HATTIESBURG – After a frustrating season a year ago, senior Erick Hoard has been waiting for his opportunity in 2019.
In the last two games that have counted, the Brandon native is 4-for-7 with four RBI, a run and two walks. In Wednesday’s 8-3 win over Southern University, he went 1-for-2 with three RBI, a run and two walks.
“I’ve been doing a lot of extra work with my coaches,” Hoard said. “We’ve been putting a lot of work in the cages and seeing pitches off the machine. Early on, I was swinging at stuff out of the strike zone, but now we’ve worked so hard on me seeing stuff in the strike zone. It’s helping me.”
Hoard has found a nice home in the designated hitter spot, and it’s a welcome sight to see for Southern Miss coach Scott Berry. For a team that has three everyday starters who are hitting in the .100s, and four more in the .200s, Hoard has pushed his batting average to .313 in 16 at-bats.
“He’s got a good flat swing, he lines the ball and I’ve been really proud of him in his at-bats,” Berry said. “I thought he’s had some really quality at-bats. Not only just driving in runs, but squaring up the ball, hitting the ball hard and taking his walks, too.”
But it hasn’t come easy for the Jones College transfer. He’s used dominating at the plate. As a senior in high school, he finished the season with a .368 average, then earned All-American honors at Jones College while helping his team to the national championship.
Needless to say, his first season at Southern Miss was something he definitely didn’t expect. He hit .211 from the plate in 38 at-bats, but two of his eight hits were home runs.
“Last year, it was my first time ever going through something like that where I didn’t play much and I wasn’t executing when I got my chance,” he said. “I would get chances in big moments, but I wasn’t mentally strong to do my best at the time. It was pretty frustrating through all that, but I had to put it in the past and start a new year.”
He had a few opportunities early in the season, but not a lot. He had two at-bats in the Purdue series, then three more during the weekend at Mississippi State. It wasn’t until Game 2 of the Gonzaga series when his bat finally woke up.
It was still frustrating for Hoard to wait for a shot to show he can be consistent, and he’s still proving that he can be an everyday guy in the lineup.
“It was tough because I wanted to be out there to help them out,” Hoard said. “I started to get a little impatient, but my teammates helped me stay up and be more patient until my time came.”
A perfect example of his frustration came against New Orleans last week. Late in the game, while Southern Miss trailed, Hoard was sent to the on-deck circle to pinch hit only to be called back into the dugout for another hitter. The moment was tough, but he knew he had to put it behind him.
“It was very frustrating, but I stayed the course and it’s starting to work out pretty well for me,” he said.
Hoard could have gotten frustrated in Sunday’s no contest game, too. Not because he went 0-for-3 or 0-for-4, but because he went 2-for-3 with a grand slam. Since the game was ruled a no-contest, those statistics don’t count.
However, in his head, those plate appearances are a lot bigger than his stat sheet.
“I needed it but I still did it,” Hoard said. “It was a confidence booster. It would have been nice to have it, but it’ll be all right.
“I was sitting soft (on the grand slam pitch) because I knew he wasn’t going to come back with another fastball. I guessed right, pretty much, and got the changeup I was looking for. It felt pretty good off the bat.”
Hoard and the Golden Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak Wednesday, and they are back in action at home this weekend against Holy Cross. Game 1 is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
