Fall Practice Underway for Baseball
9/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -
Preparations for the 2016 season got underway this past Sunday for the Southern Miss baseball team as they opened their fall practice schedule at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
The Golden Eagles are coming off their 14th-consecutive winning season, having posted a 36-18-1 record a year ago to go along with a second-place tie in Conference USA with a 19-10 mark.
"We have been looking to get this team on the field for full-team workouts for the last month and we are happy that we have finally been able to get to that point," said Southern Miss coach Scott Berry, who has accumulated a 208-137-1 record in six seasons as the Golden Eagles' head coach. "We return a good nucleus of our club from a year ago, but are looking to see what newcomers, as well as our younger players, step in to try and fill some gaps created by graduation and draft losses following last spring. There should be some good position battles and I look forward to seeing us improve during our fall practice session."
Eight position players, including five starters, return for the 2016 season. Senior Tim Lynch headlines that list having posting a .313 average with a team-best nine home runs to go along with 32 runs batted in last spring. He enjoyed a solid summer for the Ocean State Waves of the New England Baseball League as well, collecting a .288 average with nine homers and 26 RBI. The 2015 NECBL All-Star Home Run Derby champion was projected as the No. 9 prospect from the NECBL.
Junior Dylan Burdeaux, who returns in right field after posting a .283 season in 2015 with four homers and 28 RBI, was a teammate of Lynch this summer and collected a .288 batting mark with six homers and 30 RBI for the Waves. Junior Chuckie Robinson, who also played with the Waves during the summer, returns for the Golden Eagles and looks to take over the everyday catching duties. He posted a .203 average with three dingers and 14 RBI this past spring. For his play over the summer with a .259 batting mark to go along with nine homers and 28 RBI earned him the No. 10-rated prospect out of the NECBL.
Senior Chase Scott returns as the incumbent for left field, after putting together a 21-game hitting streak a season ago to finish with a .288 average to go along with four round-trippers and 30 RBI. Sophomore Taylor Braley looks to play third for Southern Miss this spring after starting in 44 games a year ago and posting a .286 average with three homers and 25 RBI. Braley should also see some time on the mound for the Golden Eagles as well this spring.
Speaking of pitcher, the Golden Eagles return 10 hurlers from a season ago, but lost three starters and its closer from 2015.
Sophomore Kirk McCarty returns as the top starter, after posting 4-1 record with a 4.09 earned run average in 11 appearances in 2015. Senior right-handed relievers Jake Winston (1-0, 2.58 ERA) and Nick Johnson (4-0, 2.93 ERA) along with senior Cord Cockrell, who notched a 3-0 record with a 4.37 ERA.
The Golden Eagles also welcome 16 newcomers, including senior centerfielder Jake Sandlin (Evans, Ga.), and junior infielder Tracy Hadley (Pascagoula, Miss.), along with right-handed junior college pitchers Hunter Stevens (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Sam Walley (Taylorsville, Miss.).
Practices are generally every afternoon and are open to the public. The team normally scrimmages during their weekend practices.
