I started off the summer with two full weekends of baseball. I wouldn't have it any other way, in fact I wish I was still following the Golden Eagles on their quest for the College World Series (CWS). Unfortunately the season did not end with a trip to Omaha, the Eagles fell a little short but we all had fun enjoying the games until the end!
The first stop on the baseball tour was in Pearl, MS, at Trustmark Park. The C-USA tournament was there this year. The top eight teams in the conference play in this tournament at the end of the regular season. It was a fun tournament that began on a Wednesday and lasted through the weekend.
Brett Favre, a Southern Miss alumnus, was on hand to start the tournament.
He threw out the first pitch of the Golden Eagles first game of the tournament.
The media was out in full force to see one of Southern Miss' most famous alumni.
If you watched the game on TV, you may have recognized some other famous Southern Miss alumni. Margie and I were sitting right behind home plate! We were waving to friends and having a blast! We asked the media to stay away so we could enjoy the game, ha!
The Golden Eagles started out strong, with a big win over the Tulane Green Wave. Any time the black and gold beat up on the green wave the "Golden Eagle Faithful" are well pleased!
Todd McInnis, the starting pitcher, pitched a completed game victory. Todd is a senior and consequently this is his last season, he was thrilled with the game!
The next couple of days didn't go so well. As you can see Coach Berry had a few words for the umpires.
Next stop on the Golden Eagles baseball tour: Atlanta, Georgia, NCAA Regional Tournament hosted by Georgia Tech
In between games, we had a small window of time to explore a little of Atlanta. Centennial Olympic Park was close to our hotel. So we walked a few blocks to check it out.
While we were strolling around, someone approached us and offered us free tickets to the Coca Cola Museum. We soon discovered she was a travel agent and had a few tickets to spare. We took her up on the offer and visited the museum.
I especially liked this swarovski crystal coke bottle.
We also enjoyed a delicious meal at Gordon and Biersch. It was a fun atmosphere with lots of Southern Miss fans and players throughout the restaurant. As we were finishing our meal, our waiter informed us that someone had paid for our dinner! We were so surprised! We asked who it was so we could thank them and our waiter said another Golden Eagle had done it, gotta love those Golden Eagles!!
It was time for game 2, we needed a win to keep the season alive. Everyone had high hopes for a successful regional and with a win throughout the weekend, the team would advance to the Super Regionals in Gainesville, Florida, at the University of Florida. This was the same format we played in during the 2009 season when the team made it to the College World Series. Unfortunately, the team was plagued with injuries and silent bats, and did not advance to the Super Regionals. The season ended but everyone was proud of the team. We finished first in the conference and in the top twenty in the country!
In the days following the Regional Major League Baseball conducted the first year player draft. Several Southern Miss players were selected to play for professional baseball teams!
B.A. Vollmuth - Oakland A's
Tyler Koelling - Minnesota Twins
Collin Cargill - Florida Marlins
Todd McInnis - St. Louis Cardinals
Mark Bourgeois - Arizona Diamondbacks
It's great to be a Golden Eagle!!
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