The pitching matchups for the Hattiesburg Super Regional are set with first pitch less than 24 hours away.
Tennessee is sticking with the winning formula its had the back half of SEC play as RHP Andrew Lindsey will start the series opener against Southern Miss. The Charlotte transfer boasts 2.40 ERA and 1.04 WHIP this season and has been fantastic as of late for the Vols.
RHP Billy Oldham (8-3, 4.33 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 84 K, 23 BB, 72.2 IP) is getting the ball in game one for Souther Miss. Oldham has been a weekend starter the Golden Eagles for the majority of the season but isn’t their ace.
Southern Miss ace Tanner Hall is starting game two of the weekend series on Sunday. Hall enters the weekend with a team-best 2.08 ERA and 1.02 WHIP to go along with his 12-3 record. Southern Miss isn’t using Hall in game one after he threw over 150 combined pitches in two outings last weekend at the Auburn Regional.
“He takes advantage of hitters who are overzealous,” Tennessee coach Tony Vitello said of Hall earlier this week. “Then he’s looking for you to beat the ball into the ground. His stuff matches up with that approach and it’s worked well for him to get ground balls, in particular against Samford in the regional outing he had.”
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RHP Chase Dollander is getting the ball for Tennessee in game two Sunday. The top 10 MLD Draft prospect enters the super regionals with a 4.50 ERA and 1.27 WHIP while striking out 111 batters in 78 innings pitched this season.
Neither team stated its game three (if necessary) starter but there’s little doubt sophomore Drew Beam will start for Tennessee. The right-handed pitcher has started all 15 weekends for Tennessee this season and boasts an 8-4 record and 4.09 ERA.
Who Southern Miss would start in a winner-take-all game three is more uncertain, but RHP Niko Mazza (5-1, 4.13 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 84 K, 42 BB, 69.2 IP) and RHP Matthew Adams (3-2, 4.95 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 69 K, 22 BB, 60 IP) are the two most likely candidates.
Tennessee is the home team in game one and game three of the series after winning a pair of coin tosses Friday. Southern Miss is the home team in game two.
First pitch for the weekend series is at 3 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon at Pete Taylor Field. ESPNU is broadcasting the game.
