Southern Miss Baseball Garners Six All-Conference Honors, Harris and Ostrander Awarded
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Six players from Southern Miss baseball received All-Sun Belt Conference honors Monday, highlighted by Grayden Harris being named the league’s Pitcher of the Year and Christian Ostrander earning Coach of the Year, according to university officials.
Harris, a left-hander from Central, Louisiana, posted an 8-1 record with a 3.10 ERA over 14 starts. He struck out 93 batters in 78 1/3 innings, including a season-high 13 against North Alabama. Harris earned recognition from the Sun Belt, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, and Baseball America’s Team of the Week during the season. He is the second Southern Miss player to win Pitcher of the Year since the school joined the Sun Belt in 2022, and the eighth to win a top pitcher award since 2010.
Camden Clark, a sophomore from Laurel, Mississippi, transitioned from closer to starter late in the season. He finished with an 8-0 record, five saves, and a 0.89 WHIP over 46 innings. Clark struck out 73 batters and walked only seven. He was also on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year midseason watch list.
First baseman Matthew Russo, a senior from Madisonville, Louisiana, hit .313 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, and 50 RBIs. He was among the team leaders in multiple-hit and RBIs, and he had a 29-game on-base streak. Russo also contributed three game-winning RBIs and was a member of the Lou Gehrig Community Impact Team.
Kyle Morrison, in his only season at Southern Miss, posted a .322 batting average with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs. The senior from Wetumpka, Alabama, led the team in on-base percentage and slugging percentage and hit his only grand slam in a win over Alabama. He also had an 11-game hitting streak during the season.
Davis Gillespie, a junior from Birmingham, Alabama, started all 54 games and hit .324 with 12 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs, and 43 RBIs. He tied for the team lead with 20 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI contests. Gillespie batted .353 in league play and was recognized for his all-tournament performance at the Round Rock Classic.
Relief pitcher Colby Allen, a Louisville, Mississippi, native, finished the season 5-1 with a 2.48 ERA and two saves. He appeared in 21 games, striking out 77 in 61 2/3 innings. Allen ranked sixth in career appearances at Southern Miss and was named to the National Pitcher of the Year preseason list.
Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander earned the Ron Maestri Sun Belt Coach of the Year award. He led the Golden Eagles to their first regular-season conference title in three seasons and the program’s first since 2022. The team finished with 40 wins for the second straight year and secured at least 20 league wins for the 10th consecutive season.
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