University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
This Week in Southern Miss Baseball
3/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 29, 2010
This Week in Southern Miss Baseball
March 29, 2010
This Week's Schedule
Monday 3/22: Practice at Pete Taylor Park
Tuesday 3/23: Southern Miss at South Alabama- 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday 3/24: Practice at Pete Taylor Park
Thursday 3/25: St. Mary's College at Southern Miss- 6:30 p.m.
Friday 3/26: St. Mary's College at Southern Miss- 6:30 p.m.
Saturday 3/27: St. Mary's College at Southern Miss- 12:00 noon
Sunday 3/28: Day Off/No practice (Easter Sunday)
*All practice dates and times are tentative and subject to change without prior notice
TWIB Notes
· Southern Miss opened C-USA play dropping two of three at UAB over the weekend
· The Golden Eagles fell to 5-1 in midweek games with a 11-6 loss to No. 17 Ole Miss on Tuesday at Trustmark Park
· Southern Miss tied their season high five home runs in Saturday's second game win at UAB. They also slugged five home runs in a victory at LA. Tech
· Senior pitcher Scott Copeland missed Saturday's start with arm soreness
· Southern Miss has scored 10 runs or more in nine of the teams 22 games while they have 10 or more hits in 13 games
· The black and gold have already turned 32 double plays through the first 22 games of 2010. The Golden Eagles have had four or more twin killing in three different games this year.
· They led the nation last year with 83 twin-killings.
· The Golden Eagles have scored 186 runs on 253 hits, 81 for extra bases, in the first 22 games
· The pitching staff has recorded 165 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .270 average and a .378 slugging percentage
- Southern Miss turned two triple plays this season, the second triple play in school history was turned vs. La.- Monroe on March 3 as B.A Vollmuth fielded a ground ball at shortstop, tagged the runner going to third, stepped on second base and threw to first base.
- The Third Triple play in school history was once again turned by Vollmuth as he caught a line drive with runner moving on the pitch, stepped on second and threw over to first base at La. Tech on March 20
Last week in review
The Golden Eagles had their worst week of the season last week with 1-3 record, including a 1-2 C-USA record.
For only the second time in school history, Southern Miss lost a game at Trustmark Park as they fell to No. 17 Ole Miss on Tuesday, 11-6. The annual matchup in Pearl, Mississippi saw 27 hits, 21 runners left on base and 17 runs scored in the three and a half hour contest.
Hits were not a problem for Southern Miss, they had 13 in the game, 12 singles, but left 11 runners on base. Mark Ellis led the attack with three hits while Kameron Brunty, Taylor Walker and Adam Doleac each had two hits a piece.
The Golden Eagles opened C-USA play at UAB, dropping the first two games before responding with a 14-3 mercy rule win in the series finale.
In game one on Friday, UAB scored single runs in their first three at bats and added an insurance run in the eight inning to account for their four runs. Southern Miss scored their only two runs on home runs, Marc Bourgeois hit a inside the park home run and Travis Graves hit his first home run of the season.
Because of anticipated weather on Sunday the two teams played a double header on Saturday.
UAB took game one as Southern Miss managed only one hit through the first five innings and three different Golden Eagle pitchers surrendered four earned runs as the Blazers took game one 13-8.
In the second game Southern Miss scored 11 runs in their first three at bats and freshman Jay Myrick was outstanding is his first collegiate start leading Southern Miss to a 14-3 mercy rule win.
Coming into the game Myrick had thrown only 2.2 innings on the season. He worked 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four.
The Golden Eagles pounded out 18 hits, including five home runs, one of which was a grand slam hit by Taylor Walker.
The Week's Opponents
The Golden Eagles renew their annual two game home-and-home series with South Alabama on Tuesday. The Jags are currently 17-10 on the season and 7-2 in Sun Belt play. They have won a series over La. Lafayette just two weeks after Southern Miss took a series from ULL and also defeated Tulane in midweek action this season.
They were 2-2 last week with a midweek loss at Southeastern La. and took the weekend Sun Belt series at Missle Tennessee.
The Jags post a .321 batting average while scoring 227 runs and hitting 25 home runs on the season for a .476 slugging percentage. On the mound the staff post a 5.42 ERA allowing 284 hits in 239.1 innings while striking out 192 and walking 110.
St. Mary's will visit "The Pete" for the three game series beginning on Thursday because of the Easter holiday this weekend. This is the same St. Mary's College whose men's basketball team advanced to the sweet 16 last week of the NCAA Basketball tournament.
The Gaels, who will visit Hattiesburg from Moraga, Calif., are currently 7-12-1 on the season having lost three straight and six of their last eight, including a three game sweep by Tulane in New Orleans two weeks ago.
