As if there wasn’t enough hoopla surrounding the Southern Mississippi Baseball program, trying to follow in the footsteps of Mississippi State and Ole Miss by winning a National Championship. Southern Mississippi would be playing the 2023 postseason for their Head Coach as Scott Berry announced after fourteen seasons that he would be stepping down as the headman of Southern Mississippi Baseball. Plus, the Golden Eagles head into the 2023 NCAA Tournament as an underdog, with the NCAA Baseball selection committee deciding to seed the Golden Eagles as a two-seed sending them to play in the Auburn Regional.

Many would say Southern Miss has a three-headed monster or the perfect storm for success in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Southern Miss comes into the 2023 NCAA Tournament winners of 41 games, Sun Belt Champions, and arguably one of the best baseball teams in the country.

The problem for Southern Miss was the RPI; for whatever reason, the selection committee put a lot of stock in the RPI in the selections of Regionals. However, the RPI fails to show a team that has gotten better over the season, and with that comes chatter that Southern Miss could be the dark horse to reach the 2023 College World Series in Omaha.

Southern Miss will open their NCAA Tournament Regional on Friday when they Samford. Samford comes into the NCAA Tournament winners of the SOCO Championships. Listed as the 62nd team in the NCAA Tournament, Southern Miss will likely have a cakewalk in the first game of the 2023 Auburn Regional. In the second round of the Auburn Regional, Southern Miss will have a date with the Auburn Tigers. An Auburn team that has a lot of talent with the potential to reach Omaha but lacks the consistency needed to feel confident in the chances. Auburn lost two out of three games in Hoover but is the same team that took two games out of three against LSU a few weeks ago. On paper, it would seem that Southern Miss would have the advantage over Auburn, but the matchups would be at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Alabama, in front of a sold-out home crowd for the Tigers.

However, Southern Miss will come into the 2023 NCAA Tournament as an underdog, the perfect place for an underrated program like the Golden Eagles to sneak up on some teams and earn a trip to the 2023 College World Series. Southern Miss also understands what’s at stake in the 2023 NCAA Tournament as they try to carry on the legacy of Mississippi State and Ole Miss as the third baseball program out of Mississippi to win a National Championship in three years. Southern Miss understands that when they step on that diamond on Friday against Samford, the Golden Eagles will have the entire state of Mississippi behind them as one state. In many circles, Southern Miss Baseball will provide common ground for the fans of Mississippi State and Ole Miss to come together as one state to cheer for another crowning of a National Champion.

Southern Miss will begin their 2023 NCAA Tournament run to the College World Series on Friday in Auburn Regional against Samford. Southern Miss and Samford can be viewed on ESPN PLUS starting at 1:00.

( Brought to you by Cotton States Baseball League)