Volume 100 Issue 39
Monday, February 29, 2016
www.studentprintz.com
Empowering the student to vote is the most important thing you can do as election commissioner. Breanne Dalton Breanna Dalton, Election Commissioner candidate/Hunt Mercier, Photo Editor
Samantha Eshleman, Election Commissioner candidate/Hunt Mercier, Photo Editor
SGA holds 2016 Executive Officer Debate Nicolas Kubicki Printz Reporter
USM Student Government Association responsibilities include allocating a portion of the university’s funding, acting as liaison between USM students and faculty and collaborating with the university to create events and opportunities for students. The SGA held its Executive Officer Debate on Feb. 24, during which candidates took the podium to convince students that each was worthy of their vote. In line with the debate’s function, the candidate presented their platforms to voters, yet the event often wavered from the traditional format of electoral debates, foregoing point-by-point arguments. The candidates did however provide numerous ideas to benefit the university and USM students. Greek life dominated the event in both the audience and with the candidates, all but one of whom candidates is Greek affiliated. Among the students packing Union Room B in the largest turnout for a debate in some time, a significant portion represented their respective Greek organizations, wearing apparel that bore the letters and names of their houses. ATTORNEY GENERAL Autumn Sobel of Tri Delta ran unopposed for re-election in her current position as attorney general. In her speech, she said she has worked to create fair ticketing and to change parking regulations to allow open zones during finals. After Sobel’s speech, the debate officially began. ELECTION COMMISSIONER First up for the position of
election commissioner were candidates Breanne Dalton of Alpha Chi Omega, Christen White, unaffiliated, and Samantha Eshleman of Alpha Delta Pi. Each presented ideas to improve the SGA election process in the future. Dalton argued for increasing transparency and accountability of the election process by using a mail-out system to give the positions of candidates to students before they reach the polls and offering incentives to vote. White presented a plan to create a branch to train the polling staff for crisis training and echoed her opponent’s idea about creating voter incentives. Eshleman said informing students was her highest priority. She advocated for the use of carpool services and buses to ferry students to the polls for national and state elections and spoke about holding voter registration drives to register out-of-state students here in Hattiesburg. TREASURER For the position of treasurer, which serves as head of the Philanthropy Commission and creates the SGA budget for the upcoming year, Franky Lopez of Sigma Nu and Nina Bellipanni of Tri Delta took the stand to debate. However, as in the election commissioner debate, both spoke about the duties of treasurer and how they planned to work with the SGA, the Philanthropy Commission and the USM Foundation. Though they both outlined their platforms, Lopez and Bellipanni each dedicated the majority of their time explaining the Philanthropy
Commission to the crowd. Lopez said he would prioritize open communication with the student body in regards to the SGA budget and said he hopes to work seamlessly with other offices and branches of the SGA. Bellipanni ran on the platform of facilitating student outreach and developing awareness of the Philanthropy Commission as well. “If more students know about this branch of SGA and what it can do for them, more students can actively pursue opportunities through it,” Bellipanni said. VICE PRESIDENT For vice president, Lakelyn Taylor of Alpha Delta Pi and Jesse Robinson of Kappa Sigma squared and debated their positions. Robinson, the current vice president of finance for Kappa Sigma, ran on a platform of increasing student advocacy by senators. He said he wants to provide open opportunities for students to meet their senators at dinners or luncheons. Robinson said he encourages senators to truly represent their constituents. “I hope after tonight you can tell that I’m a passionate and dedicated individual who simply has a desire to serve you,” Robinson said in his closing statement. Taylor said she wants to engage students with the SGA legislature by allowing students to write bills with senators address the issues of which they care. “There is a disconnect between the senate and the student body,” she said. Taylor said by having senators work with students on bills, the representative
