03-26-2015, 09:46 AM
Not in the "right" frame of mind to prepare a comprehensive preview for the upcoming weekend series, but thought I'd start a thread providing a high-level scouting report on Southern Miss...
- They come into Reckling playing their best ball of the year. Overall record is 14 - 8 - 1 (5-2 road, 3-2 CUSA, 3-2 vs. Top 100), but they've won 11 of their last 15 games, including impressive mid-week wins against both Ole Miss and Mississippi State. However, aside from those two games, they've played a very weak schedule (#224 SoS). Here's their schedule and results to date...
http://warrennolan.com/baseball/2015/sch...thern-Miss
- The strength of this team is their pitching staff, particularly their weekend starters, two of whom have ERAs below 1.50 and BAAs below .200. Overall, the staff stats are excellent: 2.18 ERA, .248 BAA, 2.3 K:BB tatio, and averaging just 2.6 BBs per game. The one thing that bodes well for us is that all three weekend starters are right-handed pitchers, as well as two of their top 3 relievers.
- As usual with a USM team, they have been very stout defensively, posting a .971 fielding percentage, their catchers have thrown out 12 of 27 attempted basestealers (44%) and allowed only 4 passed balls, and they've turned 29 double plays in 23 games. Couple with their pitchers keeping free passes to an absolute minimum, they simply do not beat themselves (unlike another team we know).
- Offensively, they have struggled to get hits (.265/.357/.374, with 12 HRs), but they've compensated by being extremely efficient at manufacturing run (averaging 5.3 runs per game, despite their low AVG). As a Senior, Connor Barron is finally living up to his Top 100 prospect status out of high school (.347/.354/.477, with 3 HRs, 8-11 SBs). They have been patient hitters, averaging better than 5 free passes a game, have struck out at a relatively low rate (under 6 Ks/game) and have been very aggressive on the basepaths (32 - 43 stolen bases, with 4 players having 5+ SBs already). Their coach appears to be a platoon and righty-lefty matchup freak, as 13 different players have started in at least 10 games, while no player has reached even 90 ABs. Consequently, we should expect to see an extreme left-handed laden lineup when McCanna and Stephens take the mound, and an extreme right-handed laden lineup when Fox pitches on Saturday.
Here's their individual and team stats through their first 23 games...
http://www.southernmiss.com/sports/m-bas...mcume.html
D1Baseball picked USM to finish 5th in CUSA...
http://www.d1baseball.com/prospects/2015...rence-usa/
- They come into Reckling playing their best ball of the year. Overall record is 14 - 8 - 1 (5-2 road, 3-2 CUSA, 3-2 vs. Top 100), but they've won 11 of their last 15 games, including impressive mid-week wins against both Ole Miss and Mississippi State. However, aside from those two games, they've played a very weak schedule (#224 SoS). Here's their schedule and results to date...
http://warrennolan.com/baseball/2015/sch...thern-Miss
- The strength of this team is their pitching staff, particularly their weekend starters, two of whom have ERAs below 1.50 and BAAs below .200. Overall, the staff stats are excellent: 2.18 ERA, .248 BAA, 2.3 K:BB tatio, and averaging just 2.6 BBs per game. The one thing that bodes well for us is that all three weekend starters are right-handed pitchers, as well as two of their top 3 relievers.
- As usual with a USM team, they have been very stout defensively, posting a .971 fielding percentage, their catchers have thrown out 12 of 27 attempted basestealers (44%) and allowed only 4 passed balls, and they've turned 29 double plays in 23 games. Couple with their pitchers keeping free passes to an absolute minimum, they simply do not beat themselves (unlike another team we know).
- Offensively, they have struggled to get hits (.265/.357/.374, with 12 HRs), but they've compensated by being extremely efficient at manufacturing run (averaging 5.3 runs per game, despite their low AVG). As a Senior, Connor Barron is finally living up to his Top 100 prospect status out of high school (.347/.354/.477, with 3 HRs, 8-11 SBs). They have been patient hitters, averaging better than 5 free passes a game, have struck out at a relatively low rate (under 6 Ks/game) and have been very aggressive on the basepaths (32 - 43 stolen bases, with 4 players having 5+ SBs already). Their coach appears to be a platoon and righty-lefty matchup freak, as 13 different players have started in at least 10 games, while no player has reached even 90 ABs. Consequently, we should expect to see an extreme left-handed laden lineup when McCanna and Stephens take the mound, and an extreme right-handed laden lineup when Fox pitches on Saturday.
Here's their individual and team stats through their first 23 games...
http://www.southernmiss.com/sports/m-bas...mcume.html
D1Baseball picked USM to finish 5th in CUSA...
http://www.d1baseball.com/prospects/2015...rence-usa/
Quote:Southern Miss logoSouthern Mississippi has won at least 30 games for thirteen consecutive seasons and 28 times in the last 29 years. The Golden Eagles should be competitive again in 2015 thanks to some veterans on the pitching staff. Christian Talley (4-4, 2.67), Cody Carroll (3-2, 3.99), Ryan Milton (3-3, 3.22) and Jake Winston (3-3, 4.46) all return, and they are joined by talented freshman Kirk McCarty and transfer Cord Cockrell. USM will look to improve on last season’s .246 team batting average with Matt Durst (.277/6/42), Nick Dawson (.251/0/23), and Dylan Burdeaux (.266/3/24) the top returnees. OF Connor Baron (.246/4/20) had a nice summer and is a key to the offense. Barron spent another summer at the Texas Collegiate League and seemed to display more consistency. In addition to his impressive athleticism, Barron showed a more advanced, mature approach. He won’t be drafted in the third round again like he was out of high school, but he looks poised to put together his best collegiate season.