After two straight three-run innings by the Southern Miss baseball offense to start the Sun Belt Tournament championship game, Golden Eagles faithful could taste the team’s third conference tournament title in four years.
No. 1 seed Southern Miss (44-15) beat No. 7 seed Louisiana 11-7 behind an explosive day from the offense and a quality three-inning start from Grayden Harris that set the tone for the rest of the game on May 24 at DABOS Park.
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“I’m so proud of these guys,” Southern Miss coach Christian Ostrander said. “So much work goes into this. It starts back in August and it’s all the reps in the weight room, the classroom, the community, on the field. It’s just long. For these guys to get rewarded with that moment is special.”
As the NCAA Tournament approaches, conference tournament weekend has every team in the country jockeying for position in the 64-team field. Even before the team took care of business in the Sun Belt Tournament, it was widely considered a near certainty the Golden Eagles would be listed as one of the 16 NCAA regional hosts. Their win over Louisiana (39-23) all but solidified that, and was affirmed by the NCAA’s announcement in the evening.
“Hattiesburg is going to be crazy,” Ostrander said. “They call it ‘Baseburg’ for a reason. I’m really proud for the players, proud for the program, but I’m extremely proud for the community. It matters to them. It’s going to be a big party.”
What remains to be seen is whether Southern Miss will be one of the top-eight seeds, which would guarantee it as a super regional host. The Golden Eagles haven’t hosted a super regional since 2023.
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In its recent projection, D1Baseball lists them as the No. 9 seed. Baseball America has them at No. 11.
The NCAA field and specific seeding will be revealed on May 25 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN2).
Because Troy and Louisiana are top-40 in RPI rankings, the Golden Eagles’ wins over both teams on May 24 gave them two Quad 1 wins to add to their résumé.
Southern Miss is 9-7 in Quad 1 games and has a win percentage of 70.2% (26-11) in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, which is higher than some of the other teams on the bubble.
Florida’s Quad 1 and Quad 2 games’ winning percentage is 60.5% (23-15). Alabama’s is 54.2% (19-16) and Florida State’s is 53.1% (17-15).
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Counting just Quad 1 games, of those four teams, Southern Miss has the second-highest winning percentage, 56.3%, behind only Florida (57.1%).
Also working in the Golden Eagles’ favor is their 14-4 head-to-head win against the Crimson Tide on Feb. 24.
The Golden Eagles’ strength of schedule does not hold up well against the other teams vying for a top-eight seed. Florida, Florida State and Alabama all have top-five strengths of schedule, meaning the quality of opponents for those schools was higher than that of Southern Miss.
Much of that has to do with the Golden Eagles playing in a less difficult conference than the SEC or the ACC, but strength of schedule is a tool that the committee will use. Southern Miss had the No. 11 non-conference strength of schedule, as it played Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
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The Golden Eagles are 18-4 against Quad 3 and Quad 4 teams. Florida State and Alabama both have higher winning percentages in that category.
Davis Wilson covers Southern Miss athletics and Hattiesburg news for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at DWilson@hattiesb.gannett.com or find him on X at @Davis_Wilson.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: How Southern Miss baseball’s Sun Belt title might impact NCAA seeding
