University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
This Week in Southern Miss Baseball
5/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 11, 2009
This Week's Schedule:
Monday 5/11: Day Off/No Practice
Tuesday 5/12: Southern Miss at South Alabama- 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday 5/13: Practice at Pete Taylor Park
Thursday 5/14: Tennessee Tech at Southern Miss- 6:30 p.m.
Friday 5/15: Tennessee Tech at Southern Miss- 6:30 p.m
Saturday 5/16: Tennessee Tech at Southern Miss- 1:00 p.m
Sunday 5/17: Day Off/No Practice.
*All practice dates and times are tentative and subject to change without prior notice
Conference USA Tournament:
The 2009 Conference USA Tournament will be held this season at Pete Taylor Park from May 20-24. Tournament Ticket books are now on sale at the Southern Miss ticket office. For complete tournament information visit: http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/championships/09-m-basebl-championship.html
Last Week in Review:
Southern Miss did not play a midweek game because of final exams and traveled to Memphis for a three game C-USA weekend series. After dropping the first two games of the series McInnis pitched Southern Miss past the Tigers on Sunday, striking out a career high 11 batters in route to his seventh win of the season.
This Week at "The Pete":
Southern Miss returns to "The Pete" for a three game series beginning on Thursday against Tennessee Tech. Fans are encouraged to come out and show support for Coach Corky Palmer in his last regular season series at Pete Taylor Park.
On Friday, Southern Miss will offer its 'Family Four Pack' in which fans can get four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $40. At Saturday's regular season finale the Golden Eagles will recognize the 2009 seniors, and it is also 'Bring a Kid to the Park Day' where fans can receive a free child ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket.
End of a Era
Southern Miss baseball coach Corky Palmer announced Thursday that he is retiring as head baseball coach, effective at the end of the season.
Palmer will continue to work with the athletics department in a part-time role in an effort to raise money for not only the baseball program, but other projects as assigned by athletics director Richard Giannini.
"I want to be the first to congratulate Corky on his retirement and compliment him on the outstanding record he has complied as the head coach of Southern Miss baseball for the past 12 years," said Giannini. "Corky will go down in the record books as one of the most successful coaches in any sport at Southern Miss. More importantly, is the quality, integrity and character of this man. He has been a great mentor and friend to countless student-athletes, assistant baseball coaches, other sports coaches and administrative staff members."
Palmer, who has compiled a 445-272 record as the top coach for the Southern Miss baseball program over the last 12 seasons, has led the Golden Eagles to seven NCAA tournament appearances including a current streak of six straight berths. His win total at the school ranks second-best on the school's all-time victory chart. Palmer ascended to the top job for the Golden Eagles in 1998, replacing long-time head coach Hill Denson.
The Hattiesburg, Miss., native finishes his 31st year of coaching this spring and has made stops at the prep level at Lee (1979-80) and Columbia High Schools (1983-84) before moving on to Southern Miss as an assistant coach for two seasons (1985-86).
Palmer then accepted his first collegiate head coaching job at Meridian (Miss.) Community College, where he oversaw a program that tallied a 409-160 mark over 10 seasons (1987-1996) and included five Miss-Lou Conference Championships and four Region 23 titles. His teams went to the Junior College World Series three times and the club was national runners-up in his final season in 1996.
He returned to his alma mater in 1997 as an assistant coach and the team went 34-23 that season before taking over the program the next year. The Golden Eagles have gone on to record 10 winning seasons over his tenure as head coach and have won 40 or more games in five of those campaigns, including a school-best 47 wins in 2003. That 2003 team also captured the C-USA tournament crown and for his efforts he was named the league's and region's Coach of the Year.
Over his time at Southern Miss, Palmer has coached 11 players to All-America honors, 10 Freshman All-Americans and four Academic All-Americans, as well as 19 players that have been drafted and gone on to professional baseball. He had four C-USA Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
Other accomplishments for Palmer during his time as head coach include hosting the school's first baseball postseason regional, many improvements to Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field including the recent addition of the press box and suites, a public recognition last spring by the NCAA as his team enjoyed a top 10 percent ranking of all of Division I baseball programs in Academic Progress Rates.
