University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
This Week in Southern Miss Baseball
3/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 8, 2010
This Week's Schedule
Monday 3/8: No Practice/Day Off
Tuesday 3/9: Practice at Pete Taylor Park
Wednesday 3/10: Troy at Southern Miss - 6:30 p.m.
Thursday 3/11: Practice at Pete Taylor Park
Friday 3/12: MissouriStateat Southern Miss- 6:30 p.m.
Saturday 3/13: Missouri State at Southern Miss- - 3:00 p.m.
Sunday 3/14: Missouri State at Southern Miss- - 1:00 p.m.
*All practice dates and times are tentative and subject to change without prior notice
TWIB Notes
· Todd McInnis threw eight shutout innings, allowing only four hits and striking out seven in the series opener at Louisiana- Lafayette
· Scott Copeland threw eight innings, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out six in game two of the series at ULL
· The Golden Eagles came up just short of sweeping ULL in Lafayette, a feat that has only been done four times in the last 10 seasons
· Southern Miss has scored 10 runs or more in five of the teams 11 games while have 10 or more hits in eight games
· In midweek action on Wednesday, Southern Miss defeated La. Monroe 14-5, in a game that saw three triples and a triple play turned.
· Junior transfer Marc Bourgeois had a breakout game going five-for-six with four RBI and four runs scored while he was only a double shy of the hitting for the cycle
· Southern Miss turned the second triple play in school history on Wednesday vs. La.- Monroe 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 black and gold have already tuned 15 double plays through the first 11 games of 2010.
- They led the country in 2009 with 83 twin-killings
Last week in review
Southern Miss went 3-1 on the week with victories vs. La Monroe and two wins at La. Lafayette over the weekend.
In their midweek contest Southern Miss pounded out 16 hits and scored 14 runs in a 14-6 win over La. Monroe.
Over the weekend at Louisiana-Lafayette Todd McInnis and Scott Copeland pitched Southern Miss to wins on Friday and Saturday. McInnis threw eight shutout innings on Friday and Copeland allowed one earned run over eight innings on Saturday.
On Sunday, Southern Miss was looking to become only the fifth team in the last ten years to sweep ULL at home, but the Cajuns broke a 6-6 tie with three runs in the seventh to salvage one game of the series.
The Week's Opponents
Troy will come to Hattiesburg for a midweek tilt on Wednesday trying to snap a five-game series losing streak. The Golden Eagles swept a double header at Troy last year and has won seven of the last 10 games against the Trojans, including five in a row.
Troy is currently 5-5 and 0-3 on the road. They are hitting .316 with 17 home runs in their first 10 games. The Trojan pitching staff has an ERA of 5.48, allowing 89 hits in 87 innings. They have struck out 67 hitters and walked only 26.
Missouri State may not be a familiar name to Southern Miss fans but they have had success on the diamond. They are the defending Missouri Valley Conference and played in the 2003 College World series as well as seven NCAA Regionals since becoming a D-I school in 1987.
They have produced 19 major league players, most notable is the Phillies Ryan Howard who was the 2006 NL MVP and 2009 NLCS MVP
The Bears are currently 4-6 and 1-5 on the road this season. They are hitting .254 with five home runs and 18 doubles. Their pitching staff has a 5.56 ERA, allowing 99 hits in 89.0 innings of work while surrendering 55 earned runs. They have stuck out 111 hitters while walking 43.
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 two weeks in the NCBWA Poll
Around Conference USA
EAST CAROLINA
The Pirates won the Keith LeClair Classic over the weekend with victories over Illinois, West Virginia and Western Carolina. Junior RHP Seth Simmons recorded a pair of saves on the weekend to push his season total to three and career total to 14, which is tied for third place on the school's all-time charts with Shane Mathews (2004-07). Sophomore LHP Kevin Brandt had a strong outing against Illinois, tossing six innings and allowing one run on five hits with a season-best seven strikeouts. In four starts, Brandt has allowed five runs (four earned) on 15 hits in 19.1 innings. Junior RHP Seth Maness picked up his first win of the season against in-state foe Western Carolina. He worked a season-long 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with a season-best seven strikeouts. Junior RHP Zach Woods struck out 14 batters in two appearances last week, including a career-best 11 vs. Western Carolina on Sunday. Junior OF Devin Harris smacked his first home run of the year against Western Carolina. He batted .455 (5-for-11) in the LeClair Classic with two doubles, three runs scored and a .500 on-base percentage. The Pirates pitching staff posted 34 strikeouts on the weekend with just six walks. ECU batters collected double-digit hits in all three games over the weekend and have posted 10 or more in 7 of 10 games played.
