From The "Old Lefty" himself, Jack Duggan
Overall: 28-11; C-USA: 13-4 (in first place; percentage points ahead of Florida Atlantic)
(No. 13 Baseball America; No. 14 D1Baseball.com; No. 15 NCBWA – 4/15)
Last Week
Tue. April 17 – Southern Miss 12, at Southeastern Louisiana 4 (Registered a season-high 20 hits in the contest)
Fri., April 20 – at Southern Miss 9, Middle Tennessee 1* (Eight strong frames by Stevie Powers, allowing 1 run w/12 Ks)
Sat., April 21 – at Southern Miss 11, Middle Tennessee 2* (Mason Irby drove in a career-high tying four runs)
Sat., April 21 – at Southern Miss 8, Middle Tennessee 0* (Nick Sandlin retired 15 of 16 batters faced, including 12 Ks)
This Week
Tue., April 24 – South Alabama, 6 p.m.
Fri., April 27 – at Old Dominion*, 5 p.m. CT
Sat., April 28 – at Old Dominion*, 2 p.m. CT
Sun., April 29 – at Old Dominion*, 12 p.m. CT
* - C-USA game
C-USA Hitter of the Week Nominee
Player: _Matt Wallner____________ School:_Southern Miss__________________
Opponent AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB-A
at SLU 5 2 3 1 0 1 4 1 1 0-0
Middle Tenn. 4 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 0-0
Middle Tenn. 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0-0
Middle Tenn. 5 2 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 0-0
Totals 17 7 9 2 0 2 6 3 4 0-0 (.529 ba/.600 obp/1.000 slug)
Supporting Information for Hitter of the Week Nominee: Wallner hit safely in all four games last week and has the current longest hitting streak for the team at nine games. He started the week with a three-hit night, including a three-run homer that capped a six-run inning for the Golden Eagles. He opened the Middle Tennessee series with a pair of hits, including his team-leading 11th homer of the season and 30th of his career. After a single in the opening game of the series-ending doubleheader, he ended his week with a three-hit contest that including a double and an RBI. Wallner is hitting .440 in the month of April (22x50) over 14 games, with two doubles, six home runs and 22 RBI. He has also scored 15 times and walked 11 times.
C-USA Pitcher of the Week NomineePlayer: Nick Sandlin _____________ School:_Southern Miss__________________
Opponent Dec. IP H R ER BB SO Pitches/Strikes
Middle Tenn. W 5.0 1 0 0 0 12 73/52
Supporting Information for Pitcher of the Week Nominee: After missing a turn in the rotation, Nick Sandlin came back with a limited pitch count against Middle Tennessee in the final game of the season and retired 15 of 16 batters he faced, including 12 strikeouts, as the pitching staff notched its third shutout of the campaign. The only runner he allowed to reach base was a bloop single to start the second. He fanned the side three of five innings he worked. He also produced two flyouts to the outfield and a ground out to third. With his strikeout total, it was the fifth time in nine starts this season he has fanned double-digit batters. For the season, he has improved his record to 5-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.17. Sandlin has totaled 87 strikeouts with only six walks this season in 54 innings.
Team Notes
* Southern Miss captured its 10th consecutive C-USA series, and first three-game series sweep of a league foe in 2018, outscoring Middle Tennessee 28-3. The Golden Eagles have now won 14-straight games over the Blue Raiders.
* The three runs allowed in the series is the fewest given up by the Golden Eagles in a C-USA series since WKU managed just two runs in three games last season in Bowling Green (March 31-April 2) with a scoring margin of 24-2 in the set. It was also the fewest runs surrendered at home since Louisiana Tech was outscored 11-3 by the Golden Eagles, April 18-20, 2014.
* Heading into the final week of April, the Golden Eagles have won five-straight contests. Under Scott Berry since 2010, the Golden Eagles have put together winning streaks of 10 or more games which started this month four times, including a school-record 14-game winning streak last season that started on April 25. The other three are:
* 13 games – started 4/26 in 2015
* 12 games – started 4/23 in 2010
* 10 games – started 4/6 in 2013
* Against Middle Tennessee, the Golden Eagles allowed just three walks over 27 innings of work and have surrendered zero or one walk 13 times in a game and three times or less free passes 29 times over the first 39 contests.
* Through 39 games this season, Southern Miss is just one game behind where it was a year ago at this time (29-10) en route to a school-record 50 victory season.
* Senior Daniel Keating, who had not played since April 1 with a wrist injury, returned to the lineup Friday night versus the Blue Raiders and immediately made an impact with a three-run triple. It was his team-leading second three-bagger of the year. Keating went 6x12 for the week with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI in the series.
* Fellow senior, Mason Irby, has seen his average rise thanks to a great month of April. Irby is hitting .385 (15x39) in 12 games this month with 11 runs, two doubles and 11 RBI. He currently is hitting .275 with five doubles, a triple and 24 RBI.
* Junior left-hander Stevie Powers had a string of 14 2/3 scoreless innings snapped in the fifth inning of the series opener with Middle Tennessee. After posting a complete-game shutout in Miami two weekends ago against FIU, Powers got the start in the series opener versus the Blue Raiders and went eight strong innings, allowing a run on five hits with a walk and a career-best 12 strikeouts to get the win and improve to 4-1 on the year.
* After playing host to South Alabama in the midweek to complete their two-game set this season, the Golden Eagles travel to Norfolk Va., for the first time to face ODU.