"The mark by Corky on Southern Miss baseball and our entire athletics program will be felt for a long, long time," Giannini said. "His legacy includes six consecutive NCAA appearances and the involvement in over $4.5 million in improvements to Pete Taylor Park, which included a clubhouse and office complex, a new press box and suites, an upgraded scoreboard and numerous other improvements to the complex. We are also happy that Corky will remain active as a part-time member of our staff and will continue to help raise funds to insure the quality of success for our baseball program."
Palmer is a member of both the Southern Miss Alumni Association and M-Club Sports Hall of Fames. He was inducted into the M-Club Hall of Fame and the Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2006.
Palmer, and his wife of 33 years, Debbie, will continue to reside in the Hattiesburg area.
Beginning of a New Era
A familiar face takes over at the helm of the Southern Miss baseball program as Director of Athletics Richard Giannini announced that Scott Berry has been promoted to the head coaching position. Berry replaces Corky Palmer, who announced his retirement as the Golden Eagle coach last week after 12 seasons leading the Southern Miss baseball team. Berry's promotion is pending approval by the Board of Trustees, Institute of Higher Learning.
Berry has been Palmer's right-hand man for the last nine seasons at Southern Miss, and it is no coincidence that the school is in the midst of the most successful run in school history advancing to six consecutive NCAA regionals.
"We have always had great respect for Scott Berry as a baseball coach, but more importantly his impeccable character," Giannini said. "After talking with dozens of current and former players, donors and dugout club members, it is obvious he is the person to take over for Coach Palmer. He has been a big part of the six consecutive NCAA regional appearances and I know his leadership will continue that tradition of excellence and success."
Berry came to Southern Miss prior to the 2001 season. Since he joined the staff, the Golden Eagles have garnered a 346-197 (.637) record while advancing to NCAA postseason play six times. The team also won the Conference USA Championship in 2003.
In his tenure at Southern Miss, Berry's main responsibility has been working with the pitching staff, mentoring four pitchers to seven All-American honors, including at least one All-American in four consecutive years from 2003-06. He also has coached three pitchers to freshmen All-American honors and saw 12 pitchers drafted into professional baseball.
Prior to joining Palmer's staff in 2001, he was the head coach at Meridian Community College where he amassed a 186-57 mark. In his four years as the head coach at MCC, Berry guided the Eagles to the NJCAA World Series twice, won the Region 23 Championship three times and captured the Mississippi/Louisiana Championship all four years.
Berry was named the Regional Coach of the Year three times (1997, 1998 and 2000), District Coach of the Year twice (1998 and 2000), while earning the Diamond Sports ABCA Region Coach of the Year in 1998 and the Louisville Slugger Coaching Award two times in 1997 and 1998.
At Meridian, he coached 30 players who signed to play Division I baseball and had 10 players selected in the major league draft, including 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner, Cliff Lee, of the Cleveland Indians, who played for Berry in 1999 and 2000.
Lee is one of four current major leaguers who played under Berry including Baltimore Orioles pitcher Bob McCrory (Southern Miss), Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brent Leach (Southern Miss) and Houston Astros infielder Jason Smith (Meridian CC).
Berry is no stranger to following in Palmer's footsteps. He was an assistant coach under Palmer at Meridian from 1991-96 and he took over the program when Palmer left for Southern Miss in 1997. Four years later, Palmer asked Berry to rejoin him at Southern Miss before the 2001 season.
"There is no question in my mind that he will do a great job as the head coach at Southern Miss," Palmer said. "He is a tremendous baseball coach and the players really respond to the way he coaches. I could not be any happier for him and his family. He deserves this opportunity and I think he will do a great job."
Berry, a native of Neosho, Mo., played two seasons collegiately at Crowder College, where he was a two-time all-region selection and the team's most valuable player his sophomore season. A back injury forced his career to come to an end prematurely, but Berry spent the final two season of his college career as a student assistant coach at Southwest Missouri State where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degree.
He and his wife Laura have two children, Garren (14) and Kathryn Grace (5). Laura received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Miss in speech communication. He is the son of Marliyn Berry and the late James Berry.