HOUSTON
The Cougars defeated three different Big 12 opponents at the Houston College Classic over the weekend, beating Missouri, No.3 Texas and Texas Tech. Houston posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1998 by blanking Missouri (3-0) and Texas (1-0). It was the first time in the 10-year history of the Houston College Classic that a team posted back-to-back shutouts. This marked the first time that UH finished 3-0 in the 10 years they have played in the Houston College Classic. Sophomore RHP Michael
Goodnight, freshman M.P. Cokinos and junior SS Blake Kelso were each named to the All-Tournament team. Goodnight threw seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts in the 1-0 win over No. 3 Texas. Cokinos tied the Houston College Classic single-game record with five RBIs in Houston's tournament finale win over Texas Tech. Kelso earned a spot on the team after going 4-for-10 over the weekend with a double, triple and an RBI. He also tripled and scored the game's only run in the win over Texas. Junior RHP Chase
Dempsay earned the win against Missouri, giving up just four hits with two strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched. Sophomore RHP Matt Creel earned his first career save in the game, going the final 1.1 innings with one hit and two strikeouts.
MARSHALL
The Thundering Herd posted an 8-0 shutout in the series finale at Georgia Southern on Sunday, the team's first blanking since a 4-0 win over Youngstown State on March 13, 2009. Sophomore LHP Mike Mason set career-highs in frames pitched (6.2) and strikeouts (9) to improve his record to 2-0 on the season. Six of southpaw's nine punchouts came swinging. The top five batters in the Thundering Herd lineup combined
for 12 hits. Senior IF Josh Valle (two doubles) and senior OF Kurt Lipton each went 3-for-5, while freshman OF Isaac Ballou, junior C Victor Gomez and sophomore IF Alfredo Brito each tallied a pair of hits. Gomez launched a two-run home run, the 31st of his career. Senior RHP Austin Coan has not allowed a run in four appearances this season. He has picked up a pair of saves.
MEMPHIS
The Tigers won a series over Oakland University at FedExPark this past weekend. Senior OF Tyler Huelsing continued to swing a hot bat this weekend, batting .429 (6-for-14) and a team-best 11 total bases, eight RBI and two doubles. He hit safely in all three contests and drove in multiple runs in the last two games to lead Memphis to its first series win at FedExPark. Huelsing tied a career-high with four hits and set a new personal-best with five RBI on Sunday. He put Memphis on the board with an RBI-single in the first inning and then put the game away with the first-ever grand slam at FedExPark during a sevenrun
second inning. Senior RHP Ryan Fraser put up a career outing to lead Memphis to a 7-1 win on Saturday. In a quality seven-inning start, he struck out a career-high nine batters, while walking just three and allowing three hits. Fraser was perfect through three frames and held Oakland scoreless through five en route to earning his first win of the 2010 season. Junior LHP Ryan Holland held Oakland to just three unearned runs in 5.1 innings on Sunday, scattering five hits, while striking out four. He held Oakland scoreless through five before giving up the three unearned tallies in the sixth. Holland has tossed 12
consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.
RICE
Rice went 4-1 last week and has won seven of its last eight games. The Owls tallied a one-run wins over nationally-ranked TCU and Texas Tech, shut-out preseason Southland Conference favorite Texas State 5-0 in their home-opener, and topped crosstown rival Houston, 8-2. In five games last week, nine different Rice pitchers maintained a 1.84 ERA in 44.0 innings. The staff held opposing hitters to a composite .220 average and issued only 12 walks in the five games. Sophomore OF Michael Fuda saw his 13-game hitting
streak come to an end Friday night against Texas. The streak had dated back to last season... Sophomore 3B Anthony Rendon saw a trend of registering 12 walks in 25 plate appearances (for a .600 OB%) over a five-game span come to a end. For the first time in his career he batted leadoff on Mar. 3 and helped the Blue & Gray defeat Texas State 5-0. In the College Classic Tournament at Minute Maid Park, Rendon hit a home run against Texas Tech (the 22nd of his career) and brought the fans to their feet when he made a bare-handed grab of a ground ball at third base to retire a TCU batter. In Sunday's comefrom- behind win over No. 7 TCU, senior 1B Jimmy Comerota hit a triple and a home run in the same game.
