D1 Baseball Week 4 Top 5 Series to Watch: Southern Miss at La Tech

[BirminghamEagle]

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Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech​ Once heated Conference USA rivals, the Golden Eagles (8-5) and Bulldogs (12-1) will reunite in Ruston, Louisiana, for what might be the weekend’s most even series. Coming off a 28-31 campaign in 2023, Louisiana Tech won its first 12 games before falling to Xavier on Wednesday. Although a bounce-back season seemed to be in the cards for the Bulldogs – who made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2021 and 2022 – their start has exceeded expectations. As good as their senior-laden lineup has been (.310/.421/.482), they’ve been especially impressive on the mound, ranking fourth nationally in ERA (2.48) and eighth in WHIP (1.08). Ethan Bates has been in the middle of all the action, hitting .370/.453/.630 with 17 RBIs and notching three saves. As usual, Southern Miss’ pitching has also been sharp, posting a 4.04 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP to go along with 28.4% strikeout and 8% walk rates. Niko Mazza (2-0, 1.96 ERA, 33.3 K%, 1.4 BB%) has shined in his move to the Friday role, and JB Middleton (0-0. 0.00, 43.3 K%, 3.3 BB%) has been almost unhittable out of the bullpen. The Golden Eagles are still looking for more offense, though, as they’re hitting .234/.385/.365. — Kaileigh Grieb