Southern Miss' 14-1 Sunday win over North Alabama was highlighted by performances from sophomores Hurston Waldrep and Slade Wilks. Both were key in securing the Golden Eagles' sweep over the Lions.
In Waldrep's first career start on the mound, the young right-hander recorded 11 strikeouts while Wilks overcame a slow start to the weekend and went 3-for-3 with four RBI and was a home run short of hitting for the cycle.
"I'll tell you what, they both had very nice days, didn't they?" Southern Miss coach Scott Berry said. "I was really happy to see Slade come out. In the first couple games, he kind of struggled. That young man has tremendous upside and potential; hopefully, that'll give him some confidence and get him going. On the mound with Hurston, we've seen that in the fall and spring here in the preseason. I'm just glad to see how it carried over today."
Waldrep, who opened the game with his fastball topping out at 98 mph, seized momentum for the Golden Eagles. Waldrep retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced with a strikeout. He struck out the side against UNA in the first three innings, then in the fourth inning retired the Lions in order.
"There was definitely a lot of nerves getting the first start at home with this huge crowd," Waldrep said. "It was definitely a lot of nerves and excitement, but mostly excitement. Once I settled in, it was a lot of fun, and I was able to enjoy it. (The nerves) went away after the first two innings. It's a childhood dream to be able to come out there and pitch and play in front of this crowd and these fans. It was just a lot of fun to go out there and play today."
Meanwhile, at the plate, the Golden Eagles' offense jumped to a 6-0 lead by the third inning as USM plated three runs in the second and third innings. After Will McGillis hit an RBI sac fly, Wilks started his day with an RBI triple, which was the first hit of the season. Blake Johnson, who also finished the day 3-for-3 with five RBI, followed with an RBI single that drove in Wilks.
"I knew the first two days I struggled hitting the fastball," said Wilks, who started the season 0-for-5. "I knew they were probably going to come with a fastball on the first pitch. I got my foot down and reacted. I told myself I wasn't going to miss this first fastball again.
"It felt good to get the monkey off the back. It felt like a big monkey for a minute. I started stumbling halfway to third, and I didn't know if I was going to make it for a second."
Then in the third inning, after an RBI sac fly by Reece Ewing, Wilks' bat continued to produce as he came up with a two-run RBI double. According to Wilks, he put the slow start at the plate and errors he had in the outfield on Saturday behind him as he entered Sunday's game.
"I flushed it when I left the park yesterday," Wilks said. "I told myself that tomorrow is a new day. I had my mind right and just told myself to keep my foot down and swing, and then everything will take care of itself."
Waldrep's stamina began to sputter in the fifth and sixth innings as he is fastball dropped between 88-89 mph. Waldrep gave up UNA's lone run on an RBI single in the fifth innings. Waldrep still recorded a strikeout despite the hiccup and ended the Lions' offensive threat.
In the bottom of the frame, Wilks and Johnson continued to produce. The duo extended the Golden Eagles' lead to 9-1 after Wilks and Johnson hit back-to-back RBI single. Johnson forced UNA into a jam on the bases with an attempted double steal that allowed Wilks to steal home and score.
Finally, in the top of the sixth, Waldrep's da ended as his pitch count jumped to 75 after walking the leadoff batter and then inducing a fly out. In 5.1 innings, Waldrep struck out 11 batters, allowed one run off three hits and walked one.
"It's just building that stamina back up," Waldrep said. "That's a lot of pitches to throw coming off intrasquads and where you only throwing 60 pitches max. But it's just building that stamina up early in the season. It'll come along. I lost a little bit of slider control at the end and gave up some contact, but pretty much it's just building stamina right now."
Southern Miss used numerous arms from the bullpen to close the game, including Landon Harper, Dalton Rogers, Garrett Ramsey, Niko Mazza, and Chandler Best. The group combined to allow just one hit, struck out six batters and gave up no walks.
The seventh inning was Wilks's final at-bat and last chance to go for the cycle. However, facing a full count, Wilks ended up getting walked. However, Johnson then delivered a two-run RBI single while Dickerson added an RBI with a sac fly to extend the lead to 12-2.
"In the back of my mind, I know I was a homer away from the cycle," Wilks said. "I told myself to stay within myself. I didn't get the pitch, but I heard the crowd's reaction, and so I think they were wanting it too."
Then in the eighth inning, UNA's pitching began to struggle as the Lions walked in a run and hit Brady Faust to score another run for the Golden Eagles.
By the end of the game, Southern Miss's pitching staff combined to total 17 strikeouts, while the lineup put up 12 hits and the defense had its first error-free game.
"I thought we played hard," Berry said. "I thought we played a good, clean baseball game. We didn't have any errors. I think 17 strikeouts takes away a lot of opportunities that you don't have to make on defense. We ran the bases extremely well, which I was proud of we applied pressure in every asset of the game."
Overall, Berry said he was impressed with the maturity that his lineup showed from the weekend and feels the momentum the group found at the end of last season has carried over into the beginning of this year.
"They played together last year," Berry said. "They struggled early. They figured it out late, and I just think that momentum has carried us into this year. They are a year older, a year smarter, and a year wiser and more intelligent about the game of baseball. They communicate well."
Southern Miss returns to action on Tuesday as the Golden Eagles host South Alabama. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