disconnect between the SGA and the student body can be repaired. PRESIDENT In the debate’s final face off, Jaylen Hackett of Alpha Phi Alpha and Caroline Bradley of Chi Omega energetically vied for the position of SGA president. “It’s my turn to give back to this university,” Bradley said in her opening statement. Bradley began her platform speech by outlining her plans to consolidate the Go Gold card with the student ID, a plan that is in use at other universities across the country. According to Bradley, this system would allow students to use their card at local businesses and receive discounts. She said she wants to keep the library open on a 24-hour schedule during midterms and finals and continue efforts to improve parking and make textbook more affordable. She said she also wants to shift parking schedule at the Thad Chochran parking lot to allow open parking earlier in the day. Hackett asked Bradley how she planned to fund the card system and pointed to ongoing budget cuts to the university. Hackett argued that the technology used in security and debit card encryption would presently be too expensive. Bradley responded that due to the consolidation, there would be little, if any, additional cost. “Things got intense real quickly,” said freshman double political science and economic William Thompson, who also says he is likely to support Bradley over Hackett. “It was more exciting than I had
expected it to be.” “He had real figures, but she had the evidence to back her claims up.” Hackett ran on a position of creating programs and initiatives to expand the student outreach and involvement. He said he would prioritize coordinating the SGA and Career Services to create programs that would allow students to find jobs in their fields more easily after graduation. As president, he said he would work to create opportunities for community expression around campus, including through twitter polls and suggestion boxes placed around campus. Bradley argued that the Speak Up Southern Miss program fulfills Hackett’s purpose. Hackett said that the whiteboards placed around campus as part of the Speak Up initiative are not enough. Bradley ended her time by saying that Hackett had good plans, but they were too broad and vague to implement properly. “I believe that you are selling these students dreams,” Hackett said. Hackett concluded his time by saying that his plans and initiatives were detailed, and could be implemented should he become president. “Let’s prepare our student body for a successful future,” he said. The two candidates embraced with a hug and then the debate was over. The SGA election will be held March 1 and 3. Students must have a student ID or a driver’s license with them order to vote.
INFORMATION
Page 2 | Monday, February 29, 2016
MEET THE STAFF SPRING 2016 Ardan Thornhill
Julius Kizzee
ardan.thornhill@eagles.usm.edu
julius.kizzee@eagles.usm.edu
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Executive Editor
Managing Editor
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Sports Editor
Photo Editor
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Jules Peralta
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Jonathan Urbina
Chuck Cook
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Printz Adviser
Katherine Frye
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EDITORIAL POLICY
Correction An article ran in Feb. 25’s edition headlined “USM funds directed to fulfill the needs of students” contained errors including ambiguity regarding Chief Financial Officer Douglas Vinzant’s quotations and misstated numbers regarding the revenue generated by the mandatory student fees that include the capital improvement fees ($35) and student activities fees ($20). The direct quotation from Vinzant is cited from a Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutes of Higher Learning meeting on May 21, 2015. The paraphrased quotation is cited from a brief email interview Vinzant had with the reporter on April 20, 2015. According to Associate Vice President for Finance & Controller Allyson Easterwood, the revenue generated by the fees amount to $1,386,544.
The views represented in The Student Printz’s columns and editorials do not necessarily represent those of the faculty, staff or administration of The University of Southern Mississippi. We welcome letters to the editor representing similar and contrasting opinions. To be eligible for publication, all submissions must include name, class distinction, major, phone number and email address. Submissions should be emailed to printzeditors@gmail.com by 5 p.m. on the Friday before publication. Please limit them to 500 words or less. The Student Printz reserves the right to refuse publication or edit any material on the basis of clarity, space or journalistic ethics.
OPINIONS Opinions expressed in The Student Printz are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Student Printz, its publication manager, USM, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the USM Board of Student Publications.
