Senior right-handed pitcher Miles Ethridge enters his final season at USA in 2009. Ethridge began his collegiate career at Young Harris College, before transferring to North Florida Community College, and then to South Alabama prior to the 2008 season.

In his first season with the Jags, Ethridge was the most utilized pitcher out of the bullpen, both in appearances and innings pitched. He posted a 2-1 record and worked 50.2 innings over 25 outings, all in relief. In addition to pitching in all three games of the Western Kentucky series, Ethridge worked 2.0 or more innings 13 different times. He recorded his first win at USA with 5.1 innings of shutout relief against Manhattan March 2.

A native of Norcross, Ga., Ethridge sat down to discuss his childhood, life outside of baseball, his first year at USA and the upcoming 2009 season.

Q: What baseball team did you root for as a child?

ME: Atlanta Braves

Q: Who were your favorite players at that time?

ME: Nolan Ryan and John Smoltz. I was born in Texas and Nolan Ryan was probably the first pitcher I ever saw pitch. Smoltz was a hometown guy with the Braves.

Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a pitcher?

ME: I did. I started out when I was young always wanting to be a pitcher.

Q: If you could go to one ballpark that you’ve never been to, which one would it be?

ME: I’ve been to quite a few, but I’d say Fenway Park.

Q: What sports do you like other than baseball?

ME: Basketball and football

Q: What is something your teammates know about you not a lot of other people know?

ME: There’s really not much. I pretty much put it all out there for everyone.

Q: Who are your best friends on the team?

ME: Brandon Sage and Derek O'Reilly

Q: What are you studying in school and what are your plans for after graduation?

ME: I’m studying Exercise Science. I really don’t even know yet, but I might go into physical therapy.

Q: What is something you’d like to see improve at South Alabama?

ME: I’d like to see us get up there and be recognized again while I’m here. The program needed a little bit of a rebuilding stage, and I think we’ve got what we’ve been looking for this year.

Q: You said you were born in Texas, but when did you move to Georgia?

ME: I was born in Bedford, Texas and lived there for about three or four years, then my dad got his job transferred to New Jersey and I lived there for about two years. I’ve lived in Georgia since then.

Q: What road trip do you most look forward to?

ME: The one to Waco, Texas because we’ll get to play Baylor and UC Irvine

Q: Do you feel you have a leadership role as a senior?

ME: I do feel like that. It seemed like last year I got my number called quite a few times, and I feel like I need to lead by example.

Q: You made more appearances than anyone else when you came out of the bullpen 25 times last season. What was that like for you?

ME: It was a big change last year. I’ve been a starter my whole life, and I was a starter in junior college. When I got here they wanted to take advantage of the fact that I’ve got one of those arms where I can go back-to-back days without any rest.

Q: Do you prefer being a starter or a reliever?

ME: I’d prefer to start, but if I’m needed as a middle relief guy, that’s what I’ll do. I can’t complain.

Q: You started your career at Young Harris and then pitched at North Florida before coming to USA. What was that like for you?

ME: We weren’t one of the top teams at North Florida. When I got there I was their number one starter, and it just felt like between me and two other guys, we were constantly pitching. If I’d start one game, I’d turn around and close the next game, and I’d come back and start the next game after I closed. They actually cancelled their program after last year. When you get to this level, you really can’t put that much stress on your arm. Having to do that in junior college puts a lot of wear and tear on it, but now I’m able to get rest, and it’s been beneficial.

Q: What are your expectations for this year?

ME: We should finish at least in the top three of the Sun Belt. We’ve got a lot of guys who transferred in, and that’s going to be a big help. We’ve also got a pretty deep pitching staff this year, and that helps after having a lot of guys get hurt last year.