Southern Miss baseball concluded its fall scrimmages this past Tuesday, and the final game didn’t disappoint, with four players going yard.
FINAL DAY RECAP:
In the first inning, Pearl River CC transfer Gabe Broadus hit a home run over the left field wall off Billy Oldham, then in the bottom of the frame, Slade Wilks went oppo and also hit a homer over the left field wall.
Redshirt freshman Davis Gillespi hit a home run over the center field wall off Jackson Parker. Two innings later, Carson Paetow hit a solo homer to right center. Capping off the offensive production was a 2-run RBI single by Itawamba CC transfer Gray Bane.
WHICH JOBS ARE LOCKS?
As of now, there are still several jobs in the field that are still open, but most have featured strong competition.
In the infield, BYU transfer Ozzie Pratt seems to have shortstop locked down, while catcher Tucker Stockman will easily be one of the Golden Eagles’ two catchers behind the plate. Valparaiso transfer Nolan Tucker also seems to have won the second base job. Let it be known that backup shortstop freshman Seth Smith has been impressive and could also see the field this upcoming year.
The two closest position battles are first base and third base. Gillespi and Broadus have arguably been two of the best bats and gloves on the field this fall. Both have shown consistency and power with their bats, and both have flashed leather. Yet Gillespi is likely the favorite, given how long he has been with the program, but it will be hard to ignore Broadus’ ability if he continues to play at the same level this upcoming spring.
First base is between Matthew Russo and Braden Luke. Luke has been more productive with his bat, while Russo seemingly has the better glove. Russo saw minimal time at first base and slid into designated hitter briefly last season, but it’s a job that’s hard to call at this point.
The No. 2 catcher is perhaps the biggest question mark with Bane, freshmen Lawson Odom and Jacob Keys, as well as Graham Crawford all in the mix. However, Crawford has missed playing time due to a hand injury. Bane’s bat has come on as of late, but this spring will narrow the pack.
In the outfield, Nick Monistere will be in center field, while Paetow is set to return to right. Notably, Paetow has battled a lower leg injury for the majority of this fall. Left field is currently a battle between Wilks and Rhode Island transfer Billy Butler. Neither of their gloves has been spectacular, but the nod seems like it would go to Wilks.
DEEPER PITCHING
Unlike last season, the depth and talent of the pitching staff is significantly deeper. Kros Sivley, Matthew Adams and Chandler Best did not pitch the entire fall, while Will Armistead and Shelton State CC transfer Sawyer Toney stopped throwing earlier this fall.
Yet the most promising sight to see has been the number of arms that can pitch in the mid-90s. Last season, Southern Miss had roughly five pitchers that could reach that mark. That figure jumps to as many as nine different pitchers that can top out between 93-94 mph. The most impressive arm this fall has been sophomore Colby Allen, who seems to have added a third pitch and is poised to have a breakout season.
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