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NEWS
ON CAMPUS
Monday, February 29, 2016 | Page 3
Student organization kicks off Human Rights Week Elizabeth Lee Printz Reporter
Southern Miss Students for Human Rights will host Human Rights week Feb. 29 through March 3, a week that the group has dedicated to creating awareness of issues that affect human rights both domestically and internationally. Mary Ward, a junior public relations major, serves as the president for Students for Human Rights. “As a leader in this group, I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with other student organizations and watch my own group grow through this exciting event,” Ward said. “Human Rights Week will target students to expand their knowledge on various issues around the world and how we are affected here at home.” On Feb. 29, the organization will have a social media campaign to promote the week and encourage others to get involved with the events. Continuing on March 1, the Students for Human Rights will team up with the International Club and Amnesty International to host an event called “Human Rights Around the World” at
ON CAMPUS
Courtesy Image
7:00 pm in the International Center 101 during which students from countries such as Nepal will talk about issues such as human trafficking, political corruption and poverty they have witnessed in their home countries. Wednesday’s theme will be domestic violence awareness, and human rights club will host a karaoke fundraiser from
6:30-9:30 p.m. at Java Werks to benefit the Shafer Center for Crisis Intervention. A representative from the Shafer Center will be a guest speaker at the event to talk about the services that the center offers for victims of sexual and physical domestic abuse. Finally, Thursday’s theme will be called “USM and You.” Students for Human Rights
members will table at the fountain, allowing students to join the social media campaign by posting pictures that show how the Southern Miss community is working to take strides toward equality. Edward Miller, a senior communications studies major, serves as president of the International Club. Miller also serves as a senator
in the Student Government Association and wrote a resolution which the Senate passed unanimously on Feb. 18 to establish the first week of March as Human Rights Week at Southern Miss in the years to come. “By having a designated Human Rights Week, we believe more students and organizations will get involved with human rights,” Miller said. Bob Press, associate political science professor, serves as the faculty advisor for the human rights club. “Concern for human rights is concern for others,” Press said. “The events during Human Rights Week offer students a chance to express their commitment to a world in which people care about others and oppose abuses of the vulnerable.” Students for Human Rights at USM is part of the USM Center for Human Rights and Civil Liberties, which also sponsors a human rights minor. The group meets every Tuesday from 12:20-12:50 p.m. in LAB 104. For more information, visit the organization’s Facebook page or usm.edu/human-rights.
Children’s Center Classic raises funds to provide free services Lora Lavigne Printz Reporter
More than 300 registered runners, walkers, friends and volunteers from all over the Pine Belt participated in The Children’s Center for Communication and Development at Southern Miss’s second Children’s Center Classic on Feb. 27. The event covered Pride Field with games, music and runners participating in either a 10K, 5K or one mile run. The fundraiser provides the funds and necessities needed for the full service transdisciplinary program. Last year, the Children’s Classic raised more than $25,000, but the event far exceeded that total in a few hours alone. The program serves children with a range of disabilities, including various communication and developmental disorders, such as Down Syndrome, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, autism, Rett syndrome, traumatic brain injuries, aphasia, apraxia and conditions related to premature birth. Services provided by center include speech language therapy, behavioral therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, special instruction and early oral intervention. The center also serves as a training and modeling resource for university students
Hannah Heneghan/Printz Race begins at the Children’s Center Classic 5k on Saturday.
and professionals. Its services remain free to families of children in need through community resources and fundraisers with the help of private donors as well as legislative funding.
With the sponsors’ and runners’ support, the center is able to continue operation and serves more than one hundred children in south Mississippi with communicative and developmental disabilities.
“This event is a great way for the community to promote physical and mental health as well as give back to an even greater cause,” said 5K runner Jordan Williams, who also finished with his
best marathon time. “We work very closely as an integrated, trans-disciplinary team so that a child can get all of their goals looked at and we work towards that child’s maximum potential regardless of what their journey may look like,” said Sarah Case-Price, director of the Children’s Center. “As our signature event, we look forward to The Classic bringing the community together for a cause so near to our hearts.” Price also said that the event will benefit children with developmental disabilities from birth to the age of five. The money raised will go toward adaptive equipment for the center and the use of therapists. Ledell Kraft, a speech pathologist at the center, said she is proud of the unique resources offered. “This center is amazing for the things we are able to provide for the children, from versatile equipment to the children’s hand-painted medals that is awarded to the runners today,” Kraft said. Sponsors of Saturday’s event included the Junior Auxiliary of Hattiesburg’s Provisional Class, which provided a carnival with train rides, a bounce house, face painting, a petting zoo and more. They also collected donations for the center and toys for therapists that provide services for the children.
