University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagles Host Conference-Foe Louisville
4/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Golden Eagles Host Conference-Foe Louisville
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? Southern Miss Baseball plays host to Conference USA opponent Louisville in a three-game series, Friday through Sunday, at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
The Golden Eagles, ranked No. 28 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball, sport a 23-11 overall record and conference-best 9-3 league mark. Louisville (19-9, 8-4) is tied for second in C-USA with Houston and TCU. Southern Miss is riding a five-game winning streak after defeating New Orleans, 13-2, Wednesday. The Cardinals have dropped five of their last seven after losing to Western Kentucky, 10-9, Tuesday.
Game one of the series is slated for 6:30 p.m., Friday, with Saturday and Sunday games taking place at 4 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. All three games can be heard locally on The Zoo 107.1, with Lance Pittman handling the play-by-play duties. Pregame shows begin approximately 15 minutes before the first pitch. The broadcasts can also be heard by logging on to SouthernMiss.com.
The Golden Eagles will look to continue their offensive prowess over the last few games and are averaging 7.7 runs per game this season. The team is third in the conference in batting average, while also ranking second in runs, hits and RBIs. Jeff Cook powers the Southern Miss offense, leading in several categories, including batting average (.359), runs (43), hits (52), home runs (9) and RBIs (37). Allen Winningham follows with a .346 batting average, a team-high 13 doubles and five home runs. Griff Israel is third with a .343 batting average.
Louisville has some power hitters of its own, led by Mark Jurich, who is second in the conference in batting with a .447 batting average. He also is tied for third in the league with eight home runs. Along with Jurich, J. T. LaFountain and Morgan Bojorquez are batting .352 and .330, respectively. The Cardinals have scored 193 runs this season and lead the league with 35 home runs.
The probable pitching matchup in the first game pits Southern Miss' Shea Douglas (6-1, 2.48 ERA) with Louisville starter Scott Barber (1-2, 5.35 ERA). Douglas is tied for second in the league in wins (6) and is third in strikeouts (64). He picked up his last win in seven innings against Charlotte, in which he fanned nine batters. Barber is second on the team with 27 strikeouts.
The possible starters for game two are the Golden Eagles' Bob McCrory (4-1, 1.86 ERA) and the Cardinals' Zach Jackson (3-1, 3.82 ERA). McCrory is tops on the team in ERA, ranks third in the conference, as well as 29th in the nation. He is undefeated as a starter and won his last outing after allowing four runs, two earned, on six hits at Charlotte. McCrory is third on the team in strikeouts (34). Jackson has allowed 13 runs on 28 hits with 25 strikeouts for Louisville.
For game three, Charlie Rogers (5-1, 4.33 ERA) will take the mound for Southern Miss, while Mike Tisdale (4-1, 4.47 ERA). Rogers is second on the team in innings pitched (52.0) and is second in opposing batting average (.233). He has 30 strikeouts on the year. Tisdale leads the Cardinals with 35 strikeouts, while also allowing 23 runs on 50 hits this season.
Following the three-game series, the Golden Eagles host Mississippi State in a two-game series, Tuesday and Wednesday. Both games are set for 6:30 p.m.
