USM baseball adds four for 2017

Published 9:20 am Tuesday, June 28, 2016

HATTIESBURG — The Southern Miss baseball program talent pool got a little bit larger this spring with the signing of four more players to letters-of-intent.

The additions of catcher Cole Donaldson, right-handed pitcher Calder Mikell and right-handed pitchers/outfielders Matt Wallner and Peyton Lee this past spring brought the Golden Eagles’ 2016-17 signing class to 15.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Donaldson was named second-team All-Jayhawk Conference in his first season at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.

Subscribe to our free email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

Donaldson helped the Blue Dragons to a 39-20 record and second-place conference finish by hitting .343 with 48 runs batted in and 44 runs scored.

He collected 17 extra-base hits (13 doubles, team-high-tying four triples and six home runs) and stole 14 bases.

Donaldson also proved stellar behind the plate, throwing out 43.8 percent of baserunners trying to steal (14 of 30), while picking another four runners off base. He committed just four errors.

Donaldson was redshirted in 2015 after finishing up a stellar prep career at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, Mo., and will have three years eligibility with the Golden Eagles.

The 5-10, 170-pound Mikell was a key cog in Jones County Junior College’s 54-9 record and run to the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series title this spring.

In his first season in Ellisville, Mikell went 10-1 with a 4.91 earned run average. He picked up the win in the Bobcats’ 11-3 victory over Brunswick (N.C.) Community College in a World Series elimination game. He scattered six hits and five walks over seven innings, striking out six.

Mikell led JCJC’s staff with an average 11.62 strikeouts-per-nine-innings, finishing with 71 strikeouts and 46 walks in 55 innings.

A member of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger’s 2013-14 Dandy Dozen as a senior at Petal High School, Mikell will have three years eligibility with the Golden Eagles.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Wallner, a right-hander who hits from the left side of the plate, re-opened his recruitment when his original choice, the University of North Dakota, discontinued its program.

Wallner, a two-time All-Suburban East Conference selection from Forest Lake (Minn.) High School, was named conference player of the year by the Twin Cities Pioneer Press this spring after going 7-1 with a 0.95 earned run average.

A fastball clocked in the low 90s helped him pick up 95 strikeouts.

A standout outfielder as well, Wallner hit .382 as a senior with 18 of his 29 hits going for extra bases, including 10 home runs. His prowess on the bump and in the box helped Forest Lake to a share of the Suburban East championship and a spot in the sectional playoffs.

Wallner became the first player from his school in at least the past 15 years to be selected in Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft, taken in the 32nd round by his home-state club, the Minnesota Twins.

Over the weekend, Wallner earned Mr. Baseball for the state of Minnesota honors.

The 6-0, 185-pound Lee hit .395 in 37 games during his first season at Pearl River Community College, with 25 runs scored and 19 RBIs. He hit seven doubles and three triples, while stealing six bases.

A two-time All-State selection at Picayune High School, Lee also appeared in 10 games on the mound for the Wildcats, posting a 2-3 record with a 7.62 ERA. He struck 31 and walked 16 in 28 1/3 innings.