NEWS
Page 4 | Monday, February 29, 2016
STATE
Beau Rivage hosts first Libertarian debate Garrett Minta Printz Reporter
I think we’re trying to show folks who’s the serious candidates and who, perhaps, might not be as serious, as well as present viable candidates who actually have a chance at making a good showing in the upcoming presidential election. John Moore, Nevada State Assemblyman
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Our America Initiative, a nonprofit advocacy group, is suing the Federal Debate Commision for the inclusion of the Libertarian and Green Party nominees in the nationallytelevised presidential debates that will follow the nomination of the Republican and Democratic nominees. In hopeful preparation for this inclusion, 11 Libertarian candidates traveled to Biloxi’s Beau Rivage Casino & Resort in order to participate in 2016’s first Libertarian presidential primary debate. The debate took place in the Beau Rivage Magnolia Ballroom over the course of than two hours, during which the candidates addressed economic issues, conflicts in the Middle East, marijuana laws and immigration reform. The debate was filmed before a live audience and is now available online. The 11 candidates, much like their supporters, come from varied backgrounds. Like with Democrats and Republicans, the meaning and values of libertarianism varied between individuals. “Very simply, I think, if you wikipedia ‘classic liberal,’ that would be libertarianism: fiscally responsible and socially live and let live,” said Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico. “Let people enjoy their own personal freedoms and liberties, and as long as those personal liberties and freedoms don’t infringe or do harm to others, so be it.” Candidate Cecil Ince, who joined the Libertarian party in 2000, said libertarianism is a political philosophy
advocating personal liberty and responsible government.” “The role of government is limited to protecting and preserving life, liberty and property,” Ince said. Candidate and anesthesiologist Marc Feldman said that, to him, the Libertarian party is almost like a family. “I have a different perspective. I look at the Libertarian party not as a group of principles, but a group of people with shared values,” he said. Opening statements from all of the candidates including variations on a theme, with repeated phrases including “smaller government,” “simpler tax plan” and “no taxes.” Libertarian National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark shared his his opinion of the candidate pool. “I think we have an awesome field of candidates,” Sarwark. “We have candidates from across the libertarian spectrum, there is a spectrum within the libertarian party.” Five winners went on to a lightning round to end the debate: Johnson, Petersen, McAfee, Darryl Perry and Feldman. Johnson, a previous presidential candidate, was nominated by the Libertarian party to run against Mitt Romney and sitting President Barack Obama in 2012. Johnson seeks the nomination again this cycle, hoping to take the Libertarian party to a national audience. Petersen, who began his direct involvement with the party in 2008, is a former producer for Freedom Watch with Judge Andrew Napolitano and owner of a popular magazine supporting the party,
Libertarian Republic. McAfee, the antivirus software McAfee pioneer and once international fugitive, shifted his presidential campaign toward the Libertarian Party in December, according to USA Today. He recently showed his support on the record publically on the side of Apple in the Apple-FBI case. Perry, a self-described peace advocate according to his Facebook page, is the cofounder of the New Hampshire Liberty Party as well as an award-winning author. Feldman, who practices medicine in Ohio, previously ran for Attorney General and hopes to appeal to the non-voter base. The debate began with a rousing speech from Danny Bedwell, author and columnist for the website “Business Always Matters,” who introduced the candidates. John Moore, a Nevada state legislator is the highest serving libertarian in the country, explained the purpose of the debate. “I think we’re trying to show folks who’s the serious candidates and who, perhaps, might not be as serious, as well as present viable candidates who actually have a chance at making a good showing in the upcoming presidential election,” Moore said. The debate can be seen online in its entirety on the Libertarian YouTube page, and more information can be found at the Libertarian Party for Mississippi’s website. The next Libertarian debate event will be held in Virginia. Information on the court case can be found on the Our America Initiative website.
