Baseball Travels to Ruston for Key C-USA Series at Louisiana Tech
4/15/2021
Southern Miss (21-10, 8-3 C-USA) at Louisiana Tech (24-7, 10-2 C-USA)
Games 32-25 | April 16-18, 2021 | J.C. Love Field | Ruston, La.
| Upcoming Games | Time (CT) | Probable Pitchers | Radio & Webstream |
| Fri., April 16 | 6 p.m. | RH Hunter Stanley, Sr. (5-1, 2.09) vs. LH Jonathan Fincher, RJr. (6-0, 1.35) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
| Sat., April 17 | 2 p.m. | RH Walker Powell, Sr. (5-1, 2.49) vs. RH Ryan Jennings, RJr. (2-2, 5.15) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
| Sat., April 17 | Game 2 | RH Ben Ethridge, Fr. (3-1, 2.59) vs. LH Cade Gibson, RSr. (3-2, 4.75) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
| Sun., April 18 | 1 p.m. | LH Drew Boyd, So. (2-2, 3.65) vs. RH Jarret Whorff, Sr. (6-1, 2.92) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
| Live Stats - | Friday | Sat. (G1) | Sat. (G2) | Sunday | Game Notes |
Last Time Out: South Alabama scored all its runs in the opening inning in blanking Southern Miss 4-0 in non-conference baseball action Tuesday night at Pete Taylor Park. The visitors jumped out in front quickly in the first off starter Gabe Shepard who gave up four runs - which included a three-run homer - in a third of an inning. Nine subsequent pitchers then limited the visitors to three more hits and combined to retire 16 in a row at one point, until they allowed a two-out double in the ninth.Southern Miss pitching also combined to fan 12 South Alabama hitters and walked just three. The Golden Eagles registered three-straight singles to open the third, but could not capitalize for their really only scoring chance of the night.
The Team Continues Hot Streak: The Golden Eagles have opened the month of April by winning seven of eight games, having won 17 of their last 22 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 Bulldogs: Louisiana Tech heads into the weekend having posted a 24-7 record and a C-USA West leading 10-2 mark. The Bulldogs, which are nationally ranked, are as high as No. 13 by both PerfectGame.org and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. LA Tech also holds a No. 14 ranking by D1Baseball, a No. 16 by Baseball America and a No. 22 showing by Collegiate Baseball. The Bulldogs are coached by Lane Burroughs, a former Southern Miss assistant coach from 1999-2007 under Golden Eagle legend Corky Palmer.
Familiar Faces in the Dugouts: While Burroughs was an assistant for Southern Miss, two current Southern Miss assistants worked for Burroughs at LA Tech, including Christian Ostrander (2016-17) and Travis Creel (2017-19). Creel returned to his alma mater in 2020, having lettered for the Golden Eagles from 2010-13. Southern Miss assistant coach Nick Ammirati was an assistant coach under Burroughs at Northwestern State for two years and Burroughs signed Ammirati at Mississippi State when he was an assistant coach there.
Last Time Against LA Tech: The Bulldogs defeated the Golden Eagles 3 games to 1 in Hattiesburg last month in the first meeting between the two clubs this season. LA Tech captured a pair of one-run games in the series - the first one-run setbacks of the year for the Golden Eagles - as well as a 4-0 shutout. The Golden Eagles hit five home runs in their only victory of the set - a 14-6 triumph in the opening game of the doubleheader on Saturday.
| Series (1921-2021) | |
| All-Time | 29-19-1 |
| In Hattiesburg (Since 1949) | 15-10 |
| In Ruston (Since 1949) | 12-3 |
| Neutral | 1-1 |
| Since Joining C-USA (2014) | 15-7 |
| C-USA Series records | 4-2-1 |
| Streak | Lost 2 |
| Last 10 | 5-5 |
In April Under Berry: The Golden Eagles have posted a 121-60 record (.669) 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 Stays Hot: Gabe Montenegro has hit safely in his last 15 games, including one four-hit game and four, three-hit and three, 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 15-game hitting streak, he is hitting .492 over that span (30x61) with seven doubles, a triple, a home run and nine RBI. He also has raised his average from .182 to .345 during this time.
Double-Digit Strikeouts: Southern Miss has posted 18 double-digit strikeout games over its first 31 contests with four more games of nine strikeouts. The Golden Eagle pitching staff has posted a total of 305 strikeouts this season (9.8/pg) and are on a pace for 528 strikeouts, marking only the seventh time in school history that the program would have whiffed 500 or more batters. The school record is 583, set in 2017.
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 14 games):
Pitching
Team
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 1st (4.69)
Walks per 9 Inns.: 3rd (2.21)
WHIP: 4th (1.09)
ERA: 8th (3.16)
Shutouts: 12th (4)
Individual
Walks Taken: Charlie Fischer, 3rd (30)
Saves: Garrett Ramsey, 7th (7)
On-Base Percentage: Charlie Fischer, 8th (.535)
Walks Taken Per Game: Charlie Fischer, 12th (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.
The Schedule
