Southern Miss will open the Knoxville Regional against Indiana on Friday.
The Golden Eagles hold the No. 2 seed, while Indiana is the No. 3 seed at 12 p.m. CT. No. 1 Tennessee, which is the top overall seed team, will face No. 4 Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m.. The Knoxville Regional is paired with the Greenville Regional, which includes No. 16 East Carolina, Wake Forest, VCU and Oral Roberts.
Entering the regional, Southern Miss has won 15 of its 16 games, and in the last two weeks has been ranked inside the top 25.
This season, the pitching staff has allowed 5.5 runs per game, 8.5 hits per game, and holds a 5.00 team earned run average. However, in the last 16 games, the Golden Eagles have held teams to 3.9 runs per game, and have given up just an average of 7.3 hits and hold an ERA of 3.76
Like the pitching staff, the offense has also drastically improved during that span. The Golden Eagles' batting average is .338, compared to their season average of .295, and they are averaging 7.7 runs per game.
INDIANA (34-24-1)
The Hoosiers earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament to reach the postseason for a second straight year. The Hoosiers had the lowest RPI (55) of teams that received an at-large.
As of the RPI rankings, IU had played 26 quad one or two games, winning 12 of those. The Hoosiers won non-conference contests against Indiana State, Dallas Baptist and Coastal Carolina as well as Northern Kentucky.
Offensively, Indiana finished in the top 10 in the nation with 178 doubles and has hit 78 home runs. Leading the lineup is Devin Taylor, who holds a .286 average while hitting 20 runs and driving in 49 runs. Tyler Cerny has hit .312, 23 doubles, 10 homers, and 60 RPI.
As a pitching staff, Indiana has recorded 557 strikeouts but holds a 6.02 team ERA. The Hoosiers' main two starting arms are Connor Foley and Ty Bothwell. Foley has struck out 80 batters, walked 42, and put up a 3.71 ERA, while Bothwell has 82 strikeouts, 23 walks, and a 4.90 ERA. Foley, a right-hander, throws from a high three-quarter arm slot and that reaches the upper 90s.
Bothwell, a left-hander, will start against Southern Miss.
The top arm out of the bullpen is Drew Buhr, as he logs a 3.35 ERA, struck out 46 batters, and walked 16 in 20 appearances.
TENNESSEE (50-11)
It's only the second time in Tennessee's history that the Volunteers are the No. 1 overall seed after winning the SEC regular season and conference tournament titles.
Tennessee leads the country in home runs (147), ranks No. 2 (.600) in slugging percentage and No. 4 in ERA (3.83) making them one of the most balanced teams in the country.
The Vols are led by Christian Moore, who holds a .382 average with 28 home runs and 63 RBI.
Tennessee returns right-hander Drew Beam, who helped defeat Southern Miss in Game 3 of last year's super regional. Beam struck out seven batters and gave up just seven hits in six innings of work. This season, Beam has picked up where he left off as he holds a 3.92 ERA, struck out 75 batters and walked 21.
AJ Causey, a Jacksonville State transfer, has recorded 100 punchouts and walked only 16 batters while holding a 4.10 ERA. Oddly enough, USM has faced Causey when he was a freshman at Jacksonville State. IN the Gamecocks’ series salvaging win back in 2022, Causey picked up a save.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY (35-22)
It's been a historical season for Northern Kentucky, with the Norse advancing to the NCAA tournament for the first time since joining Division I back in 2013.
Liam McFadden-Ackman has been the team's headliner as he has a .362 batting average with 21 home runs and 76 RBI, both of which lead the team. McFadden-Ackman was named the Horizon League's Player of the Year.
Treyvin Moss is also a notable bat. He leads the team with a .388 average and has hit 21 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs, and 66 RBI.
Despite the successful hitting, Northern Kentucky has struggled with its pitching, with the Norse holding a 7.37 ERA. The leading arm of the staff is right-hander Tanner Gills, who posted a 4.60 ERA, struck out 80 batters and walked 24.
WHAT DO THE ODDS SAY?
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Tennessee is a -250 favorite to advance out of the region. Southern Miss is +330 and Indiana is +700, while Northern Kentucky sits at +5,000.
Tennessee has the second best odds to win the national championship at +600, while Southern Miss sits at +15,000.
Follow @PineBeltSPORTS on Twitter and Facebook.