Giannini and Deputy Athletic Director Scott Carr put together an advisory group that reviewed possible candidates and unanimously chose Scott Berry as the successor to Palmer. The committee consisted of: Nick Welch (Athletic Foundation), Rick Maddox (Dugout Club), Dennis Phillips (Faculty Athletics Representative), Charlie Rogers (Former Southern Miss Baseball Player) and current Golden Eagle player Brian Dozier.
What They are Saying About Scott Berry
Cliff Lee- 2008 American League Cy Young Award Winner with the Cleveland Indians and former Meridian CC Player: "Coach Berry taught us how to play the game the right way. He took a group of individuals and put us all on the same page as a team and taught us how to play together. He is an unbelievable coach who knew when to motivate us, get on us or be our friend when we needed it."
Jason Smith- Houston Astros Infielder and former Meridian CC Player: "Coach Berry is an extremely hard worker who is dedicated to making his team better in everything he does. He relates to the players very well and was easy to play for because of the way he challenges you daily. As a player, you wanted to do well for him and play hard for him every day. He genuinely cared about me as a player both during and after my career at MCC. To this day, he is still a close friend of mine for that and many other reasons."
Billy Godwin- Head Coach East Carolina University: "Scott Berry is an outstanding coach and recruiter and will be a great addition to Conference USA. With his knowledge of the game and his Mississippi ties, he will be able to build on the legacy that Coach Palmer has already established in Hattiesburg."
Marc Maddox- All-America Infielder at Southern Miss and current Minor League Player for the Kansas City Royals: "Coach Berry is a great person and great competitor, and his knowledge of the game second to none. As a player, he was always there for me whether it was a struggle in life or on the field. You could talk to him about whatever you needed. He always kept everything in complete control on and off the field. I am very happy for him and his family for this great opportunity and I wish him the best of luck."
Barry Bowden- All-America Pitcher at Southern Miss and current Minor League Player for the Kansas City Royals: "Coach Berry is one of the best coaches I have ever played for. But as good of a coach as he is, he is an even better man. For me personally, he built confidence in me every time I took the mound and he helped me become a better pitcher every day."
Tyler Conn - All-America Pitcher at Southern Miss and current Minor League Player for the Detroit Tigers: "Coach Berry is one of the best men I have ever met. As a player he really gave me someone to look up to, relate to and respect both as a person and a coach. He is a very loyal man and a great family man. I could not think of a better person to follow the legacy that Coach Palmer left at Southern Miss. He is one of the reasons I am in playing professionally today."
Dozier Selected as Finalist for Boo Ferriss Trophy
For the second consecutive season a Southern Miss player was selected as a finalist for the Cellular South Ferriss Trophy, as Brian Dozier was announced today as a finalist for the Mississippi Player of the Year Award.
Former Golden Eagle reliever Tyler Conn was selected as a finalist last season.
Though Dozier's career at Southern Miss came to a premature end, the Major League scouts, college coaches and a media representative who vote on the Boo Ferriss Trophy recognized the brilliant career he has put together.
Joining Dozier as a finalist is Ole Miss pitcher Scott Bittle and Belhaven Pitcher Craig Wescott. The three finalists and their coaches will be present along with the award's namesake, Boston Red Sox and Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer Dave "Boo" Ferriss. A special presentation will be made to retiring Southern Miss coach Corky Palmer.
For ticket information, contact the Museum at 1-800-280-FAME (3263). All proceeds benefit the non-profit Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum.
C-USA Weekend in Review
Half of the league's teams were in action in the city of Houston this weekend, with the results impacting the conference race. Rice moved one step closer to a fourth consecutive regular season C-USA title by taking two of three games from UCF. Second place East Carolina entered the weekend with a one game lead over third place Houston as the teams met at Cougar Field and the Pirates extended that lead with a two games to one series victory over the Cougars.
UCF pulled off a big surprise to open the series on Friday night, as Caleb Graham turned in the best pitching performance of his career on Friday night, tossing 6.1 shutout innings as the Knights blanked the Owls, 5-0. It was the first time since Jan. 30, 2000 that UCF blanked a ranked opponent. Rice rebounded on Saturday with a 10-2 victory, as Ryan Berry worked seven strong innings and Anthony Rendon went 3-for-4 with a home run. The Knights gave the second-ranked Owls all they could handle on Sunday before Rice scratched out a run on a single by Chad Mozingo in the bottom of the eighth to win, 8-7.
