Jason Munz of The Hattiesburg American has a feature today on the Southern Miss pitching staff for the upcoming season after a fantastic 2017 campaign which saw them win over 50 games last season.
Ever since McCarty, Braley and Hayden Roberts (who combined to go 22-6 last year) declined to return for their senior seasons upon being picked in last year’s Major League Baseball draft, this has been the focus of many a Golden Eagle fans’ worry.
Ninth-year head coach Scott Berry and first-year pitching coach Christian Ostrander have plenty of options. Right-hander Colt Smith (6-2, 3.36, first team all-Conference USA selection in 2017) is a lock. Junior left-hander Stevie Powers (3-0, 5.13) and junior righty J.C. Keys (3-3, 5.56) will be given a shot to crack the starting rotation, as will sophomore right-handers Alex Nelms (1-0, 5.30) and Cody Carroll (0-0, 11.93).
“We’ll go into this preseason/scrimmage setting with about six guys I’d like to extend. I’m hoping Stevie will be in the starting rotation,” Ostrander said. “He made some strides in the fall. We added a pitch that I think he needed. Don’t want to give away all the secrets, but I think he’s turned himself into a guy that doesn’t only have to be effective against lefties.”
You can check out the full article by clicking here.
