season-ending series sweeps. At yearโs end, all three shared identical 20-10 marks.
The Hattersโ coaching staff then threw a jab at their conference foe.
Whoops!!!! #Premature #jumpthegun
-Stetson head coach Steve Trimper / X: @Steve_Trimper
The schoolโs social media team then doubled down on the trolling with a โ2024 Championsโ post of their own!
๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ณ๐ง! ๐
Your Stetson Hatters are regular season CHAMPIONS ๐#Fight #OwntheMAC ๐ฉ pic.twitter.com/KquFkIOEAw
โ Stetson Baseball (@StetsonBaseball) May 19, 2024
The online exchange appeared to carry into the contest!
Stetson beat Austin Peay in the ASUN Tournament to eliminate the Govs from the field.
A 5-3 victory was locked up when Hattersโ reliever Aric McAtee struck an Austin Peay batter out looking in the ninth inning. Then things got testy!
Steve Trimper, who sent that previous message trolling the Governors, walked towards the opposing dugout to congratulate his counterpart on a game well played.
The AP staff wanted no part of it!
Roland Fanning was ready to throw hands at the end of the Stetson-Austin Peay game because of who is actually ASUN regular season champs ๐๐๐
Governorsโ magical season has all but come to an end with loss pic.twitter.com/Uld9rqzD3X
โ 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 23, 2024
Rather than shake Trimperโs hand, Austin Peay manager Roland Fanning is seen slapping it away before getting in the head coachโs face.
Players then got involved as chaos took over! The two teams met face-to-face on the infield, jawing back and forth in what was a frustrating end to the Governorsโ season.
Cooler heads finally prevailed as the squads made their ways back to their respective benches. You can tell how important the contest was to both sides.
Austin Peay later posted a cryptic statement about the situation online. Another jab at Stetson??
The events following todayโs ASUN baseball tournament game do not represent the best of Austin Peay athletics. Regardless of the comments or actions of others, as Governors, we must and should ascend to a higher level of class and sportsmanship.
In the end, Stetson advanced while sending their rival packing. With the season series now tied at two games apiece, we still might not be able to crown a true champion.
The Hatters certainly got the last laugh!