We all knew the breakout was coming. Since Slade Wilks made the decision as a high school freshman to commit to Southern Miss, it was easy to envision the left-handed slugger crushing home runs for the black and gold.
While he did have some big moments as a freshman with the Golden Eagles, that breakout never happened as he hit just .158 with two long balls and 8 RBI. And although he was off to a solid start this year through 20 games with a .284 average, 10 RBI and a team-leading nine doubles, the prodigious power Wilks has always been known for, whether it was for Columbia Academy, the East Coast Sox or on the showcase circuit, that helped him become a Perfect Game and Under Armour All-American had not yet surfaced at Southern Miss.
That all changed March 23 at New Orleans and sparked a four-game stretch where he launched five homers and drove in 10 runs. The first one against UNO was an inside pitch in the eighth inning that he turned on and absolutely demolished over the right-field fence.
Wilks said that homer was his favorite of the bunch because it was the one that opened the floodgates.
“Just getting the monkey off my back when we were playing at New Orleans wasn’t necessarily a relief, because I felt like if I kept playing it was going to happen, but it was just an awesome feeling to hit the first one of the year,” he said.
Two days later at Western Kentucky, Wilks deposited a 3-0 fastball over the left-center-field wall for a two-run shot. Saturday was the true coming out party for Wilks’ power. In the top of the third, he fell behind 0-2 in the count before crushing a 1-2 pitch deep to right field for his third homer in as many games. Then in the seventh inning, he ambushed the first pitch he saw and launched a towering, two-run bomb to deep center field for his first multi-homer game as a Golden Eagle, which he said was awesome.
He capped off the impressive run Sunday, ripping a 1-0 fastball to right-center-field for a three-run homer in the first inning.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting on it to happen and expecting it to happen sooner than it did, but I’m grateful for the week I had. It was a lot of fun. Hopefully I can keep swinging it the way I have been this year.”
It wasn’t just homers for Wilks either. He went 9-for-18 with three doubles and a single as well.
After struggling for much of 2021, Wilks played in the New England Collegiate Baseball League during the summer and adjusted his approach. He has been focusing on making sure he gets his best swing off every at-bat, stays aggressive and hunts fastballs in the zone.
“I try to swing at every fastball in the zone because I’m a fastball hitter. Me being able to do that consistently has allowed me to have more success this year so far,” he said.
Following the four-game tear, Wilks’ .341 average is second on the team, his five long balls are tied for second and his 1.138 on-base-plus-slugging percentage leads the way, as do his 12 doubles.
“I feel pretty good so far. I just have to keep my head down and keep working,” he said.
Nearly the entire lineup had a big series against the Hilltoppers, with all the flashes it has shown this season coming together for one epic series. Wilks said Western Kentucky actually threw several high-quality arms but that the Golden Eagles were just dialed in the whole time.
While Wilks has made a few starts in the outfield this season, he has primarily been the designated hitter for the Golden Eagles. He said it’s been an adjustment for him to not play the field as much, but he is growing more and more comfortable with it.
“It can be really fun when you’re hitting good and then stressful when you’re not because that’s all you think about,” he said. “I enjoy DHing though.”
Southern Miss was ranked No. 27 in the country in the latest rankings, and Wilks said if the Golden Eagles play the way they’re capable of, they should win the conference and host a regional.
“We think we’re as good as anyone,” he said.
They have already proved themselves against stiff competition, too, beating defending national champ Mississippi State 7-1 in early March and topping Alabama 3-2 two weeks ago.
