USM’s JB Middleton, Nick Monistere named Ferriss Trophy Finalists

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Southern Miss right-handed pitcher JB Middleton (Yazoo City, Miss.) and second baseman Nick Monistere (Brandon, Miss.) were named two of the five finalists for the Ferriss Trophy in an announcement by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Monday.

The award is named in honor of Mississippi baseball legend Boo Ferriss, who played in the Major Leagues and was also the long-time coach at Delta State.

This is the second time in the last three years that Southern Miss has had two finalists for the award. Tanner Hall and Slade Wilks were finalists for the award in 2023.

Middleton, a two-time Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week, holds an 8-1 record in 12 starts this season with 88 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 77 1/3 innings this spring.

He leads the Sun Belt Conference in ERA, strikeouts, and opponents’ batting average (.167), while also tied for first in wins. He has won his last six decisions and has thrown at least five innings in all but one start this season.

Through games of May 5, he ranks second nationally in WHIP (0.84), third in ERA, sixth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.35), 11th in victories, 15th in games started and No. 18 in strikeouts. He has fanned at least 10 batters in a game four times in 2025 with a career-best 12 done twice, coming against South Alabama and Georgia State.

Monistere holds a .319 batting average with 16 home runs and 57 RBI this season to go along with an OPS of 1.034. He has started in all 48 games at second base for the Golden Eagles (35-13) and leads the team in stolen bases with seven.

He had a stretch in April in which he batted .467 (21-for-45) and hit safely in 15 of 17 games, including a career-best 12 game hitting streak to finish the month. During that time, he had nine, two-hit and a three-hit contest during the month, while driving in a run in 11-straight games at one point totaling 28 RBI over that span.

Monistere leads the Sun Belt in runs batted and is tied for second home runs.

The Ferriss Trophy will be presented to one of the five finalists at a ceremony at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson on May 19 at 11:30 a.m.