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Southern Miss baseball coach Scott Berry announced Friday the addition of eight players for the 2023 season.

The players include right-handed pitchers Will Armistead (Moorville, Miss.), JB Middleton (Yazoo City, Miss.) and Holland Townes (Ridgeland, Miss.), along with left-handed pitchers and outfielders Jake Cook (Madison, Miss.) and Chase Adams (Normal, Ill.), catcher/right-handed pitcher Tucker Stockman (Athens, Ala.), third baseman Davis Gillespie (Birmingham, Ala.) and right-handed pitcher/shortstop Nick Monistere (Brandon, Miss.).

“We are extremely pleased with this signing class,” said Berry. “These are quality young men who have the intangible assets that fit the culture we’ve built in our program. Pitching was a priority with several of them being two-way players. Coaches (Travis) Creel and (Christian) Ostrander continue to do an excellent job and we look forward to this class arriving on campus in the Fall of 2022.”

Armistead, at 6-foot-3, 200 lbs., plays at Itawamba Community College in which he posted a 4-3 record in 14 appearances, including four starts last season. He posted a 4.97 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings of work earning MACCC honorable mention honors.

At Moorville High School, Armistead produced a 23-6 career pitching mark with a 1.40 ERA in 32 appearances, including 17 complete games. He was a part of a Class 3A state championship squad in 2017. He was also named the North’s most valuable player in the 3A/4A Crossroads Diamond Club all-star baseball game following his senior campaign.

Middleton, at 6-feet, 170 lbs., earned MAIS Class 2A All-State honors last season as a pitcher at Benton Academy.

During his junior campaign, Middleton fanned 97 and walked just 28 and gave up 20 hits in 40 innings of work for a team that went 10-9 last season.

Townes, at 6-foot-4, 220 lbs., currently plays at Hinds Community College, where he put together a 1-2 record in 14 appearances, including one start. He threw 18 innings and whiffed 24 and walked seven in his year there, following his transfer from Memphis the prior season. He was also a member of Phi Theta Kappa at Hinds.

Townes lettered four times in both football and baseball while at St. Andrew’s High School. He played several position on the diamond for the Saints, while also was the quarterback for the football team. In football, he holds the school’s record for most passing yards in a career and was a District MVP one season. In baseball, Townes helped lead his squad to three district championships and claimed the school’s first baseball state champions in over 30 years in 2018. He was a two-time all-state selection and was Mississippi All-Star following his senior campaign. In addition, he was a member of the National Honor Society.

Cook, at 6-foot-2, 185 lbs., plays his final season at Madison Central High School in both the outfield and on the mound. He batted .477 with three doubles, three triples and 27 RBI last season for his squad to earn him second-team All-Metro honors by Mississippi Scoreboard.

His Madison Central squad went 34-2 last season and Cook helped lead the Jaguars to the Class 6A state championship.

Adams, at 6-foot-2, 187 lbs., attends University High where his team finished 32-4 last season and captured the 2A regional, section and super sectional championships before collecting a third-place overall finish in the state championship.

On the march to the state championship, Adams collected a game-winning hit that sent his team to the regional final and pitched in the third-place contest in which University High won.

Stockman, at 6-foot-3, 225 lbs., currently plays at Athens High School where he has played catcher as well as several infield positions. He is expected to hit with power when he joins the Golden Eagles next season.

Gillespie, at 6-foot-2, 200 lbs., hit .346 with 14 doubles and 40 RBIs, earning Class 7A first-team All-State selection last season at Oak Mountain High School. He also was a member of the Birmingham area Terrific 20 as voted on by AL.com.

Last summer, he participated in the Alabama North-South all-star game where he earned MVP game honors. His other honors from his play last spring included being named the Starnes Media Hitter of the Year where he was the first-team third baseman. Gillespie was also named to the All-County team.

Monistere, at 6-foot-1, 165 lbs., plays his prep baseball at Northwest Rankin High School where he batted .384 with 11 doubles, a triple, 5 home runs and 30 RBI as a junior, while posting an 11-1 record with a 1.88 ERA on the mound. In 14 appearances spanning 70 2/3 innings, Monistere fanned 97 and walked just 21 as he posted three complete games.

Northwest Rankin finished as the 2021 Class 6A runners-up with a 27-9 mark and Monistere was a Mississippi Association of Coaches first-team all-state pick at utility, while also garnering first-team honors by MississippiScoreboard.com.

– @USMGoldenEagles/@SouthernMissBSB –