Southern Miss has a not-so-secret weapon in junior Matt Wallner, and he’s made a name for himself in the professional baseball circles. In two seasons in Hattiesburg, Wallner has won National Freshman of the Year honors and an All-American by most college baseball outlets.
He’s roamed centerfield at Pete Taylor Park, bullied pitchers at the plate, and now he’s ready to take on a bigger role on the pitcher’s mound.
“Is it midweek, is it Sunday with Matt right now? Some of that is yet to be determined still,” Southern Miss pitching coach Christian Ostrander said.
Wallner, Ostrander and Southern Miss coach Scott Berry all said the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder will begin the season as a starter, but it’s unclear which day he’ll start. Right now, senior Stevie Powers and junior Walker Powell are back in the weekend rotation, and it’s expected the two move up days from last season to the Friday and Saturday spots.
Since Wallner will play in the outfield and be a key bat when he’s not pitching, there are different factors for which day he’ll pitch.
“For an everyday player and hitter, if you threw him on a Sunday, you’ve got Monday to recover to a little bit,” Ostrander said. “If you threw him on a Tuesday, you have Wednesday and Thursday to recover before Friday. We feel like that’s the best way to use him, but we just have to figure out what’s best for us.”
The Forest Lake, Minnesota, native has pitched more than 15 innings in any of his first two seasons at Southern Miss, but he’s expected to take on a starting role that’s desperately needed this season.
“I want this team to win,” Wallner said. “If that helps my team win then I want to pitch.”
As a freshman, Wallner appeared in nine games with three saves. He allowed just three earned runs while striking out 15 in 14.2 innings. He also pitched 14.2 innings last season as a sophomore, but it was in 12 appearances and he gave up 13 earned run with six saves.
Wallner was dominant as a freshman, but it’s obvious his ability on the mound was near the level as it was as a freshman. That’s a big reason why, according to Berry.
“Last year, we were afraid to throw him in bullpens because of the hip that he injured in the fall, so we didn’t want to take away from his ability in the outfield and the bat,” Berry said. “We were a little skeptical and hesitant to use him last year, and really, work with him in the ‘pen like he needed.”
This season, however, he’s getting the necessary bullpen sessions with Ostrander that’s needed. Wallner is healthy and adding another pitch to his arsenal.
“This year, he and coach Oz were able to do a lot ‘pen sessions, and he worked on that split finger to help with that slider and faster,” Berry said. “We saw a lot of positive things. He stayed healthy, he stayed strong and he felt good at the end of the fall.”
A comparison for Wallner is his former teammate Taylor Braley. After pitching some his freshman season, Braley was used only one time as a sophomore. But in 2017, his third and final season, the Oak Grove native pitched 82 innings with a 7-2 record and 3.40 ERA.
During that time, he compiled a .313 average, 17 home runs and 61 RBI. Wallner was having his freshman All-America season during Braley’s phenomenal season on the mound and at the plate, so he witnessed first-hand how dominant a two-way player can be in a season.
“I talk to Braley, not every day, but every once in a while,” Wallner said. “I think if he’d put down the rifle more and stop hunting, I could probably talk to him more. I think Braley is definitely a good leader and a good person to talk to for me going forward.
