He doesn’t hesitate when the question comes up.
Why come back?
“Why would you not come back?” Colby Allen replied, almost matter-of-factly. “I had a good feeling in my gut that that’s probably what I should do. And man, it was the right choice, without a doubt. I love it here, so why wouldn’t I want to come back?”
That answer was simple, instinctive and unpolished. It screamed a player who loves Southern Miss and who just wanted one more opportunity to take the mound at Pete Taylor Park in front of a roaring crowd of 5,000 and stare down a hitter from 60 feet and compete.
In an era where college baseball decisions are often transactional, Allen’s choice to return for his final season at Southern Miss was driven less by leverage and more by belief. Belief in himself. Belief in the program. And despite all of his accolades, belief that there was still something meaningful left to finish.
Allen could have gone another direction. Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander doesn’t shy away from that reality. Allen had professional interest last year and legitimate opportunities to sign.
“He could have taken that opportunity,” Ostrander said. “Seventh round, eighth round, whatever. That situation was real. But it takes the right young man — someone who understands the value of another year, what another opportunity means.”
Allen understood it, but decided to come back.
Now, as Southern Miss opens the 2026 season Friday, Allen steps into a role that feels less like a transition and more like a culmination. After four years in the program — and after establishing himself as one of the most dependable arms in the country out of the bullpen — Allen is expected to move into the starting rotation, most notably in the Friday night spot.
It is the role that carries the weight of the program. The role passed down, year after year, draft pick after draft pick, to the arm trusted to set the tone.
Following names like Tanner Hall, Billy Oldham and JB Middleton is no easy task.
But Allen, a Southern Miss guy through and through, has spent three seasons earning that trust. No one in the dugout doubts he is ready for it. The expectation that comes with it isn’t new — it’s something he’s been moving toward since the day he arrived.
Even thinking about that first moment on the mound sends a jolt through him.
“I get chills thinking about it,” Allen said. “I’ve been watching that moment over in my head 24/7 for probably the past two or three months. Visualizing everything. Yeah, I get chills thinking about it.”
Ostrander shared that same sentiment.
“I told him, I said, ‘Man, if you come back, this fan base is going to know it,’” Ostrander said. “‘They’re going to embrace it. They’re going to put you up, and that’s going to be real special when you hit the mound for the first time.’ It gives me chills thinking about that moment. I don’t know if that kind of stuff happens everywhere, but I’m certainly glad it happened here and with him.”
The transition from reliever to starter wasn’t seamless for Allen. Instead of worrying about throwing the best 20 or so pitches he had, he had to condition his body to work seven or eight innings.
“I kind of struggled with it a little bit in the fall,” Allen said. “You’re trying to figure out, ‘OK, I’ve got to get four innings or so,’ instead of thinking, ‘This pitch better be perfect.’ Once I figured that out, that was a big step for me.”
Physically, the role change has been liberating. As a reliever, Allen’s season was a blur of constant readiness — Tuesdays, Fridays, Sundays — never quite knowing when his number would be called. Now, the routine is fixed.
“I’m like a robot,” he said with a laugh. “Same thing every week. Same days. It’s a lot easier on my body.”
Allen was an ideal candidate for refinement under first-year pitching coach Gunner Leger, whose analytical eye has helped unlock another layer of Allen’s arsenal.
From Leger’s perspective, Allen’s dominance out of the bullpen was never in question. What intrigued him was how a small adjustment could raise Allen’s ceiling even higher.
Adding a third pitch — a changeup.
“He’s been elite in every aspect of what he’s done,” Leger said. “Doing it with two pitches. That slider is so elite it’s hard for guys to get inside the ball. A lot of times that’s just a grip thing.”
Leger worked with Allen early on to refine a changeup grip — a variation of a split or Vulcan change — allowing him to stay through the baseball without forcing movement. The adjustment was simple, but the impact was immediate.
“We talked about it over the first couple weeks, and he ran with it,” Leger said. “It keeps getting better and better. Even this week, it looked better than when he left in the fall.”
Allen’s leadership in the locker room embodies his role as the team’s ace. His approach on the mound carries over into how he leads.
He simplifies the game, especially for a pitching staff that blends veteran experience with an influx of talented freshmen.
“Throw strikes,” Allen said. “Let hitters hit. Honestly, that’s the way to pitch.”
He encourages younger arms to trust their stuff — and, just as importantly, to trust who they are.
“If you try to be somebody else, it’s not going to work,” Allen said. “That’s kind of being a fraud. Let them be themselves.”
It’s advice shaped by experience. Allen has lived every role imaginable in a Southern Miss uniform — from a freshman finding his footing, to a sophomore becoming indispensable, to a junior entrusted with closing games on the biggest stages.
Last season, he emerged as one of the nation’s premier relief arms, earning All-America and all-conference honors while leading the Sun Belt in saves and appearances.
Still, the accolades aren’t what define him.
What matters more is what his return represents.
“This program created an environment where he felt strong enough to say, ‘I want to come back and finish something,’” Ostrander said. “That doesn’t happen everywhere.”
Allen feels it. He senses the weight of expectation — and welcomes it.
When asked why this Southern Miss team feels different, his answer is immediate.
“We’re old,” he said, smiling. “We’ve got experience everywhere.”
For Allen, coming back wasn’t about proving anything else. It was about trusting a feeling — one that has guided him every step of his career.
Why come back?
Why not?
