USM predicted 3rd and as a regional team.

https://d1baseball.com/analysis/2017-con...ews-c-usa/

Munz says Braley hitting 91-92 on the gun in today's scrimmage. Also said Colin Cargill is the new ops guy.

I know they have talked about using Braley as a starter, but unless something has changed I can't see him being anymore than a decent Sunday guy that gets you through 4 or 5 innings and gives up 3 runs. Think he fits way better as a reliever, too many red flags as a starter. Very high effort delivery, average command, and no third pitch. His fastball can hit 93 or 94 in short stints as a reliever. I would think he'll be more 89-91 as a starter. That's still a little above average in C-USA but it's straight as an arrow.

I don't know that I've seen or heard anything about Braley being used as a starter. I have heard they may use him in a closing role.

(02-01-2017 03:09 PM)eagle04 Wrote:  I don't know that I've seen or heard anything about Braley being used as a starter. I have heard they may use him in a closing role.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story.../96956114/

“I think you’ll see Taylor Braley on the (pitcher’s) mound as a starter,” Berry said. “He’s a competitor and he has that in his tank to be that two-way guy. When he pitches, we’ll probably start him and let him (serve as the designated hitter) for himself. We can do that because we have the personnel to move into that slot at third (base) when he’s on the mound.”

The USM preview from D1 was posted on the CUSA board and Kendall seems to think our Sunday guy will be the freshman Carroll. So maybe Braley/Wallner midweek and Powers as a mid/long reliever.

(02-01-2017 03:19 PM)BeagleUSM Wrote:  The USM preview from D1 was posted on the CUSA board and Kendall seems to think our Sunday guy will be the freshman Carroll. So maybe Braley/Wallner midweek and Powers as a mid/long reliever.

This is what was posted on the CUSA board via Kendall with D1 sports.

Southern Miss returned to its normal and successful ways last season with a 41-20 overall record, and coach Scott Berry is ready to press forward again this season. While the Golden Eagles have some key holes to fill with the departures of Cord Cockrell, Chuckie Robinson and Tim Lynch, among others, they return more than enough to make another strong move in Conference USA. On the mound, Kirk McCarty returns after tallying a 3.15 ERA in 88.2 innings last season. McCarty is a plus pitchability guy with a three-pitch mix, while fellow weekend starters RHP Hayden Roberts and RHP Cody Carroll are intriguing options. Roberts has some serious power in his arm and is coming off an injury that sidelined him last season, while Carroll is a consistent strike-thrower who has projection. RHP JC Keys and RHP Nick Sandlin will anchor the bullpen. Keys has some velocity attached to his fastball along with a power curve, while Sandlin had 12 saves last season and is a consummate bulldog with good stuff and a hard-nosed approach … This again will be a solid club from an offensive standpoint. USM will miss Lynch’s big bat in the middle of the lineup, but welcomes back big bats Dylan Burdeaux (.335/11/41) and Taylor Braley (.323/10/31), while Daniel Keating (.303/5/29) is expected to be a big-time contributor. Keating has good power with impressive athleticism. Hunter Slater (.314/4/26) is another quality bat to watch, while newcomer Mason Irby should provide an immediate impact. Irby had success at the JC level before heading off to Hattiesburg and possesses a smart approach with an ability to hit for average.

(02-01-2017 03:18 PM)BeagleUSM Wrote:  

(02-01-2017 03:09 PM)eagle04 Wrote:  I don't know that I've seen or heard anything about Braley being used as a starter. I have heard they may use him in a closing role.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story.../96956114/

“I think you’ll see Taylor Braley on the (pitcher’s) mound as a starter,” Berry said. “He’s a competitor and he has that in his tank to be that two-way guy. When he pitches, we’ll probably start him and let him (serve as the designated hitter) for himself. We can do that because we have the personnel to move into that slot at third (base) when he’s on the mound.”

(11-22-2016 03:11 PM)Eagle9 Wrote:  From a position player standpoint, this is as talented a team as we have had in a long time. Pitching is unproven. If they can be just average, this team should win at least 36-38 in the regular season.

Well, we all know what happens to a USM team when they are expected to do well. TTT Sorry, had to say it.

I'm just eagerly awaiting the day when we can go to relief and starting midweek pitchers and I don't have to feel like we need to score 15 to win. I truly don't remember the last time that was the case.

Yeah, pitching is going to be a concern once again this year.

We should be able to count on McCarty on Friday. But Roberts is mostly unproven (he did do well against Rice and USA late last year). If Carroll is the Sunday starter, we know nothing about him other than that he can apparently throw strikes (per the D1 report).

Bullpen is gonna come down to how the freshman and JUCO guys turn out. Driver, Nelms, Davis, etc. Powers might be middle relief. Calder Mikell can hit mid 90s on the gun but can't really locate well.

Watched the first six innings of the scrimmage before the basketball game today.

Couple notes:

- Black team only had 7 guys in the batting lineup, Gray had 9.
- The top of the 4th abruptly ended after a Maack infield hit. There were still 2 outs, so not sure what happened there.
- BA Vollmuth played some shortstop in the game, and was credited with an error.
- At the time I left (End 6th), Black had a 6-3 lead.

