Austin Peay State University Baseball

Roland Fanning, an Oklahoma State baseball staff member for the past three seasons, was named Austin Peay's 12th head baseball coach on May 29, 2022. In his first season at Austin Peay, Fanning led the Governors through a remarkable transformation that began with a Division I record 27 newcomers added to the roster and finished with a seven-win improvement, an appearance in their first Atlantic Sun Conference tournament, and a victory in that tournament. Fanning brought 15 seasons of experience as an assistant coach to Austin Peay, including eight combined seasons at Oklahoma State and Kentucky. While he was on the Cowboys and Wildcats staffs, those programs posted four 40-plus win campaigns, with this season's OSU squad a win away from another 40-win season. The Coalgate, Oklahoma native also has developed top-caliber athletes, with three conference Player of the Year award winners and 23 All-American Selections. He has seen 69 athletes selected in the MLB Draft, with four chosen in the first round and seven reaching the major leagues. And yet, the athletes Fanning has coached also have excelled off the field. Over 300 athletes have earned academic honors during Fanning's coaching career. Prior to taking over at Austin Peay, Fanning completed his third season in his second turn as an Oklahoma State baseball staff member, most recently serving as the Cowboys' Director of Player Development. In 2021, the Cowboys posted 36 wins and appeared in the NCAA Baseball Tournament at th

Devine enters his first season on the Govs’ coaching staff as a graduate assistant for the 2026 season. Devine graduated from Austin Peay following the 2024 season,

Head coach Roland Fanning elevated Littell into a full-time assistant coach role in July 2023 and served as the Governors' hitting coach for the 2024 season. After

Kimbel, a Franklin, Tennessee native, returned to Clarksville after three seasons at Evansville when head coach Roland Fanning hired him as the Governors' hitting coach and recruiting coordinator in July 2022. After leading the Governors to one of their finest offensive seasons in recent history, Kimbel moved into the Governors' pitching coach role for the 2024 season. Kimbel began coaching as a graduate assistant at Kentucky in 2018, serving on the same staff as Fanning for two seasons. After earning his master's degree at Kentucky, Evansville hired him before the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He was the Purple Aces volunteer assistant in 2020, the hitting coach in 2021, and the pitching coach in 2022. While at Evansville, he coached seven All-MVC selections, including 2022 MVC Pitcher of the Year Nick Smith. Governors' fans will remember Kimbel for his two seasons as a pitcher during the 2015 and 2016 seasons and his return to serve as the operations assistant in 2017. He made 30 career appearances in the red and white. He joined the Governors after beginning his career at Columbia State Community College, where he made 39 appearances over two seasons.