University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagle Baseball Hosts Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday
4/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Golden Eagle Baseball Hosts Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The University of Southern Mississippi (29-16) hosts Mississippi Valley State University (10-37) in a non-conference game on Tuesday, April 30, at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field, starting at 6:30 p.m. This will be the Golden Eagles last non-conference game of the season.
The game will be broadcast on 107 FM, The Zoo, in Hattiesburg and on www.SouthernMiss.com for fans outside the Hattiesburg area. Lance Pittman will handle the play-by-play duties with the pregame show beginning 15 minutes prior to the first pitch.
This is the 16th meeting between the two schools, with Southern Miss holding a 15-0 series advantage. The first meeting was in 1986 and the last meeting was last year when the Golden Eagles won in Hattiesburg, 15-1.
Southern Miss won 2-of-3 games in its Conference USA weekend series at UAB, winning Friday, 5-4, and Saturday, 7-6, before dropping Sunday's contest, 5-4. The Golden Eagles won 19-5 in its last non-conference game at Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday, April 23. Mississippi Valley State has lost two in a row and eight of its last 11 games. Its last contest was a 4-3 loss at Alabama State on April 21.
Brian Hurley (3-1, 6.75 ERA) will start for the Golden Eagles on the mound. He has pitched 25.1 innings, giving up 21 runs, 19 earned, on 35 hits, walking 13 and striking out 23. Hurley received his first start of his career against Southeastern Louisiana on April 9, pitching 4.1 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on nine hits and striking out seven, picking up his third win of the season. His last outing was at Southeastern Louisiana last Wednesday. He pitched the final two innings, giving up one run on four hits, walking one and striking out three.
The Delta Devils could send either Trey Wall, Joseph Liberto or Josh Hailey on the mound. Wall is 0-10 with a 5.68 ERA in 71.1 innings of work. He has given up 66 runs, 45 earned, on 100 hits, walking 25 and striking out 37. Liberto is 5-4 with a 6.57 ERA in 51.2 innings, giving up 46 runs, 36 earned, on 63 hits, walking 18 and striking out 41. Hailey is 3-6 with a 6.55 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched, giving up 61 runs, 42 earned, on 71 hits, walking 26 and striking out 49.
Allen Winningham took over the team's batting lead after last Wednesday's game at Southeastern Louisiana. He is hitting .365 with a team-high 18 doubles, one triple, seven homers, eight stolen bases and 32 RBIs. Jeff Cook is second in batting average, hitting .344 with seven doubles, one triple, a team-leading 13 homers and 50 RBIs. Griff Israel is hitting .327 with 11 doubles, one triple, three homers, 30 RBIs and has been hit a team-high 16 times.
The Golden Eagles are hitting .307 as a team with 107 doubles, five triples and 44 homers. They have also stolen 49 bases. The Delta Devils are hitting .249 with 53 doubles, nine triples and 25 homers. They also have stolen 67 bases.
Robert Reynolds leads Mississippi Valley State, hitting .373, with eight doubles, one triple, three homers and 23 RBIs. Tim Klick is hitting .268, with nine doubles, one triple, nine homers and 32 RBIs, and Trey Wall is hitting .316, with four doubles, five homers and 14 RBIs.