St. Mary's post a .286 team batting average with 16 home runs and 100 runs scored while striking out 118 and walking 58 times on the season. On the bump the Gaels post a 4.40 team ERA allowing 109 runs in 180 innings while striking out 116 and walking 64.
In The Polls
After spending the first to weeks of the season in the top 25 Southern Miss fell from the polls in week three. The Golden Eagles have been ranked as high as No. 21 this season.
Southern Miss has been listed in the "Others Receiving Votes" category the last five weeks in the NCBWA Poll
RPI Watch
According to Boydsworld.com Southern Miss is currently No. 60 in the latest RPI. Here is a look at where some of the Golden Eagles opponents that are in the top 100 with the Golden Eagles record against them in parenthesis
10- LSU
12- Ole Miss (0-1)
30- Mississippi State
40- Northwestern State (2-1)
57- Rice
59- South Alabama
61-La. Lafayette (2-1)
69- East Carolina
89- Tulane
93- Troy
97- La. Monroe (2-0)
Around Conference USA
EAST CAROLINA
The Pirates were 5-0 last week, including a three-game sweep of North Carolina Central in which ECU set a school-record for runs scored in a series with 65. Sophomore C Zach Wright led the team with three home runs and 12 RBI on the week. He hit a pair of grand slams (High Point and N.C. Central) while also hitting a solo home run in the series finale against NCC. Sophomore 3B Corey Thompson continued his solid play last week batting .571 (12-for-21) with 10 RBI, 10 runs and five doubles (team-best). He collected multiple hits in all five games, drove in two or more in three contests and scored two or more runs in four games. Thompson tied his career-high with three hits against High
Point and N.C. Central (first game). Senior DH Kyle Roller currently owns an eight-game hitting streak where he is batting .429 (12-for-28) with three HRs, 12 RBI, 12 runs and 12 walks. Reliever Seth Simmons picked up his sixth save of the season in the Pirates 7-5 win over High Point. With the save, Simmons moved into sole possession of second
place on the school's all-time saves charts with 17 passing former All-America Greg Bunn - now trails ECU record holder Cory Scott by six (23 saves)
HOUSTON
The Cougars opened Conference USA play by taking two-of-three games from UCF last weekend. Senior OF Zak Presley batted .500 (7-for-14) last week with five RBI. He scored two runs and had two RBI against Stephen F. Austin to open the week and had two hits, a double and an RBI in the C-USA opener against UCF. Presley was 3-for-4 with
a run scored and a triple against UCF on Saturday and went 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBI in the finale against UCF, a 20-3 win. Senior LHP William Kankel pitched the Cougars to their first conference win on Saturday over UCF. He went a career-long 6.2 innings, surrendering eight hits with three runs. Kankel struck out a career-high seven
batters in the win. With the 20 runs scored against UCF on Sunday, it marked the first 20- run game since Houston defeated Princeton, 20-1, on March 20, 2007. In Saturday's 7-3 win, the Cougars had seven extra-base hits, including triples by Presley, junior SS Blake Kelso and freshman 2B Travis Trial. Kelso finished the series with five hits and three RBI.
MARSHALL
The Thundering Herd dropped a pair of games at Tulane over the weekend, going 1-2 against the Green Wave. Junior C Victor Gomez tallied five RBI in the Tulane series and tied the Marshall school record for RBI in a career with 139. He has knocked in 30 runs on the season and recorded 10 multi-RBI games. Gomez extended his hit streak to 16 games with a 4-for-11 series against Tulane including a homer and five RBI. Freshman IF Kirby Pellant made his first conference series a memorable one for the Herd. The leadoff hitter went 5-for-13 with a double, triple and pair of runs scored. Marshall used 22 players in a 7-3 win against Tulane on Saturday. The Thundering Herd entered the weekend
series 28-of-31 on steal attempts but was 1-for-6 against the Green Wave on steals. Senior RHP Tyler Gatrell pitched in 2.1 innings over the weekend. The right-handed reliever has not allowed an earned run in his last 11 appearances totaling 11.0 innings. Junior RHP Arik Sikula tossed a career-high 6.0 innings and tied a career-best with six strikeouts in his first start of the year in a no decision against Tulane. In his last three appearances, the junior has posted a 2-0 record with a 2.08 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 13.0 innings.