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Garrett Minta/Printz The Libertarian candidates debate at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi on Feb. 26.
NEWS
ON CAMPUS
Monday, February 29, 2016 | Page 5
Research explores racial biases in children Mary Alice Weeks Printz Reporter
A research project, led by sophomore philosophy major Maya Rex and professoradviser Elena Stepanova, seeks to investigate the effects of skin color and facial features on racial bias in elementary school children. USM researchers hope to potential curb prejudice by learning when and why these behaviors arise during the course of an individual’s psychological development. Currently in the data collection phase of their project, Rex and Stepanova have surveyed 100 children so far from Dixie Elementary, North Forrest Elementary and both the Hattiesburg and Petal branches of the YMCA and hope to collect from about 20 more. Stepanova has spent many years studying social and personality psychology. The Psychology Department study reflects Stepanova’s doctoral dissertation, which focused on the visual cues of skin tone and facial features and how they affect racial categorization. Stepanova said researchers have postulated categorization is a critical first step in the development of prejudice. “Essentially we group people into different categories, and we look at certain visual markers the help us to do that,” Stepanova said. “We do have preconceived ideas, stereotypes and feelings. [Once] we put a person into this group all these ideas associated get activated, so it’s important to study social categorization because it’s a precursor for prejudice,
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Mike Baird via Flickr/Courtesy Photo Boy and girl exhibit friendship in Morro Bay Parade and Kite Festival in California, 2009.
stereotyping and potentially discriminatory behavior.” Stepanova’s previous studies found that adults tend to place somewhat equal weight on skin tone and facial features when placing individuals into racial categories. The current study in progress seeks to measure the same behaviors in children between 5 and 12 years old. Stepanova, Rex and their colleagues hope to put these tendencies into a developmental context to better understand when and why these behaviors arise. “I feel like children kind of reflect the views of society because they kind of absorb everything that people are telling them,” Rex said. “Adults have already had so much time to formulate their own opinions. Children are just little sponges soaking up what their family says, what they see on TV,
all these other things.” Specifically, the researchers are interested in quantifying both the explicit and implicit attitudes of children toward different racial categories. In the field of social psychology, explicit attitudes are understood as those ideas and feelings that individuals most easily identify and express. “These are things you would consciously endorse and be willing to express,” Stepanova said. Conversely, implicit attitudes are those ideas that are more difficult to recognize. “These are the attitudes that people might not be aware of or be willing to express, the ones that are sort of pushed back that might not be accessible to us,” Stepanova said. In order to measure these attitudes towards race in
children, Stepanova, Rex and their partners have employed a software used in Stepanova’s previous research that produces computer generated faces of varying skin tones and facial features. The task is framed as a computer game. Subjects are shown a series of faces and asked to rate how “good” or “bad” they think the face is on a sliding scale with a smiley face on one end and a sad face on the other. Stepanova published studies using this methodology last year that indicated that the explicit attitudes of younger children mostly rely on skin tone alone, while older children, starting around age 8 or 9, begin recognizing facial features as well. The current study incorporates the same methodology to continue to measure explicit attitudes, but
the researchers have added a second task in order to measure implicit attitudes as well. The program shows children a series of random Chinese characters and asks them to indicate whether they believe the character means something good or bad. The key to this task is that for a brief moment, maybe half a second, a computer generated face flashes on screen before the character. Subjects responses regarding the character are then correlated with the skin tone and facial features of the preceding face. Stepanova said their sample is exciting one due to the demographics of the area participants. “Here we got lucky because we have a great diversity in our local [schools], so about half of our participants are black and half are white children,” Stepanova said. “What I am especially interested in is to compare the responses of white kids versus black kids and whether or not there is discrepancy in their responses in these tasks.” Rex, who was awarded a SPUR grant for this project, said her experience in this research has inspired her to pursue a career in social justice law. “This has shown me that the hope is in our children knowing things and understand things and wanting things to change,” Rex said. “I feel like our generation is one of the first to see things for what they are, and if I want to help people, I need to do something. Law is a big way to do that, especially being a woman and being black. I feel like there’s not many people that look like [me] in the law scene and I feel like I should be there.”
