5 Southern Miss baseball players worth keeping an eye on in 2021
Eleven months after its 2020 campaign was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Miss’ new baseball season begins Saturday when USM hosts Northwestern State in a three-game series at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg.
The season will start with a noon doubleheader on Saturday. Sunday’s contest will start at 1 p.m.
The Golden Eagles are again the preseason favorite to win the Conference USA title with three pitchers earning preseason all-conference honors last week — redshirt sophomore right-hander Gabe Shepard, redshirt senior right-hander Walker Powell and senior right-hander Hunter Stanley. Powell, who is 20-8 with a 3.02 ERA in 54 career appearances, was named the C-USA Pitcher of the Year.
While this year’s squad is expected to rely on one of the nation’s better pitching staffs, others have to step up their game for the Golden Eagles to win Conference USA.
Here are five players to keep an eye on as the Golden Eagles begin the 2021 season.
Gabe Shepard enters a new role for Southern Miss
After being named to the Preseason All-Conference USA Team as a starting pitcher, Shepard will begin the season in the bullpen.
Shepard sat out of fall practice after he battled a sore arm during the 2020 campaign. He suffered another setback in the offseason when he pulled a muscle in his back, but the Mobile native has looked good during recent bullpen sessions.
Still, USM coach Scott Berry has decided to take it easy on Shepard early in the season and won’t put him in the starting role until he’s full strength.
Stanley is prepared to take Shepard’s spot in the weekend rotation after working exclusively out of the bullpen through his first two seasons at USM.
If Shepard is anywhere close to his best on the mound, he’ll be a nightmare for opponents as a reliever with a fastball that tops out around 97 miles per hour.
Stanley will start Game 1 of the Northwestern State series with Walker Powell suspended for the weekend for an unspecified violation of team rules. Chandler Best will go Game 2 and Drew Boyd will get the ball in Game 3.
Ben Etheridge ready to step in for USM
If Shepard’s time in the bullpen turns into a longer stint, it’ll be interesting to see how pitching coach Christian Ostrander uses right-hander Ben Etheridge, who turned into a Freshman All-American after moving into the weekend rotation in 2020.
The Collinsville native, who was 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA in 19 2/3 innings a year ago, was expected to work primarily out of the bullpen, but that could change.
Etheridge has been strong in the spring, staying around 90-93 on the radar gun after working at 89-90 a year ago. He can put his fastball wherever he wants it and can consistently hit the strike zone with a nasty curve.
A lot of pitching staffs would be crippled by the absence of a player like Shepard in the weekend rotation, but USM has the depth and versatility to keep rolling.
USM will start Stan.
Slade Wilks proves a quick study
Freshma Slade Wilks, who’s from Columbia, is one of the most coveted recruits to ever sign with Southern Miss, and it appears he’s ready to make an impact in his first season of college baseball.
Berry hasn’t committed to a starting right fielder, but it seems a good bet that Wilks will be in the lineup a good bit this weekend.
Berry and hitting coach Travis Creel have both heaped praise on the slugger in the lead-up to the season opener.
While it would be surprising if he matches the production USM got out of Matt Wallner as a freshman with 19 homers and 63 RBIs in 2017, the coaches talk about Wilks much in the same way they did about Wallner as a rookie.
“With the presence he brings, the pitcher can’t get very comfortable,” Creel said. “He’s a big man who swings hard. He’s a very, very hard worker and the players on the team love him.”
Wilks has plenty of pop in his bat and the coaches have praised him for his approach, describing him as mature beyond his years.
“You don’t see many hit the ball as far as him,” Creel said. “He has great plate discipline and really knows the strike zone. When he takes a pitch for a strike, he’ll come back to the dugout and let us know if he thinks the ball was off the plate. We go back and watch the film and he’s usually right. He’s got a really good awareness and a good approach, which is rare for a freshman.”
Dustin Dickerson should be improved
As a freshman shortstop, Dustin Dickerson proved to be a solid addition to the infield. He ended up with a .943 fielding percentage at a position that has sometimes seen inconsistent play in recent seasons for USM.
Don’t be surprised if you see Dickerson improving on that clip and covering more ground this season.
Through USM’s workout program, he has added 20 pounds and improved overall as an athlete.
“I think it has improved my defensive ability tremendously,” Dickerson said. “I can get to the ball better and my arm is even stronger. It’s changed my whole game.”
He is the son of Bobby Dickerson, the bench coach for the San Diego Padres and the former infield coach for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Reed Trimble may have a big year
If there’s one freshman position player who could make the biggest leap from last year’s shortened season, it may be center fielder Reed Trimble.
He proved solid in center field last season, hitting .275 with a homer and 12 RBIs in 40 plate appearances.
Creel expects those numbers to improve in his second season.
“Reed has got all the talent in the world,” Creel said. “He can fly, hit from both sides and he’s got power. I’m expecting a huge year out of Reed. He also has high expectations for himself. He had a good fall, ended up doing really well. If he cuts down on the strikeouts, he can be an all-conference type player.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
