Baseball Travels to Alabama for Midweek Contest
3/22/2021
Southern Miss (12-6) at Alabama (15-5)
Game 19 | March 23, 2021 | Sewell-Thomas Stadium | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
| Upcoming Games | Time (CT) | Probable Pitchers | Radio & Webstream |
| Tuesday, March 23 | 3 p.m. | LH Drew Boyd (1-2, 4.97), So. vs. RH William Freeman, R-Sr. (0-0, 2.13) | Southern Miss Network/SEC+ |
| Live Stats | Southern Miss Game Notes |
Over the Weekend: Southern Miss won its ninth-straight non-conference three-game series as they swept Missouri State over the weekend, outscoring the Bears 10-2. It was the fewest runs Southern Miss has allowed in a three-game set at home since they limited Xavier to that many runs on March 10-11, 2017. They finish a 12-game stretch of which 10 are at home this week. They start at Alabama during the midweek before returning home to open its 26th season of Conference USA play with four games against Louisiana Tech this weekend. Southern Miss is currently 6-1 during this 12-game stretch.
Playing Well: Southern Miss has won eight of its last nine games heading into this midweek matchup with Alabama. Despite hitting just .234 with eight home runs and 40 RBI over this nine-game stretch, the Golden Eagle pitching staff has posted a 1.32 ERA with 95 strikeouts and only 17 walks with four saves and three shutouts during this part of the schedule. Southern Miss has outscored its opponents 41-18 over the period.
Last Time Out: Starter Ben Ethridge retired the first 16 batters he faced and the Golden Eagles scored their runs early in defeating Missouri State 3-1 Sunday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park to complete the weekend sweep. The Golden Eagles jumped with two first-inning runs. Gabe Montenegro led off the bottom of the first with a single to center and scored one batter later when Reed Trimble tripled to right. An RBI groundout by Charlie Fischer followed for the home squad as Trimble scored.
Trimble then drove in the Golden Eagles last run in the third with a sacrifice fly to score Dickerson. Ethridge went seven strong innings for the Golden Eagles as he allowed just two hits - an infield single in the sixth to breakup his perfect game and a home run by Ben Whetstone to open the seventh.
Tonight’s Pitcher: Sophomore left-hander Drew Boyd gets his fourth start of the year as the Golden Eagles play its final road midweek game of 2021. Boyd is 1-2 this season with a 4.97 ERA. He has fanned 17 and walked three over 12 2/3 innings. Here is a look at his three starts this season:
| Opponent | Date | W/L | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Northwestern State | 2/22 | W | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Mississippi State | 3/3 | L | 4.1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| South Alabama | 3/16 | L | 3.1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
The Crimson Tide: Alabama comes into the game with a 15-5 overall record, after taking one of three at Arkansas over the weekend. The Crimson Tide, which posted a 16-1 record in 2020, are in their fourth season under Brian Bohanan, who has posted a 88-61 record at the school. This will be the first meeting between the clubs since the 2018 campaign.
| Series (1962-2018) | |
| All-Time | 31-74 |
| In Hattiesburg | 18-28 |
| In Tuscaloosa | 9-45 |
| Neutral | 4-1 |
| Streak | Lost 2 |
| Last 10 | 5-5 |
In March Under Berry: The Golden Eagles have posted a 125-69 record (.644) under Scott Berry in the month of March. The program has enjoyed five winning streak of five or more games under Berry including a long of nine games during the 2017 campaign.
National Statistics: The Golden Eagles pitching staff is listed among the nation’s leaders both as a team and iits individuals. Here is a look at the team’s Top 20 leaders for all categories (through Sunday’s games):
Pitching
Team
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 1st (5.67)
Walks per 9 Inns.: 3rd (2.05)
Shutouts: 3rd (4)
WHIP: 6th (1.06)
Strikeouts per 9 Inns.: 13th (11.6)
ERA: 15th (2.85)
Individual
Saves: Garrett Ramsey, 2nd (6)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: Ben Ethridge, 3rd (33.00)
Walks Taken: Charlie Fischer, 4th (19)
Strikeouts: Hunter Stanley, 7th (46)
Sacrifice Hits: Gabe Montenegro, 10th (4)
Walks per 9 Inns.: Ben Ethridge, 16th (0.35)
Back to the NCAAs in 2019: Southern Miss appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight year and the 16th time overall, playing in the Baton Rouge Regional to complete its 2019 season. The Golden Eagles made their first-ever appearance in the postseason in 1990, with a trip to Baton Rouge, and at one point, reached regional play nine-straight seasons, from 2003-11.
Golden Eagles Take C-USA Title: Southern Miss captured the last Conference USA tournament title in 2019 and have won three of the last four events - making the championship game in all four seasons. The Golden Eagles also captured the 2018 C-USA regular season and tournament titles, marking the second time Southern Miss had won both C-USA championships in the same season with the other time coming in 2003. Four of the school’s five C-USA regular season titles have come under current head coach Scott Berry, while he has also led Southern Miss to four of their five tournament titles.