Ledbetter brings ‘grace and grit’ to University Forum Jonathan Urbina Entertainment Editor
The University of Southern Mississippi will welcome Lilly Ledbetter, equal pay activist, as a guest speaker on March 1 at 6:30 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium as part of the University Forum. The talk will center around her 2013 book titled, “Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond.” Ledbetter, an Alabama native, caused controversy in the late 90s when she filed a suit against her then employer, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., for unequal pay in comparison to her male counterparts. The lawsuit was brought to the attention of the Supreme Court and dismissed due to the fact that she did not file within the 180 days allotted after receiving her first paycheck from the company. After a seemingly-failed attempt at equality, Ledbetter’s voice was finally heard in 2009
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when Congress passed an act in her name to soften the time limitations in battles against unequal pay. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, signed by President Barack Obama, declares that the 180 days to file a suit resets upon every paycheck
received that is affected by discriminatory actions. In a conversation with The Washington Post, Ledbetter said, “Common sense told me that I was paid less.” That same sentiment is what many women still echo today. In the United States, the gender
wage difference is alive and well with women earning 79 cents to every dollar of a man. Female public figures and women with platforms have not been quiet about the issue, speaking out to demand equity. Jennifer Lawrence, Academy Award-winning actress and
activist, most recently penned an op-ed letter titled “Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-Stars?” for Lenny Letter, a newsletter produced by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner. After learning through a Sony hack of her significant pay difference, Lawrence wrote, “When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didn’t get mad at Sony.” She continues, “I got mad at myself.” Ledbetter felt similar emotions when she realized how much less her pay was. The act in her name is a promising step forward to right the wrongs of gender discrimination and to award women who are experiencing the wage gap, the right to seek justice. The University Forum has been the main campus lecture series since 1974 and will host two additional guest speakers following Ledbetter later this spring.
OPINION
Page 6 | Monday, February 29, 2016
ENTERTAINMENT
Rock ‘rocks’ as host, slams academy for prejudice Jonathan Urbina Entertainment Editor
Chris Rock held nothing back at the 88th Academy awards, making diversity the center of the conversation. On Feb. 28, the night of the awards, Rock opened the show with a clear intent to attack the academy. His tenminute monologue, though funny, seemed poignant and necessary. With heated controversy surrounding the show, it appears Rock knew the perfect dose of reality to throw back the academy. During his show opener, Rock said, “Hollywood is a different type of racist.” He went on to explain that in order to have more black nominees, the academy needs to insert more black categories, such as Best Black Friend. The obvious joke, though harsh, certainly garnered the attention of audience. When the nominees were announced back in Jan., critics felt a touch of déjà vu when they realized there was a clear lack of diversity in the list similar to the year prior. The black omission sparked a conversation of whether or not the academy was looking at talent or skin color. Following the announcement
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of the list, Rock was immediately bombarded with requests to step down as host of the show amid various pledges to boycott the prestigious evening by stars like Will and Jada Pickett Smith. After a
refusal to step down by Rock, whispers of whether he would use his platform for good or bad quickly started swirling. It remains unclear just how uncomfortable the audience might have felt during the
host’s lengthy sermon, but Rock was far from done at poking fun at the academy. The diversity jokes went on all night and every time made the audience clap a little bit harder.
