University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Defending Baseball Regular Season Champs Open C-USA Play
3/15/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Stats: Southern Miss - UTSA
TV: None | Webstream ($): Friday â€" Saturday â€" Sunday
Live Stats: â€" - Radio Network: Hattiesburg (WXHB-FM, 96.5; 97.7 and 104.5 HD2), Jackson (WJDX-AM 620), Columbia (WFFF-FM, 96.7), Pascagoula (WPMO-AM 1580), Southern Miss Gameday App (free), Tune In (free)
Pitching Probables (Southern Miss vs. UTSA):
Friday - RH Nick Sandlin, Jr. (2-0, 1.67) vs. RH Karan Patel, Jr. (1-0, 1.12), 6 p.m.
Saturday - LH Stevie Powers, Jr. (2-0, 3.09) vs. RH Steven Dressler, Sr. (2-1, 2.67), 2 p.m.
Sunday - TBA vs. RH Chance Kirby, Sr. (0-2, 3.46), 1 p.m.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss Baseball, the defending regular Conference USA season champions, opens conference play at home against UTSA this weekend.
The Golden Eagles (12-4) open conference play against the Roadrunners after a 12-3 road win against Tulane on Wednesday night. Wednesday's win saw Mason Irby tie his career-high with four hits, going 4-4 at the plate. Right-handed pitcher Walker Powell earned his first win of the season after six innings pitched and six strikeouts averaging 10.8 pitches an inning.
Southern Miss posts an 8-1 home record and has won four of its last five games heading into Friday night's 6 p.m. game. The first 150 fans in the gates will receive a pair of Southern Miss sunglasses.
Friday's expected starter, Nick Sandlin, returns to the mound with a 2-0 record and a 1.67 ERA. The junior has struck out 41 batters in 27 innings pitched.
The home series continues on Saturday with a 2 p.m. start time and Stevie Powers is expected to make his fifth start of the season. In his last outing, Powers went for 6 1/3 innings and earned 10 strikeouts. Fans are encouraged to wear green in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
The final game of the series is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday and will honor Faculty and Staff who can get into the game for free if they show their ID at the gate.
Luke Reynolds continues to lead the squad with a .393 batting average, 23 runs scored, 24 hits and four homeruns. Sophomore Matt Wallner hit his second home run of the season on Wednesday night with a 2-run bomb to right field. First baseman Hunter Slater is close behind Reynolds with a .359 batting average and hits (23) after two hits against the Green Wave.
The Roadrunners travel to Hattiesburg with a 7-8 overall record and are 2-3 in their last five games. Bryan Arias leads UTSA with a .323 batting average, 20 hits, three home runs and 13 RBI.
Southern Miss leads the series 11-5 and swept the Roadrunners last season in conference play.
