Southern Miss Baseball Entertains ULM for Sun Belt Conference Series

Dates                  Time (CT)      Probable Rotation
Fri. 19                  6 p.m.            LH Cam Barlow, Sr. (1-2, 5.12 ERA) vs. RH Billy Oldham, Sr. (4-1, 4.17 ERA)
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Sat. 20                2 p.m.            RH Beau Blanchard, Sr. (2-3, 639 ERA) vs. TBA
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Sun. 21               1 p.m.            TBA vs. RH Niko Mazza, Jr. (6-2, 5.48 ERA)
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss concludes a four-game homestand this weekend when they entertain ULM for a Sun Belt Conference set, starting Friday at 6 p.m., from Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.

The homestand got off to a bang Tuesday as Matthew Russo capped a four-run ninth when he belted a three-run, game-winning home run to lift Southern Miss to a 9-6 come-from-behind triumph over Nichols. It was the second-straight game that the Golden Eagles (23-14 overall, 9-6 Sun Belt) rallied from at least four runs down to capture a victory.

Nick Monistere, who has hit in the batting order in every starting spot in the order but first or ninth, while starting at more positions than any other Golden Eagle with four (2B, 3B, LF, CF), led the way for the Golden Eagles with three hits and four RBI.

Relievers JB Middleton and Niko Mazza kept the Colonels off the board over the final 4 2/3 innings. Heading into the final half inning down 6-5, Monistere singled home the first run before Russo collected the walk-off homer. Mazza fanned four over the final two innings to get the win and improve to 6-2.

Since the start of the 2017 season, Southern Miss has enjoyed 28 walk-off victories, including 24 at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field. Over this span, Matt Wallner (2017-19) and current baseball graduate assistant Danny Lynch (2019-23) hold the most game-winning heroics with three apiece. Bryant Bowen (2017-19), LeeMarcus Boyd (2017-18), Storme Cooper (2016-19), Cole Donaldson (2017-19) and Reed Trimble (2020-21) each had two apiece.

As the weather has heated up, so has the Golden Eagle offense, which has generated at least 10 hits in each of the last eight games and in 12 of the last 15 contests. They are hitting .322 (92x286) as a squad over this eight-game span with 61 runs, 16 doubles, 16 home runs and 59 RBI. In addition, the team has not scored fewer than five runs in a contest in over the last 12 games.

Slade Wilks tied his career-best hitting streak total of 10 games with two hits Tuesday night versus Nicholls. He is hitting .325 (13x40) over this span with three doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI. Monistere is next at current longest hitting streaks at six games, followed by Davis Gillespie with five.

The Golden Eagles lead the overall series with ULM (17-19, 5-10) 52-19, having swept their first Sun Belt Conference last season and won the last seven games over the Warhawks.

All three games can be seen via ESPN+, as well as heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network and through the website at SouthernMiss.com.

Southern Miss Baseball Entertains ULM for Sun Belt Conference Series

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Players Mentioned

Davis Gillespie

Niko Mazza

JB Middleton

Nick Monistere

Billy Oldham

Matthew Russo

Slade Wilks