Oklahoma State assistant Roland Fanning hired as Austin Peay baseball coach
Roland Fanning's arrival as Austin Peay's baseball coach is the latest addition to an athletic department that is being reshaped ahead of the university's official ASUN start date, July 1.
Governors athletics director Gerald Harrison announced Fanning as the baseball coach Sunday, more than a month after the school parted ways with Travis Janssen midway through the 2022 season.
Trevor Fitts served as the interim coach after Janssen was dismissed, and the Govs finished the season 19-37..
Fanning spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Oklahoma State and has spent 15 seasons as an assistant, including three at Kentucky.
Austin Peay is scheduled to introduce Fanning at 11 a.m. Thursday at Jo Maynard Field at Raymond C. Hand Park.
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“I’m extremely thankful for this opportunity,” Fanning said. “I want to thank (Austin Peay president) Dr. Licari, Gerald Harrison, and (Senior Director of Athletics) Jordan Harmon for all their hard work during this process. Austin Peay has a great tradition, with great alumni and a fan base that is excited about our baseball program."
Harrison has guided Austin Peay through its departure from the Ohio Valley Conference to the ASUN while hiring a new men's basketball coach (Nate James), women's basketball coach (Brittany Young) and soccer coach (Kim McGowan).
“It is my pleasure to welcome Coach Fanning, his wife Beverly, and daughters Emery Jo and Eastyn to Stacheville,” Harrison said. “I am confident coach Fanning will relentlessly reignite the energy and passion around Austin Peay baseball that once led us to 15 OVC championships and six NCAA tournament appearances."
While Fanning was on the Cowboys and Wildcats staffs, those programs posted three 40-plus win campaigns. He has developed two conference player of the year winners, 21 All-Americans and 56 athletes selected in the MLB Draft.
"He is an evaluator, a recruiter, and a developer of talent," Harrison said. "Those skills will be key to our success as we regain our competitive edge and level up to the ASUN Conference.”
The Coalgate, Oklahoma, native serves as Oklahoma State's director of player development. OSU is 39-20 and a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament with Missouri State, Grand Canyon and 2-seed Arkansas in its regional.
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Reach sports writer George Robinson at grobinson@gannett.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: APSU continues to retool athletics to prepare for ASUN with new coach