Overall: 28-11; C-USA: 13-4 (in first place; percentage points ahead of Florida Atlantic)
(No. 13 Baseball America; No. 14 D1Baseball.com; No. 15 NCBWA – 4/15)
Last Week
Tue. April 17 – Southern Miss 12, at Southeastern Louisiana 4 (Registered a season-high 20 hits in the contest)
Fri., April 20 – at Southern Miss 9, Middle Tennessee 1* (Eight strong frames by Stevie Powers, allowing 1 run w/12 Ks)
Sat., April 21 – at Southern Miss 11, Middle Tennessee 2* (Mason Irby drove in a career-high tying four runs)
Sat., April 21 – at Southern Miss 8, Middle Tennessee 0* (Nick Sandlin retired 15 of 16 batters faced, including 12 Ks)
This Week
Tue., April 24 – South Alabama, 6 p.m.
Fri., April 27 – at Old Dominion*, 5 p.m. CT
Sat., April 28 – at Old Dominion*, 2 p.m. CT
Sun., April 29 – at Old Dominion*, 12 p.m. CT
* - C-USA game
C-USA Hitter of the Week Nominee
Player: _Matt Wallner____________ School:_Southern Miss__________________
Opponent AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB-A
at SLU 5 2 3 1 0 1 4 1 1 0-0
Middle Tenn. 4 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 0-0
Middle Tenn. 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0-0
Middle Tenn. 5 2 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 0-0
Totals 17 7 9 2 0 2 6 3 4 0-0 (.529 ba/.600 obp/1.000 slug)
Supporting Information for Hitter of the Week Nominee: Wallner hit safely in all four games last week and has the current longest hitting streak for the team at nine games. He started the week with a three-hit night, including a three-run homer that capped a six-run inning for the Golden Eagles. He opened the Middle Tennessee series with a pair of hits, including his team-leading 11th homer of the season and 30th of his career. After a single in the opening game of the series-ending doubleheader, he ended his week with a three-hit contest that including a double and an RBI. Wallner is hitting .440 in the month of April (22x50) over 14 games, with two doubles, six home runs and 22 RBI. He has also scored 15 times and walked 11 times.
C-USA Pitcher of the Week NomineePlayer: Nick Sandlin _____________ School:_Southern Miss__________________
Opponent Dec. IP H R ER BB SO Pitches/Strikes
Middle Tenn. W 5.0 1 0 0 0 12 73/52
Supporting Information for Pitcher of the Week Nominee: After missing a turn in the rotation, Nick Sandlin came back with a limited pitch count against Middle Tennessee in the final game of the season and retired 15 of 16 batters he faced, including 12 strikeouts, as the pitching staff notched its third shutout of the campaign. The only runner he allowed to reach base was a bloop single to start the second. He fanned the side three of five innings he worked. He also produced two flyouts to the outfield and a ground out to third. With his strikeout total, it was the fifth time in nine starts this season he has fanned double-digit batters. For the season, he has improved his record to 5-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.17. Sandlin has totaled 87 strikeouts with only six walks this season in 54 innings.
Team Notes
* Southern Miss captured its 10th consecutive C-USA series, and first three-game series sweep of a league foe in 2018, outscoring Middle Tennessee 28-3. The Golden Eagles have now won 14-straight games over the Blue Raiders.
* The three runs allowed in the series is the fewest given up by the Golden Eagles in a C-USA series since WKU managed just two runs in three games last season in Bowling Green (March 31-April 2) with a scoring margin of 24-2 in the set. It was also the fewest runs surrendered at home since Louisiana Tech was outscored 11-3 by the Golden Eagles, April 18-20, 2014.
* Heading into the final week of April, the Golden Eagles have won five-straight contests. Under Scott Berry since 2010, the Golden Eagles have put together winning streaks of 10 or more games which started this month four times, including a school-record 14-game winning streak last season that started on April 25. The other three are:
* 13 games – started 4/26 in 2015
* 12 games – started 4/23 in 2010
* 10 games – started 4/6 in 2013
* Against Middle Tennessee, the Golden Eagles allowed just three walks over 27 innings of work and have surrendered zero or one walk 13 times in a game and three times or less free passes 29 times over the first 39 contests.
* Through 39 games this season, Southern Miss is just one game behind where it was a year ago at this time (29-10) en route to a school-record 50 victory season.
* Senior Daniel Keating, who had not played since April 1 with a wrist injury, returned to the lineup Friday night versus the Blue Raiders and immediately made an impact with a three-run triple. It was his team-leading second three-bagger of the year. Keating went 6x12 for the week with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI in the series.
* Fellow senior, Mason Irby, has seen his average rise thanks to a great month of April. Irby is hitting .385 (15x39) in 12 games this month with 11 runs, two doubles and 11 RBI. He currently is hitting .275 with five doubles, a triple and 24 RBI.
* Junior left-hander Stevie Powers had a string of 14 2/3 scoreless innings snapped in the fifth inning of the series opener with Middle Tennessee. After posting a complete-game shutout in Miami two weekends ago against FIU, Powers got the start in the series opener versus the Blue Raiders and went eight strong innings, allowing a run on five hits with a walk and a career-best 12 strikeouts to get the win and improve to 4-1 on the year.
* After playing host to South Alabama in the midweek to complete their two-game set this season, the Golden Eagles travel to Norfolk Va., for the first time to face ODU.
