By By Richard Dark/The Meridian Star
Jan. 10, 2001
Former Meridian Community College baseball coach and current Southern Mississippi skipper Corky Palmer stopped by DT Grinders in Meridian Tuesday for the monthly USM Eagle Club meeting.
Among the items on the agenda was the buzz about the Golden Eagle baseball team's preseason Top 25 ranking in several polls and publications.
Palmer updated the gathered supporters on his personnel for the 2001 season and the outlook for the season appears bright.
The season opener for the No. 25 Golden Eagles is just around the corner, as spring practice officially begins Jan. 15. The season-opener against the Evansville Purple Aces is Feb. 9.
The Eagles return three pitchers and six position starters from a group that finished 32-26 last season. "When I came to Southern Mississippi, we had about two guys that could throw the ball over 84 miles per hour," Palmer said. "We have nobody on our staff that throws less than 86 now."
Other items on the agenda included the group's planning of the annual golf tournament slated for May with USM head football coach Jeff Bower, the building progress of the new baseball fieldhouse and USM's football opponents for the upcoming 2000 campaign.
The home slate includes a Labor Day date at The Rock with Oklahoma State. Other home opponents are UAB, Tulane, Houston and this year's bowl adversary in TCU. The road games will be against East Carolina, Louisville, Alabama, Penn State, Memphis and Louisiana Lafayette.
Richard Dark is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at rdark@themeridianstar.com.