The Golden Eagles broke through their recent offensive struggles in a big way during Sunday's 13-4 blowout win over App State, and senior outfielder Joey Urban played a big role in that.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – For a team that is 21-7 and has been ranked in the Top 10 twice now this season, No. 8 Southern Miss has still received a good bit of criticism due to struggles at the plate over the last few weeks.
The Golden Eagles, despite all the good that has been accomplished during the first half of this season, currently rank 12th out of 14 Sun Belt teams with a .266 team batting average. When a team is in a batting slump, pressure builds with every missed opportunity, making it even harder to crawl out of. However, the Golden Eagles seemingly broke their offensive seal on Sunday, as they hit three homers and scored 13 runs total in a blowout rubber-match win over Appalachian State at Pete Taylor Park . Senior outfielder Joey Urban played a big part in that offensive outburst by belting a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning to essentially put the game out of reach with a 6-0 Southern Miss lead. Seeing that ball clear the left field wall near the "Tradition of Excellence" sign resulted in a big sigh of relief from Urban."Yeah, for sure," Urban told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI when asked if he felt some weight lifted off his shoulders when he hit that grand slam. "Any time you can come through in a big spot like that, especially with everything that’s been said lately, it feels good." Although players and coaches will always downplay the significance of outside noise, especially during times of struggle, it's sometimes impossible to tune it all out, given how much more coverage there is these days and how prevalent social media has become in college baseball. At the end of the day, it's human nature to care a little bit about what random people are saying about you or your coaches. Through all the noise, though, Urban and his teammates have remained confident and plan to let their continued hard work speak for itself when it's all said and done."I think the biggest thing was just seeing all the work start to show," Urban said of Sunday's blowout win. "We never really felt like we were far off. It was more about staying confident, trusting our approach, and not trying to do too much." Through 28 games, Urban has picked up where he left off last season, as he's batting .324 and has hit eight home runs so far–marks that are currently second-best on the team. With those two guys leading by example and staying confident in the face of adversity, the rest of the team will surely follow, and we saw a glimpse of that happening on Sunday. Now, after re-entering the Top 10, the Golden Eagles will look to build on their recent momentum, which starts with a midweek rematch against Southeastern Louisiana at The Pete on Tuesday night. With just 26 regular-season games remaining, there's no better time than the present to start a hot streak toward postseason play. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage immediately following that game.Dalton Trigg is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Southern Miss Golden Eagles on SI and the lead host of the Nasty Bunch & Beyond podcast. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. Trigg entered the sports journalism industry in 2017, covering the Dallas Mavericks for 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, where he continued to cover the Mavs until 2024. He also owns and hosts the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which has been going strong since 2019. You can find Trigg on all social media platforms, including X : @dalton_trigg.
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