Sandlin, Southern Miss pitcher, earns Ferriss Trophy

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss junior right-handed pitcher Nick Sandlin collected the 2018 C Spire Ferriss Trophy Monday afternoon at a luncheon held at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson.

Sandlin, who made the transition from closer to the team’s ace starting pitcher this season, has posted an 8-0 record this season in 13 starts and has fanned 122 batters, while having walked just 14 over 86 1/3 innings.

His ranks Top 10 nationally in the following statistical categories including No. 1 in WHIP (0.71), second in earned run average (1.25), fourth in hits allowed by nine innings (4.90), eighth in strikeouts and eighth in strikeouts-to-walk ratio (8.71).

The preseason Conference USA Pitcher of the Year earned National Pitcher of the week honors five times during the campaign, as well as capturing the Conference USA weekly honor four times. He is also a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the best player in college baseball.

Through the regular season, Sandlin ranks among the Top 10 in several Golden Eagle single-season categories, including tied for fifth with most shutouts (2), fifth in strikeouts, while currently in sixth in ERA and first in winning percentage.

As for a career, he ranks eighth at the school in victories (21), tied for fifth in saves (20), eighth in strikeouts (246), fifth in winning percentage (.808) and second in ERA (1.85).

He is the third Southern Miss player to capture this award, as outfielder Tyler Koelling won the honor in 2011 and pitcher James McMahon earned the accolade in 2015.

The nationally ranked Golden Eagles, who posted a 39-15 record and won its second consecutive Conference USA regular-season crown, returns to action Wednesday when they open play in the 2018 Conference USA Baseball Championship at MGM Park in Biloxi. Southern Miss will take on No. 8 seed UAB (21-31) at 4 p.m.