University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Nick Sandlin named to All-Academic Conference USA team
5/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
IRVING, Texas -- Southern Miss junior right-handed pitcher Nick Sandlin, on the same day he was named the C Spire Ferriss Trophy winner as the top player in Mississippi, has also placed on the Conference USA All-Academic Team.
The Evans, Ga., native currently boasts a 3.91 GPA in construction engineering technology. Other awards for Sandlin this year include being a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the best player in college baseball, as well as the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. He was an Academic All-American last season as well and joined Kirk McCarty on the Academic All-Conference team.
Sandlin, who made the transition from closer to the team's ace starting pitcher this season, has posted an 8-0 record this season in 13 starts and has fanned 122 batters, while having walked just 14 over 86 1/3 innings.
His ranks Top 10 nationally in the following statistical categories including No. 1 in WHIP (0.71), second in earned run average (1.25), fourth in hits allowed by nine innings (4.90), eighth in strikeouts and eighth in strikeouts-to-walk ratio (8.71).
The preseason Conference USA Pitcher of the Year earned National Pitcher of the week honors five times during the campaign, as well as capturing the Conference USA weekly honor four times. He is also a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the best player in college baseball.
Through the regular season, Sandlin ranks among the Top 10 in several Golden Eagle single-season categories, including tied for fifth with most shutouts (2), fifth in strikeouts, while currently in sixth in ERA and first in winning percentage.
As for a career, he ranks eighth at the school in victories (21), tied for fifth in saves (20), eighth in strikeouts (246), fifth in winning percentage (.808) and second in ERA (1.85).
The nationally ranked Golden Eagles, who posted a 39-15 record and won its second consecutive Conference USA regular-season crown, returns to action Wednesday when they open play in the 2018 Conference USA Baseball Championship at MGM Park in Biloxi. Southern Miss will take on No. 8 seed UAB (21-31) at 4 p.m.
