No. 23 Southern Miss earned its fifth conference series win as No. 11 Ole Miss and Mississippi State were forced to salvage their three-game outings versus SEC counterparts.
In Hattiesburg, the Golden Eagles (27-13, 12-6 Sun Belt) took two of three from Georgia State. Christian Ostrander’s club got off on the right side of the scoreboard on Thursday in an 8-1 win over the Panthers. Right-handed ace JB Middleton shined on the mound in game one, logging 12 strikeouts while only surrendering two hits and one earned run. First baseman Matthew Russo had the greatest impact at the plate with a home run and three RBIs.
Things took an unfortunate turn for Southern Miss on Friday. A rough night on the hill and at bat equaled a 12-2 home loss in seven innings. However, Saturday marked an opportunity for redemption, and the Golden Eagles capitalized with a 15-9 victory in the rubber match. A seven-spot in the bottom of the eighth broke an 8-8 tie and ultimately sealed the series for the black and gold. Left fielder Ben Higdon led the home team with an explosive three home runs and four RBIs in the contest.
𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭 🕺 #EverythingMatters | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/fL7RehlJ14
— Southern Miss Baseball (@SouthernMissBSB) April 19, 2025
Next up for Southern Miss is back-to-back midweek outings at Pete Taylor Park. Tulane is the first midweek opponent on the docket on Tuesday, followed by Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles will then travel to Boone, N.C. to face Appalachian State.
Ole Miss (28-12, 10-8 SEC) could not shake off last weekend’s home series loss to No. 4 Tennessee and the midweek shortcoming against Little Rock. The Rebels, with an opportunity to get right against one of the SEC’s lowest-ranked clubs in South Carolina, whiffed on the road.
On Thursday, a dreadful outing at the plate negated a heroic effort by relief pitcher Mason Morris. The Tupelo native inherited a deficit on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth. While Morris was near-flawless in 2.2 innings on the bump, the Rebels’ offense could not get anything going in the waning innings of the matchup, setting up a 3-2 loss.
The next day, a leadoff home run by Hayden Federico put Ole Miss on top momentarily. South Carolina quickly pounced and walked away victorious 7-2, claiming its first conference series win of the year. Mike Bianco’s club, sitting in a suboptimal position, took care of business on Saturday to salvage the final game of the series. A seven-spot in the top of the first carried Ole Miss to a 12-2 run-rule win. Austin Fawley’s early grand slam, which was caught by his mother, set the tone for the lopsided outcome.
AUSTIN FAWLEY GRAND SLAM TO THE CONCOURSE@fawley_austin | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/V8VzsxuVQD
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 19, 2025
Ole Miss will return to the diamond on Tuesday in the annual Governor’s Cup versus Mississippi State. The game will begin at Trustmark Park at 6 p.m. The Rebels will then host No. 19 Vanderbilt during Double Decker weekend.
The aforementioned Bulldogs (24-16, 6-12 SEC) were unable to win a third straight series. A struggling Florida club garnered confidence in Dudy Noble Park, taking two of three from Chris Lemonis and company. The Gators landed a strong first punch with a 13-3 run-rule victory on Friday.
Mississippi State attempted to punch back on Saturday night, but Kevin O’Sullivan’s crew weathered the blow and effectively countered. A 6-3 Bulldog lead was wiped away in the top of the seventh inning as Florida put six runs on the board, leading the way to a series win.
On Easter Sunday, Mississippi State answered the call offensively and outscored Florida in a bat-heavy contest. The Bulldogs’ 14-8 win was highlighted by left fielder Gehrig Frei’s two home runs and two RBIs.
GEHRIG. FREAKING. FREI.
📺: https://t.co/YFIzDWr1Qt#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/NKDt0lp33x
— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) April 20, 2025
After battling the Rebels in the Governor’s Cup, a rivalry in which the Bulldogs hold an all-time record of 11-5, Mississippi State will travel to Auburn for a three-game affair.