SOUTHERN MISS
The Golden Eagles won a series at Louisiana-Lafayette to finish off a 3-1 week. Junior RHP Todd McInnis threw eight shutout innings, allowing only four hits and striking out seven on Friday at ULL. Senior RHP Scott Copeland tossed eight innings, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out six in game two. Senior 2B Taylor Walker accounted for three of the team's four runs in the series opener with two RBI and a run scored. He had three hits in each of the first two games and hit his first home run of the season on
Saturday. In midweek action on Wednesday, Southern Miss defeated La. Monroe 14-5, in a game that saw three triples and a triple play turned. It was just the second triple play in school history as sophomore B.A Vollmuth fielded a ground ball at shortstop, tagged the runner going to third, stepped on second base and threw to first base for the third out. Junior transfer Marc Bourgeois had a breakout game, going five-for-six with four RBI and four runs scored while he was only a double shy of the hitting for the cycle. Southern Miss has scored 10 runs or more in five of the teams 11 games while have 10 or more hits in eight games. The black and gold have already tuned 15 double plays through the first 11 games of 2010.
TULANE
The Green Wave closed out the weekend with a 12-4 win over No. 19 Mississippi, their first victory over a ranked opponent this season. Sophomore RHP Robby Broach earned the win, fanning five batters and allowed three runs (two earned) over 6.1 innings pitched. Sophomore IF Rob Segedin collected a hit in every game last week to extend his hitting streak to nine games and batted .375 (6-of-16) in the Ole Miss series. He doubled in three of his four starts, while driving in an RBI in each game. Segedin has doubled six
times on the year, has a triple and a home run to go along with 11 RBI. Freshman SS Garrett Cannizaro extended his hitting streak to ten games with a three-for-five day at the plate on Sunday versus Ole Miss. The rookie has reached base in all 11 of his career games, while scoring at least one run in seven of those contests. Senior RHP Preston Claiborne has not allowed a hit to a right-handed batter in nine innings of work out of the bullpen in 2010. He has held righties hitless in 21 at-bats this season and is holding
opposing hitters to a .156 batting average overall. Freshman C Blake Crohan leads Conference USA in batting at .500 (23-of-46) with 12 runs scored.
UAB
The Blazers were 3-1 last week, winning a series over Eastern Illinois over the weekend. Sophomore 1B Devin Hamilton provided the game-winning hit Sunday in just his second at-bat of the season. As a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth, Hamilton singled to score Ryan Ussery, giving the Blazers a 4-3 win and their second consecutive series victory to open the year. Led by a .643 batting average from freshman DH John Frost, UAB hit .338 over four games last week to raise its team batting average from .222 to .273. Senior C Digger Towe hit .412 for the week and also blasted two home runs and posted eight RBI. UAB has picked up where it left off last season in terms of stolen bases. The Blazers, who led the conference in 2009, have stolen 20 bases in eight games and have yet to be caught stealing. Sophomore OF Jamal Austin stole four bases in one game Saturday against EIU and is tied with junior 2B Nick Crawford for the team lead with five steals this season. Austin batted .500 (7-for-14) last week with a triple and four runs scored. Freshman RHP Ben Bullard allowed just one run on one hit in 3.2 innings of relief Friday against Eastern Illinois to earn his second win in as many appearances.
UCF
UCF dropped all three games to Central Michigan last weekend. Two Knights had very productive weeks at the plate last week, combining for more than half of the team's hits. Senior OF Shane Brown batted .600 (12-for-20) in five games last week with three doubles, a home run, five RBI and five runs scored. Senior OF Chris Duffy hit .429 (9- for-21) with five doubles, two homers, six RBI and six runs scored. Freshman RHP Owen Dew struck out five in 6.0 innings and allowed just three hits in Saturday's 3-0 loss to
CMU. Freshman LHP Joe Rogers is serving as UCF's closer and he has pitched 7.0 shutout innings with two saves, a win and 15 strikeouts. Rogers has not recorded a walk and allowed opponents to just three hits. Freshman OF Ronnie Richardson is tied for the Conference USA lead with 17 walks in the first 12 games of the season. On March 2, UCF rallied from a 10-2 deficit to defeat Duquesne, 12-11. Tuesday's home game against Miami will be the first time UCF has hosted the Hurricanes in over 20 years. It also marks
the first time the two teams will have played since 1995.
Awards and Honors
C-USA Pitcher of the Week
Todd McInnis (2/22)
Johnny Bench Award 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
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"
On Wednesday, March 10 vs. Troy Southern Miss will hold football season ticket hold appreciation night. Each Football season ticket holder received two tickets in their renewal letter and Coach Fedora is going to stop by "The Pete" after practice concludes.
On Saturday vs. Missouri State the first 150 fans through the gate will receive a free t-shirt.
On Sunday, and after ever Sunday home game, kids run the bases after the game.
**All Promotions and dates are subject to change and availability**
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.
