A redshirt freshman has taken advantage of his moment in the Southern Miss lineup
Carson Paetow entered the year without a single career plate appearance at the college level.
By the second week of the season, he found himself in the starting lineup.
Southern Miss opened the year with a three-game sweep of North Alabama and it did so scoring 29 runs. That was by far the most the Golden Eagles have plated in a series so far, but head coach Scott Berry was quick to tinker with the lineup anyway.
In an effort to create production from the designated hitter spot and put speed in the outfield, Berry turned to the redshirt freshman Paetow.
A product of Vancleave High School, Paetow was placed in right field while Slade Wilks took over as DH in place of the struggling Charlie Fischer.
It didn’t take long for Paetow to make the most of his opportunity. In his second start, facing Jacksonville State, Paetow sent his third career hit over the wall for his first home run in the Black and Gold.
“At the beginning of the season I was just there to help my team, support my team,” Paetow told the Sun Herald. “Keep my head up, have a good attitude. I was waiting for my moment and I finally got it. I was really excited to have it. I’m just trying to help my team as much as I can.”
Paetow hasn’t let the moment get to him and has strung together a few more. Since Paetow’s insertion into the lineup he’s been one of the team’s most valuable hitters, albeit with a still-small sample size.
His .836 OPS is currently fourth on the team. Of Paetow’s nine hits so far, five of them have been for extra bases. He’s been walked five times and has already taken three hit-by-pitches in just 38 at bats. He’s also the best outfield glove on the team and was already stepping into a defensive sub role before his name was placed on the card.
“Just watching him swing in BP, he’s always been a good outfielder for us, very athletic,” Berry said. “Last year he redshirted, he wasn’t ready both physically and mentally. He was able to grow and develop just by watching the game.
“There was a time where everything was hitting up in the air and here of late he’s starting to flatten it out. Starting to get that line drive approach. I felt like it was time to give that boy a shot.”
Paetow replaced a slumping Fischer, who has just one hit and has struck out nine times through his first 16 at bats. Fischer was the team’s leader in on base percentage by a wide margin last season as an All-Conference DH but struggled to find his swing through the month of 2022.
“He’s struggled and I know it’s going to be important for us to get him going if we can,” Berry said. “And if we can then we’ll be pretty potent, offensively.”
In the meantime, Paetow, and a blossoming Wilks, are doing more than just holding their own. Paetow came through in USM’s midweek wins against South Alabama and Tulane with a double against the Jaguars and a home run against the Green Wave.
Paetow’s play has not only drawn praise from fans, but he’s getting it from back home, too. He’s a couple of years removed from playing under the Vancleave lights for head coach Justin Edwards and says he’s gotten plenty of love from his hometown in recent weeks.
“I lot of hometown people I know have been texting me, messaging me on Facebook,” Paetow said. “I’m getting a lot of support from people back home.”
As long as Paetow keeps flashing the multiple tools he brings to the table, he’ll continue to have his moments for a USM team that is placing a premium on his athleticism.
This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 10:02 AM.
