up in arms — again

Pitching was a Southern Miss trademark in 2015, when the Golden Eagles put up a 3.14 staff ERA en route to a 36-18-1 finish. Three pitchers from that team were drafted and a fourth signed as a free agent. Four games – and four wins — into 2016, with a lot of new arms in key roles, Eagles pitching is soaring again. The staff has a 2.00 ERA, and the bullpen hasn’t allowed an earned run in 16 innings of work. Quickly emerging as a player to watch is true freshman Nick Sandlin, a sidearming right-hander from Evans, Ga. He notched his first save on Wednesday night in a 7-4 win against UNO at Taylor Park in Hattiesburg. In three innings in two appearances, Sandlin has yielded one hit, one walk and fanned five. “I feel good when he gets the ball,” coach Scott Berry said in a school release following the UNO game. “He’s like (former All-America closer) Daniel Best. He’s very similar to what Best was. Very athletic, great mound presence.” Sandlin, listed at 5 feet 11, 148 pounds, was a dominant pitcher at Greenbrier High School, posting a 1.23 ERA with 211 K’s in 159 innings.