At one point, he introduced Michael B. Jordan, who starred in “Creed,” to the stage to present as an actor who “should’ve been nominated.” He then later greeted a return from commercial break with “Hello, we’re black.” The question of whether the host was taking things too far was never asked because, quite honestly, nobody cared if he was. Rock was merely giving a voice to the thoughts many have been having since the release of the nominee list. Sadly, the Oscars have been discriminating for years against not only black talent, but talent produced from all minorities, including women. In Hollywood, the only group of people who appear unscathed are white men. In fact, just last year not one of the best picture nominees starred a female as the lead. That has since changed this year, but still no black nominees in 20 categories. The question of whether black actors will be represented at the award show has never been a question of “if,” but a question of “when.” Hopefully, with celebrities like Rock, who are using their platform for good, that “when” will be sooner rather than later.
SPORTS Golden Eagles’ bats stay hot against Demons Monday, February 29, 2016 | Page 7
BASEBALL Deantae Smith Sports Reporter
Southern Miss hosted the Northwestern State Demons for a three-game series over the weekend. The Pete Taylor Field gave USM a generous home-field advantage as the Golden Eagles improved to 7-0 on the season, continuing an explosive start to the season collecting 38 hits, 30 RBIs and six home runs during the series. In the opening game, Northwestern State started the scoring in the fifth inning with a RBI single from right fielder Bret Underwood. Southern Miss, however, did not take long to respond. After the Demons reached on a throwing error, shortstop Nick Dawson advanced to second base and later scored on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 1-1. The Demons regained the lead in the top sixth, and in the bottom half of the inning the Golden Eagles struck back twice with one swing. Designated hitter Daniel Keating hit his first career collegiate home run, bringing in two to score. “It’s just awesome because so much momentum builds off of that,” Keating said. “These last four games, a home run has sparked the offense.” With a 3-1 lead, the Golden Eagles kept the Demons at bay in the seventh, an inning in which, Southern Miss lit up the scoreboard. Jake Sandlin doubled to get on base. Then, Tim Lynch was hit by
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a pitch, putting two on with one out. Taylor Braley hit a single past third base to score Sandlin for a 4-2 lead. Chase Scott walked to load the bases. Following a pitching change, Chuckie Robinson singled to left, hitting in Lynch and pushing the lead to three runs. Southern Miss was not done yet, as Keating drove in his third run of the game when he was hit by a pitch. Storme Cooper recorded his first hit of the season with a tworun single to give Southern Miss an 8-2 lead to close the inning. The Demons came out in the eighth with two runs on three hits to narrow the deficit to four. After keeping the Golden Eagles off the board in the bottom of the inning, Northwestern State came into the ninth looking to rally four runs to force extras. Their bid for extra innings came to an end with a strike-out, falling 8-6. Cord Cockrell pitched the first five innings, allowing only two runs on seven hits while fanning four batters. Demon pitcher Walker Powell stepped in and faced 12 batters, allowing four hits and recording three strikeouts. Powell received the win for his first of the season and Cody Livingston received his first save of the season. In game two, the scoring came in bunches for the Golden Eagles. The home team batted around in back-to-back innings, sending 11 to the plate in a season-high, seven-run third inning and 10 batters in a six-run, fourth inning. “We’ve been scoring some runs
on Saturdays for sure,” coach Scott Berry said. “All the way around, even though it was just three innings we scored in, but the two big innings, in college baseball, when you hit somebody for 13 runs in two innings, it’s hard to recover from that.” Highlights from the third inning included a Braley threerun homer and an ejection of Northwestern State coach Lane Burroughs. In between the Golden Eagles’ onslaught, the Demons were able to get on the board with two runs. In the fourth inning, Southern Miss had six cross the plate on only three hits, including a tworun home run by Lynch that sparked the inning. Southern Miss’ bats went cold until the bottom of the eighth, when Scott doubled to center and Claudio Rubiera homered to left pushing the score to 15-2. Rubiera’s home run marked the fourth time Southern Miss has hit multiple home runs in a game this season. The Demons scored three in the top of the ninth to make the final score 15-5. Jake Winston received his first win of the season on the mound, going 5.2 innings allowing only three hits and two runs. Sandlin, Lynch, Scott, Robinson and Keating all each scored twice. In the final game of the series, Southern Miss looked to sweep a three-game series for the second time this season. The scoring stayed consistent in the final game with scoring coming early, with the Demons
Hunt Mercier/Photo Editor Storme Cooper (34) slides into third base on Sunday, Feb. 28.
