After three weeks of baseball, Southern Miss is 10-1 and has slid into the top 10 at No. 10 in the D1Baseball.com rankings, No. 12 by Baseball America and No. 8 by Perfect Game. The Golden Eagles have beaten Oregon State, won a series against UC Santa Barbara and are coming off a loud sweep of Louisiana Tech.
In fact, they beat Louisiana Tech so convincingly this weekend that Bulldogs head coach Lane Burroughs apologized to the Tech fan base after the series.
What has contributed to the early-season success? Undoubtedly, it has been the bullpen that has emerged as the defining strength of the baseball team.
Through three weeks, Southern Miss starting pitchers have combined for 36.2 innings with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. The trio of Colby Allen, Grayden Harris and McCarty English has kept the Golden Eagles competitive in nearly every outing, but traffic on the bases has been a consistent theme. The three have allowed 39 hits and 15 walks while striking out 37.
Allen has, at least on paper, been the most efficient of the group. He has posted a 2.45 ERA through three starts across 14.2 innings. Harris has worked a changeup into his arsenal, though he has had trouble locating it at times and has not generated the swing-and-miss numbers he would prefer.
Harris has arguably been the most improved since his first start against UC Santa Barbara. Since that outing, Harris has allowed just two earned runs while racking up 13 strikeouts with four walks. He is the only Southern Miss starter thus far to throw six innings.
English has been the most inconsistent starter of the bunch. He has struggled with command and walks and has thrown eight innings across three Sunday starts.
The rotation has been good enough to win games, just not at the level Southern Miss fans have seen in the past — though it remains early in the season.
The bullpen, however, has been dominant.
Southern Miss relievers have logged 59 innings — more than 22 additional innings compared to the starters — and have allowed the same number of earned runs (14). That workload has produced a 2.14 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP, with 80 strikeouts against 21 walks.
The relief arms have limited traffic on the basepaths and shortened games once a lead is established. While the starters are striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings, the bullpen is striking out hitters at a 12.2-per-nine clip.
At the center of the bullpen is Camden Sunstrom, who has quietly been one of the most reliable arms on the roster. In 14.1 innings, Sunstrom owns a 1.26 ERA with 21 strikeouts and zero walks. His ability to attack the zone with his fastball-slider combination has been deadly, and Ostrander has shown the willingness to extend him multiple innings when necessary. He has pitched like starter material and could create a conversation for a weekend rotation spot.
Kros Sivley has once again proven reliable for the Golden Eagles, throwing 10.2 innings with a 2.53 ERA and 14 strikeouts against two walks. Josh Och has been equally impressive, posting a 2.89 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 9.1 innings while allowing only three hits. His 0.54 WHIP underscores how difficult he has been to square up.
Camden Clark, the Golden Eagles’ closer, has yet to allow an earned run in 6.1 innings and has struck out seven without issuing a walk.
Several other arms — including Sam Mitchell, JW Armistead and Dylan Causey — have delivered clean innings in limited appearances.
Not to mention the depth options in Thomas Crabtree, KL Farr, Bruce Littleton, Cole Richardson and Teague Broadhead.
Virtually every pitcher outside of two has delivered at least one clean inning to begin the season.
Southern Miss games have effectively become six- or seven-inning contests for opponents. Once the Golden Eagles reach the middle innings with a lead — or even within striking distance — the bullpen has consistently locked games down.
It has also been a boost for Ostrander as the starters continue to work through command inconsistencies early. Because the bullpen has absorbed 59 innings, the coaching staff has not been forced to overextend starters. They can allow starters to work through traffic without navigating a lineup a third or fourth time if pitch counts climb.
The starters will need to limit baserunners for pitch counts to decrease. The trio currently combines for a 1.47 WHIP.
The formula for Southern Miss has been simple early in the season — compete early, get the lead and let the bullpen take over.
If that trend continues, Southern Miss will not only have the depth to handle the grind of the season, but the type of pitching structure that plays in June.
Three weeks in, the numbers are clear.
The bullpen is not just a strength.
It is becoming the identity of this ball club.
