University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Ezell Named To Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team
6/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Ezell Named To Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ?
Southern Miss freshman pitcher Patrick Ezell has been named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team released today by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. This marks the third year in a row that Southern Miss has had a player named to the freshman All-American team and eighth in the history of the baseball program.Sophomore first baseman Marc Maddox was named to the team last season and Jarrett Hoffpauir, Cliff Russum, Matt Shepherd and Brad Willcutt was named to the team in 2002. Cliff Wren was named to the team in 1996, and Tommy Davis was the first Golden Eagle to attain freshman All-American status.
Ezell finished with a 6-2 record and a team-low 3.57 ERA among starting pitchers. He pitched in a team-high 90.2 innings, struck out a team-high 73 batters and walked a team-low 14 batters among starting pitchers. He pitched one complete game, combined with Austin Tubb for a shutout and opponents hit .281 against him. He pitched a season-high eight innings against Eastern Illinois (3/14) and TCU (4/4) and finished with a season-high 10 strikeouts against Eastern Illinois.
Other Conference USA freshman named to the team are Casey Hudspeth (RHP/USF), Shane Matthews (RHP/ECU), Shelby Ford (3B/TCU) and Chad Huffman (OF/TCU).
Southern Miss finished the 2003 season with a 45-19 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year in a row. The Golden Eagles were ranked among the nation's Top 25 most of the year, including a program-high 11th twice during the season. The Golden Eagles have collected a 92-35 record over the last two-years, marking the 11th best record in the nation during that time.
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