Baseball Entertains South Alabama for Midweek Contest
4/12/2021
South Alabama (16-13) at Southern Miss (21-9)
Game 31 | April 13, 2021 | Pete Taylor Park | Hattiesburg, Miss.
Upcoming Games | Time (CT) | Probable Pitchers | Radio & Webstream |
Tuesday, April 13 | 6 p.m. | LH Tyler Lehrmann, Sr. (1-2, 5.40) vs. RH Gabe Shepard, So. (0-0, 54.00) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
Live Stats | Southern Miss Game Notes |
Last Weekend: Southern Miss registered its first-ever four-game sweep of a Conference USA opponent, outscoring the Blazers 34-9 and never trailed in the series. It was the first time Southern Miss had beaten an opponent in at least four-straight games since the Golden Eagles defeated Gannon six times from April 1-4, 1985. The starting pitching for the Golden Eagles over the weekend went 4-0 and achieving four quality starts (outings six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs). The pitching staff went 27 innings over four games (31 total frames) and allowed seven runs (five earned) on 21 hits with two walks and 17 strikeouts, finishing with a 1.67 ERA.
The Team Continues Hot Streak: The Golden Eagles have opened the month of April with seven-straight victories, having won 17 of their last 21 games dating back to a 6-0 victory at Jacksonville State (March 6). The triumph also marked coach Scott Berry’s 400th career win at Southern Miss.
The Jaguars: South Alabama comes into the contest with a 16-13 after dropping a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Little Rock last weekend. The Jaguars have beaten the Golden Eagles twice this season, winning 5-3 in February and 8-2 in March with both games being played at Eddie Stanky Field in Mobile. This will be the last meeting between the two clubs during the regular season in 2021. USA is led by coach Mark Calvi, who is in his 10th season at the school and has posted a 293-224 record.
Last Time Against South Alabama: South Alabama utilized a five-run fourth inning to beat Southern Miss 8-2, March 16, at Eddie Stanky Field. The Golden Eagles had a five-game winning streak snapped. Up 2-0, USA registered five hits and took advantage of two Golden Eagle errors in the fourth off of three pitchers including starter Drew Boyd. Boyd (1-2) suffered the loss as he allowed four runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts. Matt Boswell limited the Golden Eagles to a run on five hits with a walk and 10 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings to get the victory. Southern Miss scored a solo run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Stanley, and then added a solo home run by Charlie Fischer in the eighth for the Golden Eagles only runs. Both Reed Trimble and Fischer led Southern Miss with two hits apiece.
Series (1967-2021) | |
All-Time | 38-65 |
In Hattiesburg | 21-26 |
In Mobile | 14-37 |
Neutral | 3-2 |
Streak | Lost 4 |
Last 10 | 4-6 |
In April Under Berry: The Golden Eagles have posted a 121-59 record (.672) under Scott Berry in the month of April. The program enjoyed a 10-game winning streak during the month in 2013 and a nine-game streak in 2019. Southern Miss also started streaks in the month of April that carried over into May for 10-or-more victories in a row three times in the Berry era, including in 2010, 2015 and 2017.
Montenegro Getting Hot: Gabe Montenegro hit safely in his last 14 games, including one four-hit game and four, three-hit and two, two-hit games. His two-run, two-out double in the seventh at Alabama lifted the Golden Eagles to their first win in Tuscaloosa since 2014. Montenegro added three hits, including his second homer of the year, and 3 RBI in a 14-6 win over nationally ranked Louisiana Tech (March 27) in the opening game of a twinbill. Over his 14-game hitting streak, he is hitting .491 over that span (28x57) with six doubles, a triple, a home run and nine RBI. He also has raised his average from .182 to .339 during this time.
Top Hitting Streaks Under Scott Berry (2010-21)
Games - Player (Dates)
24 - B.A. Vollmuth (5/1/10-2/22/11)
22 - Bryant Bowen (3/17-4/23/19)
21 - Chase Scott (4/11-5/15/15)
21 - Isaac Rodriguez (4/13-5/24/13)
18 - Dylan Burdeaux (3/26-3/22/17)
18 - Mason Robbins (2/19-3/20/12)
16 - Mason Irby (4/24-5/24/18)
16 - Kameron Brunty (3/6-4/3/10)
15 - Gabe Montenegro (4/23-5/18/19)
14 - Gabe Montenegro (3/20-Present)
14 - Mason Irby (4/14-5/14/17)
14 - Hunter Stanley (2/17-3/11/17)
14 - Adam Doleac (3/3-3/30/10)
Winning at Home: Since utilizing Pete Taylor Park as its home facility in 1984, the Golden Eagles are 827-344-2 (.706) at their venue, having won at least 20 or more home games in 30 of the 37 campaigns played at the park. During the 1985 and 1986 campaigns, Southern Miss played a handful of home games at Smokey Harrington Park, which is currently the home of Hattiesburg High School.
Today’s Starting Pitcher: Gabe Shepard gets the call for his first start of the season. It will be his third appearance of the year as he has registered a third of a frame and a 54.00 ERA. In his freshman year in 2019, Shepard enjoyed three straight solid starts which started with five shutout frames against Troy (5/14/19), followed by a 7 1/3 inning performance against Rice (5/25/19) in the C-USA Tournament that led to the school’s first no-hitter since 2004. He then opened the NCAA Baton Rouge with a win over Arizona State in the first game of the weekend. His career numbers include a 3-1 record in 16 appearances (11 starts), having thrown 42 1/3 innings, allowing 29 hits, 17 runs (15 earned), 25 walks and 63 strikeouts for a 3.19 ERA.
National Statistics: The Golden Eagles pitching staff is listed among the nation’s leaders both as a team and its individuals. Here is a look at the team’s Top 20 leaders for all categories (through April 11 games):
Pitching
Team
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 1st (4.73)
Walks per 9 Inns.: 2nd (2.18)
WHIP: 3rd (1.09)
ERA: 9th (3.13)
Shutouts: 11th (4)
Individual
Walks Taken: Charlie Fischer, 3rd (30)
Saves: Garrett Ramsey, 6th (7)
On-Base Percentage: Charlie Fischer, 9th (.535)
Walks Taken Per Game: Charlie Fischer, 10th (1.03)
Complete Games: Walker Powell, 12th (2)
Wins: Walker Powell and Hunter Stanley, 16th (5)

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.