The bracket is set for the Hattiesburg Regional.
Southern Miss (44-14) will host Alabama (41-16), Miami (31-24) and Columbia (29-17). The Golden Eagles will open the regional against Columbia.
“They are great teams,” Southern Miss coach Christian Ostrander said. “You don’t play anybody in a regional or Super Regional that is not going to be a challenge, and is good. There is a little familiarity with Alabama since we play them every year."
Columbia earned an automatic bid after winning the Ivy League championship, while Alabama and Miami earned at-large bids after finishing with RPIs of 13 of 40, respectively.
Redshirt senior Carson Paetow was a member of the team the last time Southern Miss hosted a regional back in 2022.
“The fan atmosphere is bigger,” Paetow said. “We travel pretty well, but to have it in Hattiesburg and see the Pete rocking is really special, and it’s different. Our intent and focus are the same no matter who we are playing, but the fans’ energy and the atmosphere they create help us.
“It feels like ’22 was a couple of days ago. It really went by fast. I’ve been fortunate enough that this is my second regional that I’ve been able to be a part of in Hattiesburg.”
Notably, Southern Miss and Alabama met earlier this season during a midweek matchup, which featured the Crimson Tide pulling out a 10-6 win in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
“It’s unbelievable and the best feeling ever,” said Nick Monistere when describing what it was like playing in the 2023 Hattiesburg Super Regional. “The crowd packs it out for every single game. We had a rain delay in Game 1, and (the crowd) never wavered and stayed the whole time. It’s unbelievable. I played in the Super here, but I’m excited to see the regional crowd since there will be a lot more games than a Super would be. It’s going to be electric.”
Along with Southern Miss, instate rival Ole Miss is also hosting a regional, which marks the first time that both teams have done so since 2017.
“I think it’s well documented the love of baseball in this state and how good the baseball is in this state from high school all the way up to Division I and in between,” Ostrander said.
Ole Miss looks like they are hotter than a firecracker, and we have seen that before. I’m proud for them, and I’m proud for us, but I’m proud for this state. I think it speaks volumes of the baseball that is being played in the state of Mississippi.”
The regionals will be played from May 30 to June 2, and the Super Regionals will be held from June 6 to 9.
Southern Miss is the No. 16 overall seed and paired with the Nashville Regional. Wright State, East Tennessee State, and Louisville join the host team, Vanderbilt.
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