Palmer pulled out stops in effort to win NCAA opener

By Staff
From staff reports
May 31, 2003
University of Southern Mississippi head baseball coach Corky Palmer threw everything he had at Southern University on Friday during the Golden Eagle's stunning 5-3 loss to the Jaguars in the first round of the NCAA Regional being held at Hattiesburg.
to come back in this tournament we're going to hit. We've got to swing the
bats. That's the bottom line."
Jared Florreich
Trend Continues For Ole Miss Rebs
Going into the NCAA Regional being hosted in Houston by Rice University, the Rebels of Ole Miss had yet to beat one of the four teams in the field in three tries.
Make that four.
Ole Miss' 4-2 loss to Wichita State in the opening round on Friday means the Rebels have now lost to each of the other three teams at least once. Rice beat Ole Miss 6-0 on Feb. 22 in the Crowe Plaza Rice Invitational, while the Cowboys of McNeese State swept a pair of games from the Rebels in Oxford in early march.
The Cowboys, who were coached by Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco before he moved to Oxford, beat the Rebels 9-8 and 4-3.
Austin Bishop
Gimme some room
The crowd for Mississippi State's 10-4 win over Middle Tennessee at Dudy Noble Field on Friday was 10,284, MSU's second largest crowd of the season.
State drew 11,763 against Auburn on April 12 as part of Super Bulldog Weekend.
Marty Stamper
Not Jags' Biggest Win Ever
Southern University was just 2-23 in NCAA Tournament games heading into Friday's Regional opener against 12th ranked Southern Mississippi.
Make that 3-23 now. The Jaguars shocked a golden-clad crowd of 4,236 with a 5-3 victory at Pete Taylor Park.
Yet to here Southern University coach Roger Cador tell it, it was not the team's biggest win in the program's history.
They were the No. 1 seeded team in the country that year," Cador said.
The Jaguars' second NCAA Tournament win was just as sweet. It came against their Baton Rouge neighbors in the LSU Tigers.
Still, Cador says the first round win was big.
Jeff Byrd
Moving on up
MSU pitcher Paul Maholm struck out six in the Bulldogs' 10-4 win over Middle Tennessee to move into third place on the school's career whiff list with 273.
Third is where he'll finish as former Patrician Academy standout Eric DuBose (1995-97) has 428 and Jeff Brantley (1982-85) has 364.
Marty Stamper
Cador uses Ali motivation
In trying to get his team mentally ready to play Southern Miss, Cador related stories of a young Cassius Clay, aka Muhammed Ali.
who the next day, won the fight," Cador said.
The talk evidently worked. Despite striking out 15 times, the Jaguars got the big hits when needed and spoiled USM's day with a 5-3 victory in the NCAA Tournament.
Jeff Byrd
Tide Loves Getting Even
Alabama has used the postseason as an opportunity to exact a little revenge.
The Crimson Tide's 9-3 win over Houston on Friday in the NCAA Regional Tournament at College Station, evened the score with the Cougars for a 7-2 loss in the Minute Maid Park College Classic in Houston in February.
During the regular season Alabama lost all three of its games to South Carolina, while dropping two-of-three to Auburn and LSU. The Tide turned the tables on its SEC rivals in last weekend's SEC Tournament, beating Auburn twice, the Gamecocks once and then knocking off LSU in the title game.
Austin Bishop
Denson On A Mission
The man who built the University of Southern Mississippi baseball program will not be able to enjoy the Hattiesburg Regional this weekend. Former Golden Eagle head coach Hill Denson, who is now the head coach at Belhaven College in Jackson, is on a mission trip to Arizona this week to help build a Methodist Church on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Denson, a Bay Springs native, was the head coach of the Golden Eagles for 14 seasons.
Shawn Wansley
Almost A Real' Complete Game
Duwon Day almost pitched a nine-inning complete game for Southern University in their 5-3 win over Southern Miss Friday, coming up just one out short. It was Day's longest outing of the year, even though he had thrown two complete' games for the Jaguars. You see, on weekend Southwestern Athletic Conference doubleheaders, the games are just seven innings long.
Shawn Wansley