getting on the board first with a sac fly in the second inning. Southern Miss responded with a run of their own from the bat of Cooper, grounding out to second, scoring Keating to tie the game in the second. In the fourth inning, Cooper batted in another run, this time with a knock to center. Robinson came in to score tying the game at 2-2. Braley continued his productive weekend with a homerun over the left field wall, extending the lead to 3-2. In the sixth inning, a Dawson RBI double, Dylan Burdeaux RBI single and a Braley RBI
single, pushed the Southern Miss lead to four. A Northwestern State home run in the seventh made the score 6-3. Northwestern State also scored in the eighth with two runs of their own, making the final score 8-5. The winning pitcher for the Golden Eagles was Kirk McCarty, the Demons were able to score two runs off three hits against McCarty. Livingston registered his second save of the season. The Golden Eagles will return to the diamond March 1, as they travel to Mobile, Alabama to face South Alabama. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
USM produces winning record despite inconsistencies Julius Kizzee Sports Editor
Fadi Shahin/Assistant Photo Editor Southern Miss Golden Eagles junior Tori Dew hits the ball.
The Golden Eagles participated in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic Feb. 25 and Feb. 26. According to coach Wendy Hogue, it was a inconsistent yet productive showing. “I feel like we are significantly better than we were last year, but I just didn’t know if it was going to reflect on the scoreboard,” Hogue said. “I feel good leaving here [and], I think [the team] is still hungry.” Southern Miss finished with a 3-2 tournament record, taking wins against Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls and Incarnate Word and falling against Baylor and McNeese State. The Golden Eagles knew that they would have to bring their A-game in the Classic early, having tilts against No. 24 Baylor and McNeese State in back-toback contests on the first day of the contest. The Golden Eagles were blanked by Baylor 8-0, being downed by mercy rule in just the fourth inning. The Bears recorded 12 hits in the game and jumped on Southern Miss early in the first by recording
five runs in that short span. Southern Miss was not demoralized by that loss though, despite not being able to record one hit in 26 at-bats. That offensive struggle would carry over to their contest against Nicholls State. “If I’m being honest, Baylor is a World series team,” Hogue said. “Their pitching was a little tougher [than other competition.]” The Colonels kept even with Southern Miss throughout the game, with equal offensive production of both teams. Starting pitchers Samantha Robles and Taylor Bishop pitched complete games, respectively, but combined to give up a total of 28 hits and 17 runs with only 12 strikeouts. The bats were hot against the Colonels, but the defense was what shot both teams in the proverbial foot. “You got to have a short memory,” Hogue said. “[And] a long-term memory with the confidence from the hard work and the things that you learn.” It would take Southern Miss until the eighth inning when they put up three runs to down the Colonels, 9-8. That confidence that they took in the late Saturday contest would propel them into the tournament
finale against Incarnate Word. The Golden Eagles and Cardinals came into the Sunday contest both at 2-2 in the tournament, and both teams were looking to capture winning records in the tournament. “I just learned that we have to just stay in it,” Hogue said. “I think we learned as a team that if we just stay in it, we’re going to give ourselves a chance.” Hogue and her squad were able to rally in 17 hits and putting the cap on their weekend, 10-2 over Incarnate Word. Danielle Block pitched five innings and only gave up two runs and five hits to the Cardinals. The Golden Eagles scored in every inning but the second, and put the cap on the game by mercy rule in the sixth inning when Samantha Reynolds tacked on an RBI double to left center field. “Our hitting picked up the last few days, pitching came in and kept us in games and defense played well,” Hogue said. “Each game had its MVP. A total team effort.” The Golden Eagles had their downs in the tournament, but certainly came off of the weekend with momentum and a winning record.
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