No. 12 Southern Miss vs. ULM Series Preview: Biggest Factor, Pitching Matchups & More

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – After dropping two consecutive games, No. 12 Southern Miss (31-14, 13-8) is looking to bounce back into the win column and make a strong push toward the postseason over these last three weekends of regular-season play. The Golden Eagles will have an opportunity to get that push started on Saturday, as they host ULM (24-21, 10-11) for a big Sun Belt series at Pete Taylor Park.

The Golden Eagles currently occupy the No. 2 spot in the Sun Belt Conference standings, but with App State and Troy on their heels, they must keep winning if they want to secure that spot and have a much more favorable path when the conference tournament arrives in three weeks. Here are some things to know about this weekend's series at The Pete.

Biggest Factor: USM Offense vs. ULM Pitching

The Southern Miss pitching staff will have a challenge on its hands this weekend, as ULM is second in the Sun Belt in batting average (.300), second in RBIs (321), tied for first in doubles (95) and tied for fourth in home runs (50). By comparison, the Golden Eagles offense ranks No. 9 in batting average (.278), No. 12 in RBIs (251), No. 13 in doubles (68) and No. 3 in home runs (62) in the conference.

If you're wondering why ULM is only three games above .500 while having such an efficient offense, the answer is pretty straightforward: The Warharks' pitching has struggled this season. ULM ranks No. 11 in the conference in team ERA (6.32) and runs given up (306).

Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles have been elite on the mound overall this season, as they rank No. 1 in the conference in team ERA (3.88) and No. 2 in runs given up (195). So yes, the USM pitching staff will be challenged this weekend, but they've been challenged all season long and have answered the call more times than not.

Given ULM's pitching struggles, plus the fact that Southern Miss plays better at home, we're expecting the Golden Eagles to bounce back and not only win the series but to sweep it if they play up to their abilities and avoid self-inflicted mistakes. This series will come down to how USM's offense fares against ULM's less-than-ideal pitching.

Pitching Matchups

Speaking of pitching, here's what the starting pitcher matchups will look like this weekend. For the third consecutive weekend, Southern Miss is using the same three starting pitchers.

Friday: USM sophomore LHP Grayden Harris (7-1, 3.19 ERA) vs. ULM freshman RHP Adam Brodnax (2-3, 5.76 ERA)

Saturday: USM sophomore RHP Camden Clark (5-0, 3.21 ERA) vs. ULM senior LHP Brandt Corley (2-1, 7.04 ERA)

Sunday: USM sophomore RHP Camden Sunstrom (3-3, 2.41 ERA) vs. TBA for ULM

Injury Update on Drey Barrett

Sophomore third baseman Drey Barrett, who has been hitting the ball much better over the last few weeks, unfortunately had to leave Sunday's series finale against South Alabama with a hamstring injury. Barrett didn't play in Tuesday night's game against Tulane, but Southern Miss assisstant coach Travis Creel says the team is "hopeful" they can have him back for this weekend's series against ULM.

"Drey Barrett's been swinging the bat really, really well. Unfortunately kinda tweaked his hamstring, but hopefully we get him back soon," Creel said on his weekly SuperTalk Eagle Hour visit on Wednesday.

"We're hopeful," Creel said when asked about Barrett's potential return for this weekend. "He's rehabbing really hard. He took really good swings yesterday on the field (in pregame) at Tulane. The swing looks great, it's just more of a, once he hits the ball, what can he do, or can he play defense, kinda situation. He's working really hard to get back. He wants to play. I feel pretty hopeful. Think the next 48 hours are gonna be a big telltale with him."

How to Watch

USM — A look at the beautiful sunset at Pete Taylor Park from the 16oz Lounge. | Clark Webster

All of this weekend's games between USM and ULM can be watched on ESPN+ or listened to on FM 97.7. Due to rain coming through Hattiesburg, Friday's series opener, which was originally scheduled for 6 p.m., got moved to Saturday at 1 p.m. as part of a doubleheader. Sunday's series finale will be played at 3 p.m. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage throughout the weekend.

Add us as a preferred source on Google