MEMPHIS
The Tigers posted their first-ever series victory over Rice this past weekend, taking two-of-three from the then-No. 22-ranked Owls. After senior LHP Brennon Martin threw a complete-game in Friday night's 5-2 win, Memphis scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win game one on Saturday, 8-7 for the series win. Sophomore OF Drew Martinez has reached base safely in all 23 games this season. He has hit safely in 13 straight games, while sophomore 2B Chad Zurcher now has a 16-game hitting streak. Martinez and/or Zurcher have had two or more hits in 13 straight games. The Tigers registered double-digit hits in all four games last week, totaling 44 hits. Senior OF Tyler
Huelsing hit his seventh home run of the season in game two on Saturday. He has half of the team's 14 round-trippers this season. Freshman RHP Dan Langfield picked up his team-leading fourth victory of the year in game one on Saturday. He has a 3.66 ERA and has struck out 24 batters, while walking just six in 19.2 innings.
RICE
Rice has played each of its last seven games on the road, dating back to March 16. The Owls still have one more road game to play at Lamar on Tuesday, before opening a Conference USA series vs. crosstown rival Houston on Thursday. After losses in three straight games, and five defeats in the last six games, Rice's bats came alive in the second game of Saturday's double-header at Memphis. The Owls scored 13 runs on a total of 23 hits, one of the top single-game hit totals in the Rice record books. In the 13-4 victory over the Tigers freshman 2B Michael Ratterree went 5-for-6 at the plate and three different Owls hit home runs, including sophomore 3B Anthony Rendon with his tenth of the year. The homer was already the 30th of Rendon's young career, moving him into sole possession of 10th place on Rice's list for career round-trippers. On Rendon's bases-onballs watch, the Houston native now has an NCAA-leading 35 walks in 25 games. He's also been hit by a pitch twice for a .557 on-base percentage. Senior Diego Seastrunk also knocked a home run in the Memphis finale. Earlier, the veteran had missed 12 games (three weeks) with a strained oblique and had only served as a designated hitter since his return. He started at catcher in Friday's C-USA opener at Memphis, his first time
behind the plate since Feb. 24, and homered. The Owls have had some steady work on the mound from junior LHP Abe Gonzales. He has maintained a steady 2.57 ERA in 21 innings over nine appearances this season. Gonzales has held all opposing hitters to a composite .215 batting average. True freshman LHP J.T. Chargois has also been solid in spot relief work. Chargois has allowed only one run in 7.2 innings this season for a 1.17 ERA.
SOUTHERN MISS
The Golden Eagles dropped two-of-three at UAB to open Conference USA play this past weekend. Junior DH Adam Doleac extended his hitting streak to career long 13 games while going 9-16 on the week (.563) with a double, home run and three RBI. His performance last week helped raise his batting average to a team high .482 on the season. Junior 1B Mark Ellis batted .462 (6-for-13) last week with a double, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored last week. Senior C Travis Graves hit a pair of home runs in the UAB series, driving in four runs. In Saturday's 14-3 victory in game two at UAB, Southern Miss had five different players hit a home run. Senior 2B Taylor Walker had a team-high seven RBI last week, along with a double, a grand slam home run and five runs scored. True freshman RHP Jay Myrick pick up his first collegiate win in that game, tossing 6.1 innings, striking out five.
TULANE
The Green Wave took two-of-three from Marshall to open Conference USA play. Tulane remained unbeaten on Sundays this season with a 6-2 victory over Marshall. The Olive and Blue have not lost a Sunday contest since April 5, 2009 at then-No. 2 Rice. The Green Wave have won 11 straight contests on Sundays. A pair of freshman lead the way
for Tulane at the plate with catcher Blake Crohan and outfielder Brandon Boudreaux each carrying a batting average of over .400. Crohan has been hitting better than .400 since February 21, while Boudreaux pushed his average over the .400 mark this past weekend versus the Thundering Herd. Junior RHP Nick Pepitone continues to throw well in tight spots this season, posting a 1-0 record with 3.1 innings of work and just one run allowed this week. The right-hander struck out four and allowed just two hits in three appearances this week and is now 4-0 with four saves in 2010. Head coach Rick Jones sits just ten wins away from reaching the 700 win mark after claiming a pair of victories this weekend. Jones sits at 690 wins in his 17 seasons at the helm, with 253 of those coming in Conference USA play.