Batting/Pitching lines

Black

Cooper, 1-5, RBI
Wallner, 3-5,
Braley, 2-4
Slater, 1-3
Donaldson, 2-4, HR, 2RBI
Viaene, 0-4
Maack, 3-4, HR, 2RBI

McCarty 4.0 IP, 0K, 0BB, 2H
Stevens: 2.0 IP, 1K, 2BB, 2H

Gray

Burdeaux, 0-3
Keating, 0-2
Reynolds, 0-1
Irby, 2-3, RBI
Bowen, 0-3
Montenegro, 0-3
Boyd, 2-3, 3B, RBI
Hadley, 0-2
Guidry, 0-2, RBI

Smith 3.0 IP, 2K, 0BB, 6H, 3ER
Davis: 2.1 IP, 1K, 0BB (1 HBP), 5H, 1ER
Nelms: 0.2 IP, 0K, 0BB, 1H, 1ER

Play-by-Play

1st inning (Black)

Cooper struck out looking.
Wallner singled to CF.
Braley singled to 3rd.
Slater singled to CF.
Donaldson popped up to SS.
Viaene struck out swinging.

(0 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB)

1st inning (Gray)

Burdeaux flied out to RF.
Keating flied out to RF.
Reynolds popped up to SS.

(0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB)

2nd inning (Black)

Maack flied out to LF.
Cooper grounded out (bunt).
Wallner singled to CF.
Braley flied out to CF.

(0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB)

2nd inning (Gray)

Irby singled to RF.
Bowen flied out to CF.
Montenegro grounded into a double play (6-4-3).

(0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB)

3rd inning (Black)

Slater flied out to CF.
Donaldson out.
Viaene flied out to CF.

(0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB)

3rd inning (Gray)

Boyd tripled to left.
Hadley popped out to SS.
Guidry walked (3-1).
Burdeaux flied out to CF.
Keating flied out to RF.

(0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB)

4th inning (Black)

Maack homered to left.
Cooper singled to third.
[Jake Davis new pitcher for Gray]
Wallner singled to RF, Cooper advanced to second.
Braley grounded into a FC, Wallner out at 2nd, Cooper advanced to 3rd.
Slater HBP, Braley advanced to 2nd.
Donaldson singled to RF, Cooper scored, Braley advanced to third, Slater advanced to 2nd.
Braley scored on a passed ball, Slater advanced to third, Donaldson advanced to second.
Viaene struck out swinging.
Maack singled to shortstop, Slater scored, Donaldson advanced to third.

(4 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB)

4th inning (Gray)

Reynolds walked (3-1).
Irby flied out to RF.
Bowen flied out to CF.
Montenegro grounded into a FC, Reynolds out at 2nd

(0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB)

5th inning (Black)

Cooper struck out swinging.
Wallner struck out looking.
Braley doubled to CF.
Slater grounded out to second.

(0 runs, 1 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB)

5th inning (Gray)

[Hunter Stevens new pitcher for Black)
Boyd singled up the middle.
Boyd stole second.
Hadley SAC bunt to P, out at 1st. Boyd advanced to third.
Guidry reached on an error by the SS (Vollmuth), Boyd scored.
Burdeaux flew out to RF.
Guidry caught stealing 2nd.

(1 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 0 LOB)

6th inning (Black)

Donaldson homered to left.
Viaene lined out to RF.
[Alex Nelms new pitcher for Gray]
Maack doubled to right.
Maack advanced on a pass ball.
Cooper flied out to RF, Maack scored.
Wallner flied out to RF.

(2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB)

6th inning (Gray)

Keating walked (3-1).
Keating stole second.
Reynolds walked (3-0).
Irby singled through the right side, Keating scored, Reynolds advanced to second.
Bowen flied out to CF.
Montenegro struck out swinging.
Boyd reached on a error by 3B, Reynolds scored, Boyd advanced to 2nd.
Guidry flied out to CF.

(2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB)

Thanks for the detailed post beagle. Any idea when the next scrimmage may be?

Not sure. Probably sometime this weekend.

https://twitter.com/munzly/status/829412276360867840

Berry breaking down the lineup.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story.../97658672/

Facebook Live Chat with Pitchers Kirk McCarty, Hayden Roberts, Stevie Powers and Nick Sandlin!.....going on right now and you can watch anytime.

click to watch the roundtable with our starters

#BaseBurg

Is Roberts that good?

Baseball America CUSA preview. Wallner preseason freshman of the year in the league.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2...fEHRThF.97

Southern Mississippi: Scott Berry’s seventh season as head coach was the club’s best with a 41-20 mark, and Berry says this will be the program’s deepest, most versatile roster in a decade. Senior Dylan Burdeaux, who has played right field and first base in recent years, is slated for first this year after the 6-foot-2, 230-pounder hit .335/.421/.529 last season. At times he leads off; at others he hits third. The returns of Conference USA tournament MVP outfielder Daniel Keating (.303/.401/.486) and thick-bodied junior third baseman Taylor Braley (.323/.450/.688, 10 HR) would help keep Burdeaux at the top of the lineup. As usual, defense is crucial for the Golden Eagles’ pitching staff, which usually lacks power arms but fills up the strike zone. Sophomore closer Nick Sandlin (3-3, 2.38, 12 SV) returns as the latest in USM’s long line of low-slot relievers that stretches back to ex-big leaguer Chad Bradford (1996) through Collin Cargill (2008-11), who rejoined the program as director of baseball operations.

(02-09-2017 02:24 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  Is Roberts that good?

When he is healthy, yes. He stepped into Walker Powell's spot after he got shut down and looked very sharp despite rehabbing most of the season. I think he will be solid this year. The number 3 guy is the real question mark.