USM baseball tabbed C-USA frontrunner in coaches’ preseason vote
Powell voted ‘Pitcher of Year’; Shepard, Stanley, Montenegro also named All-C-USA
From University of Southern Mississippi Sports Information Office
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The University of Southern Mississippi baseball team was picked as the favorite to win Conference USA’s West Division as well as the conference championship as the league announced its 2021 preseason awards.
Four Golden Eagles were selected preseason All-C-USA, including senior pitcher Walker Powell, who was tabbed preseason “Pitcher of the Year.”
In 2020, Powell went 3-0 in four starts, ending the truncated year with 29 strikeouts to only two walks in 29 innings. He went seven innings in all four starts.
Powell was joined by a fellow starting pitcher, sophomore Gabe Shepard (16 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings) and senior relief pitcher Hunter Stanley (2-0, 1.42 ERA, 22 strikeouts, three saves).
USM’s lone position player was junior outfielder Gabe Montenegro (.290, one home run, 11 RBIs, five stolen bases).
Louisiana Tech University senior outfielder Patrick Bates was named preseason “Player of the Year.”
Florida Atlantic University was selected to win C’USA’s East Division over Old Dominion University and Florida International University.
USM was selected in the West over Louisiana Tech and Rice.
All the voting was done by the league’s 12 head coaches.
The Golden Eagles won the 2019 regular-season championship, which was the last time the title was awarded after the 2020 season was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 Conference USA baseball season begins Feb. 19. The 2021 C-USA baseball championship will be held May 26-30 in Ruston, La.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
EAST DIVISION
- Florida Atlantic University (10)*
- Old Dominion University (1)
- Florida International University (1)
- Western Kentucky University
- University of North Carolina-Charlotte
- Marshall University
*First-place votes in parentheses
WEST DIVISION
- University of Southern Mississippi (10)*
- Louisiana Tech University (2)
- Rice University
- Middle Tennessee State University
- University of Texas-San Antonio
- University of Alabama-Birmingham
*First-place votes in parentheses
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- OF Parker Bates, Sr., Louisiana Tech
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
- SP Walker Powell, Sr,, USM
PRESEASON All-C-USA TEAM
| Position | Name | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting pitcher | Gabe Shepard | So. | Southern Miss |
| Starting pitcher | Hunter Gregory | Jr. | Old Dominion |
| Starting pitcher | Walker Powell | Sr. | Southern Miss |
| Relief pitcher | Hunter Stanley | Sr. | Southern Miss |
| Catcher | C.J. Fullerton | Sr. | UAB |
| Infielder | Derek Cartaya | R-Sr, | FIU |
| Infielder | Brett Coker | So, | Middle Tennessee |
| Infielder | Braden Comeaux | Sr, | Rice |
| Infielder | Hunter Wells | Sr, | Louisiana Tech |
| Infielder | Taylor Young | Sr, | Louisiana Tech |
| Outfielder | Parker Bates | Sr, | Louisiana Tech |
| Outfielder | Bobby Morgensen | Sr. | Florida Atlantic |
| Outfielder | Gabe Montenegro | Jr. | Southern Miss |
| DH/Utility | Mitchell Hartigan | So. | Florida Atlantic |
| DH/Utility | Davis Sims | Sr. | Western Kentucky |
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