Baseball Starts Five-Game Homestand with Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday
5/4/2021
Southeastern Louisiana (25-15) at Southern Miss (29-14)
Game 44 | May 5, 2021 | Pete Taylor Park | Hattiesburg, Miss.
| Upcoming Games | Time (CT) | Probable Pitchers | Radio & Webstream |
| Wednesday, May 5 | 6 p.m. | RHP Kyle Flettrich, RSr. (0-1, 4.50) vs. RH Blake Wehunt, Fr. (1-1, 11.81) | Southern Miss Network/C-USA.TV |
| Live Stats | Southern Miss Game Notes |
Last Weekend: Southern Miss captured three of four games at Rice, winning their first series over the Owls in Houston since 2017, third overall at Reckling Park and fifth set of the 15 that the two teams have played since 2006. After getting shutout in the opener 6-0, the Golden Eagles outscored the Owls 30-3 over the final three games with 12-1, 10-1 and 8-1 wins. Southern Miss hit .321 in the series with 12 doubles and two home runs, while the pitching staff posted a 2.03 ERA with 27 strikeouts and 12 walks with the starters collecting three of four quality starts.
The SLU Game: The final scheduled mid-week contest for the Golden Eagles this season starts a five-game homestand that concludes with a four-game C-USA series this weekend against Middle Tennessee. Saturday will serve as the 2021 Senior Day for the program. Southern Miss then ends its regular-season schedule, May 14-16, at Florida Atlantic with four more contests. The league postseason tournament takes place in Ruston, La., May 26-30.
A Solid Month of April: The Golden Eagles enjoyed another solid month of April by winning 13 of 18 games and have now won 25 of their last 34 games dating back to a 6-0 victory at Jacksonville State (March 6). That triumph also marked coach Scott Berry’s 400th career win at Southern Miss.
The Lions: Southeastern Louisiana enters the midweek contest with a 25-15 record and are just percentage points ahead of New Orleans for the lead in the Southland Conference at 18-10. The Lions are under the direction of Matt Riser, who is in his eight season leading the SLU program, having posted a 258-159 record there.
| Series (1948-2018) | |
| All-Time | 75-47 |
| In Hattiesburg | 42-16 |
| In Hammond | 31-29 |
| Neutral | 2-2 |
| Streak | Won 2 |
| Last 10 | 8-2 |
Last Time Against SLU: This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2018 when the Golden Eagles pounded out a season-high 20 hits as the then No. 13 Southern Miss defeated the Lions 12-4 at Pat Kenelly Diamond in Hammond. The Golden Eagles got three hits each from Matt Wallner, Gabe Montenegro, Luke Reynolds, Mason Irby and LeeMarcus Boyd. The visitors put the game away early with six runs in the third inning. Southern Miss had the first six batters reach base as Irby singled and Boyd doubled to start the frame. After an infield single by Montenegro to load the bases, Reynolds doubled in two with a shot to the right-center gap. Wallner then followed with a mammoth three-run blast to center.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher: Freshman right-handed pitcher Blake Wehunt (Carnesville, Ga.) makes his first collegiate start for the Golden Eagles against the Lions. Wehunt has posted a 1-1 with a 11.81 earned run average in six appearances this season. He has thrown 5 1/3 innings, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
Moving Up in the Rankings: The Golden Eagles climbed their way up the polls this week, earning a No. 20 spot by D1Baseball.com and a No. 19 spot by USA Today, moving up three spots in each ranking.The program moved into the Baseball America poll at No. 22 and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll at No. 25 for the first time in 2021.
National Statistics: Here is a look at the Golden Eagles among the nation’s leaders both as a team and as individuals. Here is a look at the team’s Top 20 leaders for all categories (through May 3 games):
Pitching
Team
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 1st (4.24)
Walks per 9 Inns.: 3rd (2.31)
WHIP: 7th (1.17)
Shutouts: 11th (5)
ERA: 17th (3.54)
Individual
Saves: Garrett Ramsey, 6th (9)
On-Base Percentage: Charlie Fischer, 6th (.534)
Doubles: Gabe Montenegro, 8th (16)
Victories: Walker Powell, 12th (7)
Complete Games: Walker Powell, 14th (3)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: Ben Ethridge, 18th (7.67)
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.
