Believe it or not, Southern Miss has yet to win a regular-season Sun Belt Conference baseball championship since joining the league in the fall of 2021.
The Golden Eagles have come close. They finished as the runner-up in three straight seasons — behind Coastal Carolina in 2023, Louisiana in 2024 and Coastal Carolina again in 2025. During that stretch, Southern Miss has proven itself in the postseason, winning the Sun Belt Tournament championship in 2023 and 2024 before falling in the title game last season.
Still, the regular-season crown — and the accompanying No. 1 seed in the conference tournament — remains a goal head coach Christian Ostrander and his program want to achieve.
In 2026, that path appears more complicated, not because of roster makeup or performance, but because of how the conference schedule fell.
Southern Miss, Troy and Coastal Carolina enter the spring as the Sun Belt’s three most consistent programs. However, only two of them will meet on the field. Coastal Carolina does not play either Southern Miss or Troy during conference play, while Southern Miss and Troy face each other in a three-game series in Hattiesburg.
The absence of those matchups could carry meaningful implications in a league that determines its regular-season champion strictly by standings and conference winning percentage.
Based on 2025 results, Troy appears to face the most demanding conference schedule of the three, followed by Southern Miss, while Coastal Carolina draws the lightest slate.
Using opponents’ 2025 overall winning percentages, Troy’s conference schedule carries an average opponent winning percentage of approximately .489. Southern Miss follows at roughly .454, while Coastal Carolina’s opponents combine for an average winning percentage of about .451.
While the gap between Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina is narrow, the distribution of opponents — and who is absent — remains notable.
Southern Miss’ 2026 schedule includes series against Troy, Louisiana, Texas State and South Alabama, along with road trips to Arkansas State, Old Dominion, Louisiana and James Madison. Troy’s slate includes Southern Miss, Louisiana and road series at Texas State and Marshall.
Coastal Carolina’s schedule avoids both Southern Miss and Troy entirely. The Chanticleers’ toughest test on paper comes with a road series at Louisiana, while also drawing James Madison, Georgia State and Old Dominion at home.
None of this guarantees an advantage in the standings, but it does remove the opportunity to settle matters head-to-head.
If Southern Miss or Troy were to match Coastal Carolina in conference wins, the lack of a direct series eliminates the most straightforward tiebreaker. Instead, the regular-season championship could hinge on secondary criteria such as opponents’ winning percentage — a measure influenced heavily by schedule construction.
That dynamic also places added pressure on Southern Miss and Troy. The two will spend a weekend directly handing out conference losses to one another, while Coastal Carolina is insulated from that exchange by avoiding both teams.
Unbalanced scheduling is not unique to 2026, nor is it the fault of any individual program. With 14 teams and no divisions, Sun Belt baseball scheduling requires tradeoffs.
Still, the structure continues to raise questions about competitive equity in determining a regular-season champion.
Last season, Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina were separated by just two games in the final standings. Without a head-to-head series, Southern Miss had no opportunity to directly claim the title.
In 2026, both Southern Miss and Troy will face that same reality. Whether it ultimately impacts the championship race will be decided on the field — and on the schedule.
Conference Schedules for all three teams -
Coastal Carolina 2026 Conference Schedule (2025 record)
March 13-15 @ App State (23-31, 13-17)
March 20-22 vs JMU (17-38, 10-20)
March 27-29 @Marshall (33-26, 16-14)
April 2-4 vs South Alabama (23-28, 12-18)
April 10-12 @Ark State (26-28, 14-16)
April 17-19 vs Georgia St. (26-30, 11-19)
April 24 vs Texas St. (27-31, 14-16)
May 1-3 @ Georgia Southern (28-31, 13-17)
May 8-10 vs Old Dominion (22-31, 15-15)
May 14-16 @Louisiana (27-31, 16-14)
Southern Miss 2026 Conference Schedule (2025 Record)
March 13-15 @Ark State (26-28, 14-16)
March 20-22 vs Troy (39-21, 18-12)
March 27-29 vs App State (23-31, 13-17)
April 2-4 @ Old Dominion (22-31, 15-15)
April 10-12 @Louisiana (27-31, 16-14)
April 17-19 vs Texas St. (27-31, 14-16)
April 24-26 @ South Alabama (23-28, 12-18)
May 1-3 vs ULM (22-33, 8-22)
May 8-10 @ JMU (17-38, 10-20)
May 14-16 vs Georgia Southern (28-31, 13-17)
Troy 2026 Conference Schedule (2025 Record)
March 13-15 vs Old Dominion (22-31, 15-15)
March 20-22 @Southern Miss (47-16, 24-6)
March 27-29 @ Georgia Southern (28-31, 13-17)
April 2-4 vs Ark State (26-28, 14-16)
April 10-12 @ Texas St. (27-31, 14-16)
April 17-19 vs Louisiana (27-31, 16-14)
April 24-26 @Marshall (33-26, 16-14)
May 1-3 vs App State (23-31, 13-17)
May 8-10 vs South Alabama (23-28, 12-18)
May 14-16 @ ULM (22-33, 8-22)
