Southern Miss third baseman Danny Lynch has no shortage of baseball oddities.
The Golden Eagles captain's biggest trademark this season is his unusual batting stance that has him take a strangely wide stance, followed by a lean-back dip, which was in full use in Southern Miss' 6-4 Saturday win against South Alabama as he went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs.
"I think (his quirks) kind of keep everybody loose," Southern Miss coach Scott Berry said. "It's one of those situations where you don't know what Danny is fixing to do. In that, it's kind of a looseness that keeps everybody going."
As of late, Lynch's routine at the plate has included a more extended dip, partly as an adjustment he made after going hitless in the Arkansas State series.
"It's been more pronounced in the last week or so," Lynch said. "I feel like I went on a stretch of rough games where I felt like I was coming out of my legs a little bit; probably since Sunday against Arkansas State, it's been a little bit more pronounced. That's why people have noticed it a little more.
"Since I was coming out of my legs, I wanted to get really low and make sure that I stayed on my legs. If I come out of my legs, then I have no chance to hit, so I wanted to make sure I stay down on my legs."
Lynch's first run came on an RBI single that tied the game and kept the inning alive to give USM a 3-2 lead after trailing 2-0 to South Alabama (23-23, 11-12).
Then in the fifth inning, after Slade Wilks hit his 18th home run of the season, Lynch came up with another RBI single to extend the lead for Southern Miss (31-15, 15-7) to 5-3.
Lynch's unusual habits don't stop inside the batter's box as he is always heard shouting and talking to his teammates on the field in between every pitch, which he follows by blowing on his throwing hand. It's something Lynch has done for five seasons and spans 248 games played that ranks second all-time in program history.
"I think you can impact guys with the way you are talking to them and the way you are supporting them," Lynch said. "I have different things I say to different pitchers…I feel like I have always just kind of done it. I don't know if I really picked it up. It just kind of naturally did it.
As for the blowing in his hand, it's a more practical purpose so that he can dry his throwing hand when it is sweaty or to keep it warm if it's cold outside.
"Yeah, I do a lot of weird stuff," Lynch said. "I think my freshman year, we were at the LSU Regional in 2019. That's when everybody started to notice (blowing in my hand) and talk about it. This year it's the goat yoga I do at the plate.
"It's something I do that is almost like a routine at this point."
For Nick Monistere, who was 3-for-3 in the win, Lynch's baseball personality is something he has never witnessed during his career, but it's an energy that he easily feeds off.
"I ask him sometimes what he's doing and why he does what he does," Monistere said. "He knows the game and makes sure to tell me what I'm supposed to do after each play. He never takes a pitch off, so you can't take those things for granted."
According to pitcher Will Armistead, who threw two scoreless innings of relief against the Jaguars, Lynch's antics are also something he has not been around before, but maintains the energy of the team.
"He's also my roommate, so I feel like I have an extra insight there," Armistead said. "He can have his quirks, but he is an extremely good teammate and always has your back. He always knows the right thing to say. I feel like that gives you an extra boost of confidence on the mound to know that him as well as everybody else, is behind you to focus on the task at hand."
But behind all of his quirks, Lynch arguably has one of the highest baseball IQs on the team.
"Defensively, he brings it every day," Berry said. "He is one of our captains. He's like the quarterback on defense. He keeps everybody where they are supposed to be. Opposing coaches tell me all the time that it's unbelievable how much he instructs those guys and how much the team listens to him.
"His mouth never stops, and I'm not saying that in a bad way. He is a guy that keeps people in the game all the time and keeps people engaged by him talking and trying to anticipate with what might happen. He's a great leader and great player-coach for us."
First pitch for Sunday's game between Southern Miss and South Alabama is set for 1 p.m.
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