Houston opened the series by winning a back and forth contest that saw the Cougars score the decisive run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh to earn a 5-4 win. East Carolina came back strong on Saturday, with three different Pirates launching towering home runs during a six-run sixth inning as ECU posted a 12-2 victory. East Carolina secured the series victory with more offense on Sunday, scoring two or more runs in four different innings to post a 13-6 victory. Ryan Wood led the attach with four hits, including two home runs.
Tulane took two-of-three from UAB to move into fourth place in the league standings. UAB matched a season high with five home runs, including two by Andrew Manning in Friday night's 8-7 win. On Saturday, Tulane rallied from an 8-4 deficit by scoring five runs in the seventh and eighth innings, capped by a Scott Powell single that sent Josh Prince home with the game-winning run. Sunday's contest turned into a pitcher's duel, as Conrad Flynn outperformed Kyle Roberson in the Green Wave's 3-1 victory that gave them 30 wins on the season.
Memphis earned its first Conference USA series victory of the season by taking two games from Southern Miss in Millington, Tenn. In the first Friday night start of his career, junior lefthander Brach Davis struck out five in 6.1 innings and senior Matt Yokley worked a scoreless ninth to record his 18th career save as Memphis edged Southern Miss, 5-4, in the series opener. The next day, freshman Jacob Wilson was a triple short of a cycle and Brennon Martin allowed just two hits over seven innings in the Tigers 16-6 victory. Southern Miss closed out the series with a 4-1 win, as Todd McInnis was dominant on the mound, striking out 11 without walking a batter in eight innings.
Marshall stepped out of league play for a two-game series at Radford. The Thundering Herd rallied to earn an 8-7 victory on Saturday, as Adam Yeager hit a two-run, game-winning home run in the top of the ninth inning. On Sunday, Brandon Cassamassima hit a two-run homer and Austin Coan tied the school record with his eighth save of the season in a 5-3 win that gave Marshall its first series sweep since mid-March.
2010 Signees
HIGH SCHOOL SIGNEES
C Jared Bales- A 6'2" and 210 pound catcher who plays for coach Cayne Stockstill at Picayune High School in south Mississippi, where he earned All-District honors as a sophomore and junior. Last season he led his team with a .439 average, collecting 43 hits in 98 at bats including 14 doubles and three home runs while driving in 35 runners.
LHP Dillon Day- Day will join Southern Miss out of Dutchtown High School in Geismas, La. where he played for coach Chris Schexnayder. Day is a 6'1" left-handed pitcher who could also play in the outfield for Southern Miss once he arrives on campus. As a pitcher he earned first-team all district honors last season as a junior going 5-4 with two saves in 51.2 innings pitched. He struck out 79 batters and boasted an ERA of 2.98. At the plate he hit .337 with six home runs and 22 RBI.
C Chase Fowler- From South Forsyth High School in Cumming Ga., where he played for coach Jamie Corr. Fowler earned all-county honors after both his sophomore and junior season and was named one of the top underclassmen in the state of Georgia after last season. He was named the Eagles defensive player of the year, allowing only one passed ball all season and led his team to the state playoffs for the second consecutive year. He is a 6'0" switch hitter who hit .339 during his sophomore season and .278 as a junior.
RHP/INF Jay Myrick - Myrick joins the Golden Eagles from Spanish Fort high where he played for coach Tommy Walker. He is an All-State and All-County selection who played in the Alabama High School Athletic Association All-Star Game. On the mound he is 19-6 in his career with six saves, working 165 innings with 256 strikeouts. He is 3-0 this season in 21 innings with 38 strikeouts and a2.63 ERA. He features a fastball in the 88-90 MPH range with a good curveball. At the plate he is a .310 hitter with 30 doubles and 21 home runs and 124 career run scored.
