University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Opens Home C-USA Play Thursday with UTSA
3/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stats: Southern Miss - UTSA
TV: None
Radio Network: Hattiesburg (WKZW-FM, 94.3), Jackson (WJDX-AM 620), Columbia (WFFF-FM, 96.7), Gulfport/Biloxi (WTNI-AM 1640/WXBD-AM 1490); Southern Miss Gameday App (free)
Webstream Link ($): Thursday - Friday - Saturday
Live Stats: - -
Pitching Probables --
Thursday - RH Chance Kirby, So. (0-1, 4.32 ERA) vs. RH Nick Johnson, Sr. (1-0, 2.65 ERA), 6 pm
Friday - RH Aaron Burns, Sr. (2-2, 3.98 ERA) vs. RH Cord Cockrell, Sr. (3-0, 2.08 ERA), 6 pm
Saturday - TBA vs. TBA, 11 am
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - After playing the last four games away from Pete Taylor Park, Southern Miss opens the home portion of its Conference USA baseball slate this weekend when they entertain UTSA in a three-game series.
Due to the Easter weekend, the series pushes up a day and opens Thursday at 6 p.m. Game two takes place Friday at 6 p.m., with the finale set for 11 a.m., Saturday.
The Golden Eagles, which have won 12 of their last 13 C-USA regular-season contests and their last four league series, look to rebound from a Tuesday night setback against Tulane, 12-7, at MGM Park in Biloxi.
The team enters the weekend with a 16-6 record, just one game behind its best start since the 2011 club opened 17-5.
After registering 14 hits in Tuesday's game, the Golden Eagles boast five consecutive games of notching 10 or more hits. That prowess at the plate gives the squad a team batting average of .309 this season.
Centerfielder and graduate transfer Jake Sandlin, who currently has a team-best nine-game hitting streak, owns the individual team lead for batting average at .386. Senior shortstop Nick Dawson ranks second at .368, while fellow senior and first baseman Tim Lynch holds a .352.
On the strength of a career-best four-hit night against the Green Wave, junior catcher Chuckie Robinson raised his average to .320 while junior rightfielder Dylan Burdeaux hits at a .315 clip. Junior Taylor Braley belted his team-leading tying sixth homer on Tuesday and has not driven in a pair of runs in three of the last four games to up his average to .286 with 21 RBI.
The Roadrunners enter the weekend with a 10-10 overall mark and 1-2 in C-USA play. UTSA dropped two of three at home to Rice in its league-opening series.
The two teams have met eight times over the last two seasons, in which the series began and each team has four victories.
Tickets for any Southern Miss home baseball game can be purchased by going online at SouthernMissTickets.com, by calling 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or by visiting the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office weekdays during normal business hours. The Pete Taylor Park box office also opens two hours prior to each home game.
It will be Take a Kid to the Game for Free weekend with children ages 12 and under receiving complimentary admission with the purchase of an adult ticket.
The following are the series promotions:
Thursday -
* Throwback Thursday - team will be wearing their throwback uniforms and we'll also have "throwback" prices with $2 general admission tickets and $2 soft drinks.
Friday -
* Golden Eagle football coach Jay Hopson will be throwing out the first pitch * Baseball Bingo - all fans have the opportunity to win great prizes throughout the game by playing along with Baseball Bingo
Saturday -
All Seymour's Sidekicks get to join the team on the field for the National Anthem
Easter Egg Hunt with Seymour for all kids after the game and then all children get to run the bases
