Coach Oz Explains How Camden Clark Starting Will Have Ripple Effect on Southern Miss

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – With the 2026 college baseball season entering its stretch run, No. 18 Southern Miss made a massive change that many people didn't see coming during its weekend sweep of Texas State. Although the Golden Eagles have accomplished a lot this season, their Sunday starting-pitcher opening left things feeling unfinished.

This past weekend, though, head coach Christian Ostrander decided to start sophomore RHP Camden Clark in that Sunday role, and the results speak for themselves. In nearly five full innings, Clark registered four shutout innings and eight strikeouts before his stamina started to play a factor.

Coach Oz on the Impact of Clark Starting

USM — Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Although Coach Oz admits that it was hard to take Clark out of that closing role that he had been so elite in, this move was about adding stability to the pitching rotation before the postseason arrives, as well as giving confidence to other guys on the roster.

"I think there's always a right answer," Coach Oz said in his weekly visit with the SuperTalk Eagle Hour on Monday. "We leaned on each other as a staff and just (did) what's right. I knew there were probably multiple right answers, in my opinion, on that. But what was needed? What's gonna help the whole thing? What's gonna help our offense to feel like, 'heck yeah, we've got this dude on the mound,' and it makes it easier. Or maybe this is a wake-up for guys in the bullpen and say, 'hey, we're doing this because we trust you, that you can handle it.'

"I think there's a lot of different meanings and messages that can come from it. At the end of the day, we thought this was the best thing to do for this team to go out there and compete and win and try to achieve the goals that we have set for ourselves."

You can listen to the full SuperTalk Eagle Hour segment with Coach Oz here:

Clark's Goal Going Forward

There's no doubt that Clark has the talent to be an elite starting pitcher for the Golden Eagles, but now, the focus will be on building his stamina up before postseason play arrives. As a closer, Clark didn't have to think about being on the mound for more than one or two innings.

"Obviously, the first thing that comes to my head is what do I need to do to maintain stamina, because when you close, you're just coming in to throw as hard as you can for 10-15 pitches," Clark told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI when asked about his transition from closer to starter.

"But honestly, the approach is still the same, just attack the hitters whether I’m covering one inning or seven. Stamina is something that comes with time, so I believe I will build stamina for the rest of the season."

Clark has a full month and four more weekend series to get where he needs to be before the Sun Belt Conference tournament begins. As things currently stand, the Golden Eagles are No. 2 in the Sun Belt standings and four games back of No. 1 Coastal Carolina.

Southern Miss-Texas State Recap Podcast

Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage throughout the week. You can also watch/listen to our full weekend series recap on the Nasty Bunch & Beyond podcast, which includes a breakdown of Clark's first start.

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