RHP- Geoffrey Thomas - Thomas comes to Hattiesburg out of Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He is a 6'2", 185 pound right-handed pitcher playing for coach Eric Hosie at SHS where he carries a 0.51 ERA in 27.2 innings thus far this season with 48 strikeouts and 23 walks. He is 3-2 on a team that in 3-9 overall this season. He was named the team MVP in both 2008 and 2006 while earning all-county honors in 2007 and 2008. Prior to the 2009 season he was named to the Rawlings/Perfect Game USA Preseason All-Region Team. Thomas has also participated in the Major League Baseball Inaugural Breakthrough Series and was a MLB Urban Academy All-Star selection in 2008.
RHP Chase Wroten- Wroten is a right-handed pitcher who will join the Golden Eagles from Hillcrest Christian High School in Jackson where he has played for coach Shane Kelly since his freshman season. Last year he earned All-State honors while leading his team to a Division II AAA State Championship. He was 8-0 with one save in nine starts and one relief appearance with an ERA of 1.14. He struck out 102 batters in 55.1 innings while walking only 15. in addition to All-State honors he was also earned All-District and All-Metro honors as well.
JUNIOR COLLEGE SIGNEES
OF Marc Bourgeois - Bourgeois will transfer to Southern Miss from junior college powerhouse Chipola JC in Marianna, Florida where he started 55 games for the Florida State Champion Indians last season. In addition to the state championship he helped led the Chipola to an appearance in the JUCO World Series, Region VIII Championship and the Panhandle Conference Championship in his freshman season. With the Indians last season he hit .290 with four home runs and 10 doubles while being named to the state tournament all-star team. He is a native of Montreal, Quebec where he attended Louis-Philippe Pare High School, thought he did not play baseball in high school he was a part of the Academy Baseball Canada under coach Joel Landry where he hit .380 with seven doubles and 16 stolen bases. He also played for the Canadian Junior National Baseball Team from 2006-07.
LHP Patrick Corbin - Corbin will transfer to Southern Miss from Chipola Community College, one of the nations top junior college programs. Baseball America has him as the No. 10 ranked junior college prospect in the nation. He is a 6'3" left-handed pitcher that features fast ball in the 88-92 MPH range with a plus slider, who pitched his freshman season at Mohawk Valley Community College in Rome, NY. A native of Syracuse, NY, Corbin earned first team all-state and all-league honors at Cicero North Syracuse high, which was the No.1 ranked team in the state of New York. As a senior in 2007, he was 8-0 with 76 strikeouts in 47 innings, allowing only 33 hits and 16 runs. He was 14-0 in his high school career with 139 strikeouts.
Awards and Honors:
Conference USA Hitter of the Week
Bo Davis (3/2)
Brian Dozier (3/30)
Conference USA Pitcher of the Week
Seth Hester (4/6)
Todd McInnis (4/11)
College Baseball Insiders Central Region Player of the Week
Brian Dozier (3/30)
College Baseball Insiders National "All-Star Lineup"
Bo Davis (3/2)
Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
(National Player of the Year)
Bo Ferris Trophy Finalist
(Mississippi Player of the Year)
Preseason All-Conference USA
(Selected by C-USA Coaches)
Preseason Baseball America All-Conference Team
Preseason SEBaseball.com All-Conference First Team
Preseason SEBaseball.com All-Conference Second Team
Preseason Rivals.com All-Conference Team
Brain Dozier
Following the Golden Eagles:
WXHB The Hub, 96.5 will once again serve as the flagship radio station for Golden Eagles baseball in 2008. John Cox is in his 27th year calling Golden Eagles baseball. He will be joined in the booth this season by Jack Duggan on most home games and selected road games.
Southernmiss.com will once again stream live stats of all 52 games on a real time basis and live video will be available for all home games and selected road games through Southern Miss All-Access
Tickets:
Individual game tickets can be purchased through the Pat Ferlise Athletic Ticket Office on West 4th St., from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, over the phone at 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or online at SouthernMiss.com. The Pete Taylor Park ticket office will open approximately two hours prior to first pitch.
Discounted group tickets are also available for groups of 15 or more. For more information on bringing your group to "The Pete" contact Brain Morrison at 601.266.6866
Game Day Weather Hotline
For the latest information on weather related issues concerning Southern Miss home events call the Southern Miss gameday hotline at 601.266.7411. The number will be updated constantly in situations where weather could affect games.
