JB Middleton continues cementing his 2025 season as one of the greatest in Southern Miss’ history.
At the end of the eighth inning, Middleton received a standing ovation coupled with the chants of ‘JB’ after striking out the side in what is likely the final game of his career at Pete Taylor Park.
Middleton’s dominant performance and another strong offensive effort extended Southern Miss’ win streak to 10 straight games as the Golden Eagles defeated Louisiana 11-3 on Friday night.
Amid the crowd’s cheers, the right-handed pitcher hesitantly stepped out to acknowledge the fans with a hat tip.
“That was a pretty cool moment,” Middleton said. “I wasn’t going to go out, but the coaches told me to go out. I love this place. It’s awesome. Our fans are great, and it was a cool moment.”
The moment mirrored Tanner Hall’s curtain call in 2023 for senior Carson Paetow. Middleton was just a freshman in the dugout when he witnessed that unfold.
“We were talking about it in the dugout, and Tanner Hall was in my class,” Paetow said. “We were actually comparing Tanner Hall’s season to JB’s season and seeing which one is better. Up to JB, Tanner Hall was the best pitcher that has pitched here since I’ve been here.
“Since I’ve been here, they are by far the two best pitchers, and JB has definitely made a name for himself. He’s very humble about it. He doesn’t even like talking about his outings. He deserves it…I was excited to see that, and I got a little choked up seeing that because he’s one of my best friends. I’m happy to see him have that moment.”
Middleton, who consistently stayed between 95 and 96 mph all night, has recently been projected to go as high as the No. 22 overall pick in the upcoming MLB Draft.
“It’s one day at a time,” Middleton said. “I don’t really worry about that stuff because none of it matters right now. All that matters is tonight and tomorrow and what’s ahead of us. All that stuff, whatever it is, will take care of itself. Being here with everybody day in and day out, it’s an awesome team to be a part of.”
Despite Middleton’s ending, the start of the game was quite the opposite. After USM built a 1-0 lead with Paetow hitting an RBI single, Middleton fell into trouble in the second inning.
The junior hit and walked a batter with no outs, which the Cajuns took advantage of with an RBI single. One at-bat later, a sac bunt allowed a second run to score, but Middleton misfired a throw to first base, and the error scored another to give Louisiana (25-25, 15-10 SBC) a 3-1 lead.
Luckily, Southern Miss (36-13, 19-6 Sun Belt) recovered after Ozzie Pratt hit a 2-run homer to tie the game in the bottom of the frame.
“He had a look to him after he came in that second inning,” Southern Miss coach Christian Ostrander said. “It was a ticked off look a little bit, but after that two-run home run by Ozzie Pratt and the offense during their jam, he just kind of had that look in his eye that he was going to get it done. He certainly did.
“That’s the mark of a true ace that can weather a storm and get stronger as you go.”
Despite the hiccup, Middleton returned to his dominant form as he kept Louisiana scoreless for the next six innings and allowed only two runners to reach base after the second inning.
“I reset after that inning,” Middleton said. “I tried to execute pitches and fill up the zone and just tried to get outs. I really wasn’t paying attention to that and just trying to get us back to the dugout so our hitters could do their thing.”
The Golden Eagle lineup took full advantage of Middleton’s mid-game bounce-back performance. The Golden Eagles put up three runs in the fourth inning, one more in the fifth, and two in the sixth and eighth innings, which included a home run by Joey Urban.
“When he put a zero up in the top of the third, I knew we were good,” Paetow said. “In the fourth inning, when he put another zero up, I knew that JB was rolling. Once he has two shutdown innings in a row, that’s typically pretty wrapped. Believe it or not, he can do better than what he did tonight.”
By the end of his outing, Middleton struck out 10 batters, walked three, and allowed three runs off three hits. It also marked the fifth straight week he threw over 100 pitches, with his performance now putting him at 98 strikeouts on the year.
“We’ve seen it here before,” Ostrander said. “Our fans get it. They know that it might be the last time that they see him pitch it here at Pete Taylor Park, hopefully not. If so, then he gave them what they wanted to see. They responded and asked for that curtain call.”
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