Liberty baseball begins the 2023 season this weekend with a three-game series at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and the Flames have their weekend starting rotation set.
Jackson will hand the ball to lefty Garrett Horn on Friday. The preseason ASUN Pitcher of the Year, Horn was named to two Freshman All-American teams and was selected to the ASUN All-Conference second team in his first season at Liberty in 2022. The left-hander posted a 6-1 record with a 1.93 ERA over 51.1 innings. In 13 appearances and seven starts, he struck out 80 and walked 24 while holding opponents to a .167 batting average.
Nick Moran will get the start on Saturday. Moran was a freshman last season, making just six appearances with one start. He allowed nine runs in 13 innings pitched, but he really has impressed the Liberty baseball coaching staff during the off-season.
On Sunday, Mikey Tepper will get the start. Tepper is a transfer from Mississippi State where he had 17 appearances in 2022, making two starts. he finished the season with a 9.49 ERA and 1-2 record with one save in 24.2 innings of work while striking out 19.
The Golden Eagles are traditionally one of the better mid-major baseball programs in the country. They finished the 2022 season with a 47-19 overall record and hosted a regional and super regional. Southern Miss would fall to Ole Miss in two games in the supers.
Southern Miss is once again expected to have a very strong team as they are ranked No. 18 in the D1 Baseball preseason top 25 poll. The Golden Eagles were also the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt.
Things get started Friday evening at 5 p.m. with two aces taking the mound as the ASUN Preseason Pitcher of the Year Garrett Horn toes the rubber against the Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year Tanner Hall.
