WKU Comes to The Pete for Weekend C-USA Series; Opener Moved to 4 p.m. Friday
4/22/2021
WKU (18-18, 8-8 C-USA) at Southern Miss (23-12, 10-5 C-USA)
Games 36-39 | April 23-25, 2021 | Pete Taylor Park | Hattiesburg, Miss.
| Upcoming Games | Time (CT) | Probable Pitchers | Radio & Webstream |
| Fri., April 23 | 4 p.m. | RH Jake Kates, RSo. (3-2, 2.92) vs. RH Hunter Stanley, Sr. (5-1, 2.37) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
| Sat., April 24 | 2 p.m. | RH Sean Bergeron, Jr. (2-4, 3.67) vs. RH Walker Powell, Sr. (5-2, 3.16) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
| Sat., April 24 | Game 2 | LH Devyn Terbrak, So. (2-1, 3.32) vs. RH Ben Ethridge, Fr. (3-1, 3.35) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
| Sun., April 25 | 1 p.m. | TBA vs. LH Drew Boyd, So. (2-2, 4.23) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
| Live Stats - | Friday | Sat. (G1) | Sat. (G2) | Sunday | Game Notes |
Series Opener Moved Up: Due to heavy storms expected in the Pine Belt Friday evening, the start of the Southern Miss baseball series, Friday, April 23, with WKU has been pushed up to 4 p.m. at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field. The game can be heard on the Southern Miss Sports Network presented by Learfield IMG College and a webstream is available for no charge at C-USA.TV.
Last Weekend: Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech split a four-game series in Ruston with each of the contests decided by two runs or less. In fact, five of the eight-game season series were decided by one run with the Golden Eagles going 2-3 in those contests. Due to rain on Friday, the two clubs played two nine-inning games, Saturday, with two seven-inning games on Sunday. Home runs were a key in the series for both clubs. Reed Trimble’s solo homer in the eighth inning proved to be the difference in the opening game and set the tone for the weekend. Danny Lynch homered in the second game to tie the score at 3-3 in the fifth, but the Bulldogs scored two in the bottom half of the frame which held up down the stretch. On Sunday, Will McGillis capped a five-run first inning in the opening contest with a three-run shot as the Golden Eagles snared a 12-11 victory in the opener. Slade Wilks added a pinch-hit homer, a three-run shot, in the nightcap that started a four-run sixth inning to give the Golden Eagles a 6-5 advantage in the last game, but Manny Garcia hit a two-run, game-winning shot in the bottom of the seventh – his second of the game - with two outs.
Playing Better Offensively: Over the last 16 games, the Golden Eagles have enjoyed better number offensively that include a .300 team batting average (154x513), a .405 on-base percentage and a .520 slugging percentage. During that time, Southern Miss has collected 24 of its team’s 41 home runs this season, scored in double digits five of the seven times that they have done that in 2021 and registered eight of its 11 double-digit hit performances. After fanning 10 or more times seven times over the first 19 games, the squad has only done that three times over the last 16.
WKU: The Hilltoppers come into the weekend with a 18-18 overall record and are 8-8 in league play. WKU split a four-game set at home with Middle Tennessee last weekend and currently rank third in the Conference USA East Division behind Charlotte (14-2) and Old Dominion (13-3). They are under the direction of 6th-year head coach John Pawlowski who has posted a 115-153-1 record there. Overall, Pawlowski has posted a 620-471-2 overall record as a collegiate head coach in 20 seasons.
The Series: This will be the first time the two schools have met in baseball since the 2018 campaign. Southern Miss leads 10-2 over WKU in a series that dates back to 2015. The Golden Eagles are 5-1 against the Hilltoppers in Hattiesburg, losing only the middle game of the series at Pete Taylor Park back in 2018.
| Series (2015-2018) | |
| All-Time | 10-2 |
| In Hattiesburg | 5-1 |
| In Bowling Green | 5-1 |
| Neutral | 0-0 |
| Since Joining C-USA (1996) | 10-2 |
| C-USA Series records | 4-0-0 |
| Streak | Won 1 |
| Last 10 | 9-1 |
Fischer Looks to Return against Hilltoppers: Sophomore designated hitter Charlie Fischer looks to return to action this weekend after missing the Louisiana Tech series with a hand injury. In the final game of the UAB series, Fischer needed stitches in his left hand following a collision at the plate with the Blazers catcher. Fischer is hitting .333 with five homers and 20 RBI this season for the Golden Eagles.
In Conference USA Play: Southern Miss is in its 25th season of Conference USA play - last year’s schedule was canceled due to COVID-19 - and the Golden Eagles have posted a 418-243 (.632) and are 140-77-4 in league series over that time. The Golden Eagles have won 20 league games seven times, including in each of the last four years played.
Winning at Home: Since utilizing Pete Taylor Park as its home facility in 1984, the Golden Eagles are 827-345-2 (.705) 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.
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 games of April 21):
Pitching
Team
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 1st (4.66)
Walks per 9 Inns.: 2nd (2.16)
WHIP: 6th (1.14)
Shutouts: 15th (4)
Individual
Saves: Garrett Ramsey, 5th (8)
On-Base Percentage: Charlie Fischer, 7th (.535)
Doubles: Gabe Montenegro, 11th (13)
Walks Taken Per Game: Charlie Fischer, 11th (1.03)
Walks Taken: Charlie Fischer, 12th (30)
Complete Games: Walker Powell, 19th (2)
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.
