They say as you get older that time flies faster – I’m starting to think that’s true.
However, that partly may be due to the fact that the Hattiesburg area has team winnings in nearly every sport, and therefore, I’m running around like crazy.
For context, 2024 featured our area high school teams playing for or winning state titles in track, softball, baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and football, not to mention the high level of baseball that Jones College, Pearl River CC, William Carey, and Southern Miss also seem to play.
Moving on to 2025, last year, I wrote a column trying to predict what will happen in the sports world, and against my better judgment, I decided to do it again. As I pointed out last year, my predictions are usually wrong, but I will say I got more right last year than I’d like to admit.
JANUARY: The College Football playoffs continued to be a disappointment. Lane Kiffin continues to Tweet (or X?) about how terrible the playoff system is, leaving the college football world in anger. The Pine Belt Sports baseball magazine gets painfully finished, and it again leaves me aging significantly. Both Southern Miss basketball teams continue to struggle in the conference, with the men’s team having more luck as they get to .500. The presidential inauguration is overshadowed in Hattiesburg after Southern Miss’ newly hired football coach Charles Huff continues to land several high-profile players from the transfer portal. Strangely, Make Southern Miss Football Great Again begins to trend on Twitter.
FEBRUARY: As usual, February stays the busiest month of the year. Football fans insufferably have to watch more cutaways to Taylor Swift during the Super Bowl as the Chiefs win it again. On the local soccer fields, the Sumrall girls again roll through the playoffs and repeat as state champions. Unfortunately, head coach Todd Siders’ fun is short lived after being unable to carry that momentum over to the softball field. The Golden Eagle baseball team endures a brutal non-conference schedule that leaves USM just two games above .500. However, the wise fans on Eaglepost urge for Christian Ostrander to be fired, with half of the fan base pushing for former Golden Eagle great Danny Lynch to be head coach in order to have a young face. Another faction pushes for an outsider to take over the program to ignite a new history. Southern Miss softball opens its home schedule with a win over Ole Miss, signaling a promising year. On the basketball courts, PCS, Hattiesburg, Forrest County AHS and Lumberton all do their thing in the postseason, with each program getting respectively hot. This time, Hattiesburg gets back to the Big House but falls short in the semifinals.
MARCH: Southern Miss fans urge for either Jay Ladner or Joye Lee-McNelis to be fired. The Eaglepost faithful admit they don’t care who, but Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain is forced to issue a statement on Twitter, ‘You already got your one this school year.’ Both teams get hot in the Sun Belt tournament, but each fall short in the semifinals. Across town, William Carey has much better luck on the hardwood as the Carey women go undefeated in conference play and win the SSAC tournament while the men also win the SSAC title. On the baseball field, rivals Purvis and Sumrall split their rivalry series. Purvis Jacob Parker hits a go-ahead homer at Sumrall, while Drew Davis hits the go-ahead at Purvis. Fans on both sides begin a memorable month of trash talk as the two teams look to collide for a third year in a row in South State.
APRIL: High school baseball features no shortage of special matchups. Oak Grove and Petal return to their high caliber themselves, while Sacred Heart, PCS and Hattiesburg baseball all begin to heat up in district play. On the softball field, Purvis softball has established an argument to be the best team in the state as they find themselves on a collision course rematch against West Lauderdale.
MAY: Sumrall and Purvis duke it out again in the South State Championship. The crowds become so oversized that the two schools are forced to play Game 3 at Pete Taylor Park, setting a state record for attendance at a high school game. Purvis pulls it out after Jojo and Jacob Parker hit a big-league homer in the college stadium. Oak Grove heats up in the postseason and reaches South State but falls short in Game 3 against Northwest Rankin. PCS avenges last year and defeats Jackson Prep for a state championship to officially end its time in the MAIS. Purvis softball rolls through the playoffs but loses its first game against West Lauderdale in the state championship, but the Lady Tornadoes win the next two games to win their first softball title. One week later, Purvis baseball does the same, and the city shuts down for a week to celebrate accordingly. Both William Carey baseball and softball teams host regionals again, but this time, the softball team punches a ticket to the World Series. Southern Miss baseball hosts Louisiana, but after Huff throws a ceremonial first pitch, the Golden Eagles sweep Louisiana with ease outscoring the Cajuns 31-3 over the weekend. Ostrander restores faith as Southern Miss maintains the Golden Eagles’ yearly win streak heading into the postseason. Southern Miss goes on to again win the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
JUNE: With Southern Miss’ AD now on the NCAA baseball committee the Golden Eagles host a regional with familiar foes of Mississippi State and Tulane both being featured in it, but USM finds itself paired with the Knoxville Regional. After hours of weather delays, Southern Miss beats MSU in a winner-take-all to advance to a Super Regional. With arguments over Applebees again looming, Tennessee gets upset in its own regional against a red-hot NC State team that also keeps the Golden Eagles out of the World Series.
JULY: Another needed vacation is taken by this sportswriter.
AUGUST: The Pine Belt Sports Football Magazine gets produced again. After countless days and hours, I find myself wishing I could make NIL money as a sportswriter. Southern Miss fall camp gets started with fans having renewed hope for the season. The high school football season feels different without Tony Vance and Shannon White on the sidelines, but the area's talent shows signs of multiple winning teams.
SEPTEMBER: The Golden Eagles open their football season with an upset win over Mississippi State, which sets up Jeff Lebby’s firing. However, the Golden Eagles lose their final two games of non-conference play against Louisiana Tech and Jacksonville State, leaving Eagleposters to erupt in anger yet again.
OCTOBER: The Purvis volleyball team picks up where it left off and reaches the state championship for a third straight year. Unfortunately, this time the program falls short in the title game.
NOVEMBER: Huff keeps Southern Miss in the mix for a Sun Belt title, but the Golden Eagles obtain bowl legibility. Oak Grove and Brandon battle it out for a South State championship, but the Warriors come up one play short. PCS and Lumberton notably enjoy deep playoff runs.
DECEMBER: Southern Miss wins its first bowl game since 2022 after the Golden Eagles finish 9-4. Marshall fans begin to advocate for Huff to take the Georgia State job opening, but this time he stays put.
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