Joey Urban Sees Hard Work Pay Off as No. 8 Southern Miss Shakes Off Offensive Slump

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – For a team that is 21-7 and has been ranked in the Top 10 twice now this season, No. 8 Southern Miss has still received a good bit of criticism due to struggles at the plate over the last few weeks. The Golden Eagles, despite all the good that has been accomplished during the first half of this season, currently rank 12th out of 14 Sun Belt teams with a .266 team batting average. When a team is in a batting slump, pressure builds with every missed opportunity, making it even harder to crawl out of.

However, the Golden Eagles seemingly broke through their offensive seal on Sunday, as they hit three homers and scored 13 runs total in a blowout rubber-match win over Appalachian State at Pete Taylor Park. Senior outfielder Joey Urban played a big part in that offensive outburst by belting a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning to essentially put the game out of reach, giving Southern Miss a commanding 6-0 lead. Seeing that ball clear the left field wall near the "Tradition of Excellence" sign resulted in a big sigh of relief from Urban.

Eags Silence The Critics

"Yeah, for sure," Urban told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI when asked if he felt some weight lifted off his shoulders when he hit that grand slam. "Any time you can come through in a big spot like that, especially with everything that’s been said lately, it feels good."

Although players and coaches will always downplay the significance of outside noise, especially during times of struggle, it's sometimes impossible to tune it all out, given the greater coverage there is these days and the prevalence of social media in college baseball. At the end of the day, it's human nature to care a little bit about what random people are saying about you or your coaches, especially when it's negative. Through all the noise, though, Urban and his teammates have remained confident and plan to let their continued hard work speak for itself when it's all said and done.

Hard Work Finally Paying Off

"I think the biggest thing was just seeing all the work start to show," Urban said of Sunday's blowout win. "We never really felt like we were far off. It was more about staying confident, trusting our approach, and not trying to do too much."

Through 28 games, Urban has picked up where he left off last season, as he's batting .324 and has hit eight home runs so far–marks that are currently second-best on the team next to senior second baseman Kyle Morrison. With those two guys leading by example and staying confident in the face of adversity, the rest of the team will surely follow, and we saw a glimpse of that happening on Sunday.

Now, after re-entering the Top 10, the Golden Eagles will look to build on their recent momentum, which starts with a midweek rematch against Southeastern Louisiana at The Pete on Tuesday night. With just 26 regular-season games remaining, there's no better time than the present to start a hot streak toward postseason play. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage immediately following that game.