University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Tuscaloosa Regional One Of Familiarity For Southern Miss Baseball
5/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Southern Miss Tuscaloosa Regional Notes
May 31, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss baseball team will have an air of familiarity as it begins play in the Tuscaloosa Regional, hosted by The University of Alabama at Swell-Thomas Stadium on Friday.
Of the participating teams, No. 1 seed and No. 4 national seed Alabama (41-19), No. 2 seed Troy (45-15) and No. 4 seed Jacksonville State (35-22), Southern Miss has played two of them this year.
Southern Miss swept Troy in Hattiesburg on March 17-19, winning 5-1, 3-2 in 11 innings and 6-1, while dropping a 13-3 decision at Alabama on March 15.
But not only do the Golden Eagles have familiarity with the opponents, the school's seventh NCAA Regional also has a familiar location.
In 1999, Head Coach Corky Palmer's second year at the helm, he guided the team to a NCAA Regional appearance in Tuscaloosa, posting a 2-2 record there. The Golden Eagles defeated South Alabama 20-13, before falling to Alabama 10-4. The Golden Eagles rebounded to eliminate South Alabama 10-9, before dropping a 7-6 contest to Alabama.
Southern Miss (38-21) is the No. 3 seed in Tuscaloosa, and will face Troy on Friday at 2:30 p.m. The two schools will square off for the sixth time on Friday, with Southern Miss holding a 3-2 series advantage. Troy won the first meeting in 1998, 7-5 and also won the second meeting, 9-4, in 2001.
The Golden Eagles are 3-1 against regional participants, sweeping Troy and dropping a game to Alabama.
The team is led offensively by third baseman Marc Maddox, with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs. Centerfielder Toddric Johnson has a .366 batting average, 10 home runs and 62 runs scored. Trey Sutton hits .379, with 49 runs, 30 RBIs and 85 hits.
On the mound, Barry Bowden has a 3-2 record and 3.95 ERA, striking out 46 in 54.2 innings of work. Ryan Belanger has an 8-1 mark, with 60 strikeouts in 59.1 innings of work. Cliff Russum has a 7-6 record, 4.47 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 86.2 innings pitched.
Troy enters the tournament on a 10-game winning streak, as it won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament last week. Since starting the year 3-6, Troy finished the season with a 42-8 record.
The Trojans have played everyone in the Regional this year, and have a 3-3 record against regional participants. The Trojans were swept by Southern Miss, defeated Alabama, 8-5, following the Southern Miss series on March 22. Troy also took down Jacksonville State 13-3 on Feb. 28 and 6-1 on March 7.
Troy is led offensively by shortstop Tom King, with a .416 batting average to go along with eight home runs and 72 RBIs. Right fielder Mike Felix hits .366, with 10 homers and 62 runs scored, while designated hitter Josh Dew has 17 long balls and 64 RBIs.
On the mound, Troy is led by Clegg Snipes with a 7-0 record and 4.56 ERA,
Joe Hallahan has a 6-3 record and 4.17 ERA, while Mike Felix has a 9-3 record and 128 strikeouts.
Alabama won the Southeastern Conference regular-season and serves as the host for the regional. Should Alabama and Southern Miss meet in day two action, it will be the 91st meeting, with the Crimson Tide holding a 68-22 advantage.
The Crimson Tide is 1-1 against regional participants, defeating Southern Miss 13-3, while falling 8-5 to Troy.
The Crimson Tide is led by centerfielder Emeel Salem, with a .362 batting average, 63 runs and 27 RBIs, while catcher Kody Valverde hits .320, with 11 homers and 51 RBIs. Third baseman Matt Downs sports a .305 batting average, with 56 RBIs and 46 runs.
On the mound, Wade LeBlanc has a 1-0 record, 2.72 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 116 innings of work. Tommy Hunter has a 10-3 mark, 3.19 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 104.1 innings pitched.
Jacksonville State won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to earn the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The No. 4 seed Gamecocks have won nine of their last 10 games.
Southern Miss and Jacksonville State have never met.
Jacksonville State is 0-2 against tournament participants, falling twice to Troy in 2006.
The Gamecocks are led offensively by right fielder Nick Cleckler with a .380 batting average, 62 runs and 32 RBIs, while left fielder Clay Whittemore has a .330 batting average and 40 RBIs. Utility player Eric Beck has 60 RBIs, to go along with a .313 batting average and eight home runs.
On the mound, Donovan Hand has a 9-4 record, 2.58 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 97.2 innings of work. Matthew Darwin has a 6-1 record, 4.83 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 72.2 innings.
2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Schedule
Friday, June 2, 2006
Game 1 -- 2:30 p.m.: No. 2 Seed Troy vs. No. 3 Seed Southern Miss
Game 2 -- 6:30 p.m.: No. 1 Seed Alabama vs. No. 4 Seed Jacksonville St.
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Game 3 -- 2:30 p.m.: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser
Game 4 -- 6:30 p.m.: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Sunday, June 4, 2006
Game 5 -- 2:30 p.m.: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser
Game 6 -- 6:30 p.m.: Game 4
Monday, June 6, 2006
Game 7 -- 2 p.m.: If Necessary
2006 NCAA Baseball Tuscaloosa Regional
Ticket Information:
Tournament Booklet (good for all games): $40.00
Ticket must be purchased by NOON on Wednesday, May 31 to receive priority.
A maximum of four (4) all session booklets can be purchased per customer.
Please contact the ticket office beginning Thursday, June 1, at 8:00 AM to verify if you were allotted tickets for the regional. Southern Miss receives a very limited allotment of tickets as a visiting team to Tuscaloosa Regional and not all orders will be filled. Orders will be filled according to the 2005-2006 Eagle Club priority ranking.
Southern Miss Ticket Office: (800) 844-TICK (8425) or www.southernmiss.com
Single Game:
Single Session tickets are available only at the gate on the day of the game through the University of Alabama Ticket Office. The stadium will be cleared after each game. Ticket prices will be announced later in the week if tickets are available.
University of Alabama Ticket Office: (205) 348-2262 or www.rolltide.com
Will Call: First Base Gate
Will Call Hours:
Friday - 12:30 PM
Saturday - 12:30 PM
Sunday - 12:30 PM
Monday - Noon (if necessary)
