golden touch
Several Southern Miss alumni enjoyed attention-grabbing performances in the minor leagues on Thursday night. Matthew Etzel, at Triple-A Jacksonville in the Miami system, went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in the Jumbo Shrimp’s 4-3 win over Memphis. Etzel, who has played in 84 games for four teams at three levels in 2025, is batting .256 with seven homers, 47 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. He is in his third pro season. Reed Trimble, who has also bounced around quite a bit, went 2-for-5 with an RBI, a run, a bag and an outfield assist for Triple-A Norfolk (Baltimore) in a 7-4 win vs. Durham. The injury-plagued Trimble, who started 2025 on the injured list, is batting .255 with 14 homers, 45 RBIs and 19 steals on the season. The Tupelo native was the 65th overall pick in 2021. Landon Harper, pitching at Double-A Columbus in Atlanta’s chain, worked 6 1/3 innings in relief (two runs) and notched the win against Pensacola. Meridian native Harper, in his fourth pro season, is 5-8 with a 3.59 ERA and two saves for the Clingstones (the former Mississippi Braves), working as both starter and reliever. Hunter Stanley, a 2021 draftee by Cleveland, made his 2025 debut at Double-A Akron and threw a scoreless inning against Harrisburg. Stanley had been on the IL since early August 2024. He has a 4.84 career ERA in 46 games. All the moments weren’t golden for former Golden Eagles on Thursday: In the independent American Association playoffs, J.C. Keys was charged with three runs in 1/3 of an inning and took the loss for Chicago against Kane County. The Hattiesburg native, in pro ball since 2019, had a 3.19 ERA and three saves in 38 games this season for the Dogs, whose pitching coach is ex-Delta State and MLB star Stewart Cliburn. P.S. On Wednesday, USM alum Walker Powell threw five shutout innings for Double-A Knoxville in the Chicago Cubs’ organization; the 6-foot-8 righty, who started the season on the IL, is 1-2 with a 3.45 ERA over 11 starts at three levels in his fifth pro season. … And today, MLB rookie Hurston Waldrep — who started his college career at USM — will start for Atlanta against a Houston team that has been caught by Seattle atop the American League West. Waldrep is 4-0, 1.33, in seven games for the Braves.