Week 2 Baseball Preview: Southern Miss
After making its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament and hosting a regional for just the fifth time in school history, expectations were high in Hattiesburg, Mississippi — especially after D1Baseball ranked Southern Miss No. 20 in its preseason Top 25 poll.
Opening weekend saw the Golden Eagles face UC Santa Barbara for the first time. The Gauchos, who went 36-18 in the Big West last season but missed the postseason, caught Southern Miss off guard in Friday’s opener.
Noah Karliner delivered a two-run RBI single in the fourth inning to give UCSB a 3-0 lead. Kyle Morrison’s home run in the 8th put the Golden Eagles on the board before a two-run home run in the top of the 9th gave UCSB the victory.
Southern Miss rebounded to take the final two games of the series, winning 8-6 on Saturday and 6-5 on Sunday. The Golden Eagles rallied from a 6-2 deficit in the fourth inning Saturday, highlighted by Joey Urban’s two-run homer in the eighth. On Sunday, Matthew Russo drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning for the walk-off victory.
Despite the 2-1 start, D1Baseball kept Southern Miss at No. 20 in its rankings.
The Golden Eagles earned their third straight win on the road against Southeastern Louisiana, last season’s Southland Conference regular-season champion. Tied entering the ninth inning, Urban and Russo delivered RBI singles to secure a 3-1 victory.
Run it back on the Gillespie homer to left center#OTR | #ETM | #SMTTT https://t.co/Dy99BiGICv pic.twitter.com/TGlmY0HlbM
— Southern Miss Baseball (@SouthernMissBSB) February 18, 2026
This week, Southern Miss travels to Round Rock, Texas to compete in the Round Rock Classic, a three-day event featuring two power-conference opponents and a nationally ranked team.
Southern Miss vs Purdue
This marks the first meeting between the programs since 2019, when Southern Miss swept Purdue to open the season.
The Boilermakers, led by seventh-year coach Greg Goff, have struggled for sustained success. The program has not posted more than three consecutive winning seasons since 1984-87 and is 2-6 all time in NCAA Tournament play, with its most recent appearance in 2018.
Purdue is playing its first 11 games on the road, opening with a two-week sing through Texas. Like Southern Miss, the Boilermakers dropped their opener before winning two straight against Portland.
CJ Richmond leads Purdue offensively after going 5-of-9 against Portland with a home run and a double. None of Purdue’s starting pitchers factored into the decision in the opening series, though all three held opponents under .250. Jarvis Evans allowed three home runs.
First Pitch: Friday, Feb. 20, 2 p.m. CST
TV: D1Baseball.com
Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network (Southern Miss)
Southern Miss vs Oregon State
Saturday’s matchup marks the first meeting between the programs. The Beavers, competing in their final season as an independent before the reformed Pac-12 resumes play next year, having reached the NCAA Tournament in eight consecutive seasons and are coming off a trip to Omaha.
Oregon State rebounded from an opening-day loss to Saint Mary’s to win its regional before being pushed to a third game by Florida State in the super regional. After a 4-3 win over Louisville in Omaha, the Beavers fell to Coastal Carolina and Louisville to conclude their 2025 season.
The Beavers opened this season at the College Baseball Series in Surprise, Arizona. They dropped the opener to Michigan, 5-3, after allowing four unanswered runs. On Saturday, Oregon State scored five runs in the seventh inning — including a two-RBI extra-base hit by Jacob Galloway — in a comeback win.
Josh Proctor delivered a walk-off single Sunday in a 3-2 win over Stanford. On Monday, Bryce Hubbard hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to defeat Michigan 5-4.
Galloway leads the Beavers with a .500 batting average and three doubles. Reliever Jack Giordano has made two appearance, earning a win without allowing an earned run in two innings.
First Pitch: Saturday, Feb. 21, 5 p.m. CST
TV: D1Baseball.com
Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network (Southern Miss)
Southern Miss vs Baylor
Sunday’s game marks the first meeting between the programs since the 2003 NCAA Tournament. Baylor won 3-2 before falling to LSU in the super regional round. The Bears have won three of the four all-time meetings, with Southern Miss’ lone victory coming in 1997, a 16-7 road win.
Baylor opened the season at home by sweeping New Mexico State and defeated Texas State. The Bears outscored opponents 41-11 and have not trailed this season.
Tyce Armstrong has 15 RBIs — among the national leaders — highlighted by three home runs. Lucas Davenport was the only Baylor starter to earn a win during the opening weekend, allowing no hits over 4 2/3 innings.
First Pitch: Sunday, Feb. 22, 3 p.m. CST
TV: D1Baseball.com
Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network (Southern Miss)
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