UAB
The Blazers posted their fifth consecutive series victory by taking two-of-three from Southern Miss to open league play. UAB closed the 2009 season by taking two out of three from Rice and have opened 2010 with series victories over Ball State (3-1), Eastern Illinois (2-1), Western Illinois (3-0) and Southern Miss (2-1). It marked the third straight season that the Blazers have won the regular season series against the Golden Eagles. In game one on Saturday, the Blazers posted season-highs in runs scored (13) and hits (15). On Saturday, senior 1B Luke Stewart had a streak of three consecutive games with two home runs snapped. Stewart homered twice on March 20 to close the Western Illinois series, added two more Tuesday at Kennesaw State and then went deep twice in Friday's series opener against the Golden Eagles. The senior started slowly this season, hitting .204 with two homers and 13 RBI through the first 16 games, but has now raised those season totals to .264 with eight homers and 23 RBI thanks to his recent hot streak. Senior RHP Mitch Kloskowski out-dueled reigning Conference USA Pitcher of the Year Todd McInnis on Friday night as the Blazers earned a 4-2 win over Southern Miss in the league opener. Kloskowski held the Golden Eagles to two runs on six hits in 6.2 innings on the way to his third win of the season. As good as he was, reliever Nick Graffeo was even more dominant over the final two and one-third frames. The senior allowed just one baserunner during that stretch as he saved his second consecutive game.
UCF
The Knights opened last week with its first victory over a ranked opponent this season, winning 6-3 at No. 12 Miami (Fla.). It was UCF's first win over the Hurricanes since 1995, the last time that they ventured to Coral Gables. UCF then won the series opener at Houston to open C-USA play, before falling in the final two games of the series. Senior OF Shane Brown extended his hitting streak to eight with a single on the game's first pitch Sunday. The senior has now posted hitting streaks of at least eight games five times in his career, including twice already in 2010. Brown recorded his 200th career hit on Friday night and finished last week batting .571 (8-for-14) in four outings. Senior OF Chris Duffy added two more RBI Sunday, giving him 146 for his career. That moved him into sole possession of eighth on UCF's all-time RBI chart. The senior has a personal-best 45 RBI in 2010. Duffy has now hit safely in 16 straight games. Freshman CF Ronnie Richardson returned to the Knights lineup on Friday night after missing eight games with
an injury.
Awards and Honors
C-USA Pitcher of the Week
Todd McInnis (2/22)
Scott Copeland (3/15)
College Baseball Insiders Regional Pitcher of the Week
Scott Copeland (3/15)
Johnny Bench Award Watch List
Brooks Wallace Award Watch List (Nations Top SS)
National Pitcher of the Year Watch List
PRESEASON
Conference USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year
C-USA Coaches and Baseball America
NCBWA Preseason All-American
Baseball America Preseason All-American
BA Vollmuth
Ping! Baseball Preseason All-American
All-Conference USA
(Selected by C-USA Coaches)
Baseball America All-Conference Team
SEBaseball.com All-Conference First Team
SEBaseball.com All-Conference Second Team
Looking for Former Golden Eagles Players
The Southern Miss baseball program is trying to contact all former players to notify them of the centennial reunion being held the weekend of the Central Florida series.
As a part of the University of Southern Mississippi's Centennial celebration the athletic department is inviting back all former baseball players and asking them to fill out the questionnaire linked here: (also located on the baseball page of Southernmiss.com) http://southernmiss.cstv.com/ot/09-smis-m-basebl-alumni-form.html
The short form will put them in the email data base to receive updates on the reunion.
The event will start on April 10 and include introducing all former players before the UCF game and attending the Southern Miss spring football game that evening.
Following the Golden Eagles
WXHB (96.5 FM in Hattiesburg) will once again serve as the flagship station for the Golden Eagle baseball program this spring. Joining the ISP Sports Network this season will be WFFF (96.7 FM and 1360 AM in Columbia).
Both WXHB and WFFF will carry the full schedule this season.
Joining the network for all 24 Conference USA Games and selected mid-week games will be WAOY (91.7 FM in Gulfport), WRBE (106.9 FM and 1440 AM in Lucedale) and WGVM (1260 AM in Greenville).
The selected midweek games include March 23 vs. Ole Miss, April 7 vs. LSU, April 20 at Ole Miss, May 5 vs. Mississippi State and May 18 vs. Mississippi State.
The entire ISP Sports network would also carry any postseason game for the 2010 season including the C-USA Tournament and the NCAA postseason.
In addition, audio will be available for every game and video for all home games at southernmiss.com through the CBS College Sports All-Access subscription service.
Veteran broadcaster John Cox will call his 28th season of Southern Miss baseball in 2010
This Week at "The Pete"
Southern Miss will host St. Mary's for a three game series Thursday through Saturday. On Saturday there will be an Easter Egg hunt for any child with a ticket beginning at 11:00 a.m. and the Easter Bunny will be in attendance.
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.
Also, season tickets packages are still available in the reserved bleacher and general admission sections but the reserved chair back seats have already been sold out.
Discounted group tickets are also available for groups of 10 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.
