Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward MageeNews.com a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
By: Andy Baeuerle
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles baseball team has a history of great seasons and big names, and 2023 has been no different. With players such as Tanner Hall, Slade Wilks, and Danny Lynch making impressive plays all season long, the Golden Eagles have made it all the way through the Sun Belt tournament and into the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.
After finishing the regular season with a record of 37-16 (18-7 Sun Belt,) the Golden Eagles earned a bid to the Sun Belt Baseball Tournament as the #2 seed, behind #1 Coastal Carolina. The Golden Eagles stepped on #7 seed James Madison in the first round, then defeated #3 Troy in round 2. Following a loss against Appalachian State in round 3, USM beat App State in an elimination round to face #4 seed Louisiana in the conference championship. USM dominated the Ragin’ Cajuns to win the Sun Belt Championship 6-2. This was Southern Miss’s first conference tournament to win since the 2019 Conference USA tournament. It was also their first in the Sun Belt Conference.
Following this exciting win, it was announced Monday, May 29, that USM had been selected for the NCAA Tournament. Despite winning the conference tournament, it was announced USM would not host a regional tournament. USM was placed in the Auburn Regional, however, along with Auburn, Samford, and Penn.
Coach Scott Berry has led the Golden Eagles since taking over for the late Corky Palmer in 2010. In his 14 seasons, Coach Berry has amassed 5 regular season conference championships, 5 conference tournament championships, and one regional tournament win. He has also achieved a record (so far) of 523 wins, 273 losses, and one tie. The Golden Eagles also have achieved seven straight 40-win seasons and 21 30-win seasons, the longest streaks in the nation. However, on May 16, 2023, Coach Berry announced he would retire as the Golden Eagles’ head coach at the end of the 2023 season. Five days later, assistant head coach Christian “Coach Oz” Ostrander was announced as the Golden Eagles’ 14th head coach.
- Auburn Regional (Plainsman Park, Auburn, Alabama)
- (2) Southern Miss vs. (3) Samford
- (1) Auburn vs. (4) Penn
Southern Miss plays at 1 pm. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, as well as the Southern Miss app.
Photo: USM Sports
MageeNews.com is an online news website covering Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
ECU has 25 straight 30+ win seasons. That is the longest streak in the nation.