Exclusive: Why Right Field at Southern Miss is Different, and Who's Up Next

The Southern Miss baseball program had to say goodbye to a legend in right field last season, but the hope is that a suitable replacement is ready to step up.

Southern Miss outfielder Ben Higdon celebrates with his teammates after hitting a home run at Pete Taylor Park. / @SouthernMissBSB

HATTIESBURG, Miss – The Southern Miss baseball program had to say goodbye to legendary slugger and right fielder Carson Paetow last season. During his four seasons as a Golden Eagle, Paetow finished with 47 home runs and 194 RBIs, which put him in fifth place on both the Southern Miss all-time home runs and RBI lists. That included his final at-bat in his final game at Pete Taylor Park in a 5-4 loss to Miami in the Hattiesburg Regional, as he sent a ball over the fence and heard the train horn sound off one last time. Despite the loss, it was a fitting final moment for No. 37 that gave Golden Eagles fans chills.

For the first time in four years, there will be a new Southern Miss player in right field at The Pete. According to third-year head coach Christian Ostrander, redshirt senior Ben Higdon is expected to assume that role. A player must have a certain skill set to play in the outfield, but at Southern Miss, playing right field is just different, because you need a special personality to go along with the talent.

Southern Miss outfielder Carson Paetow (37) makes the catch for an out during a NCAA baseball super regional game between Tennessee and Southern Mississippi held at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, June 10, 2023. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

 "I think it's unique. I think it's a neat thing," Coach Oz told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI about the right field position. "I can tell you right now that Ben Higdon, he wants that spot, and I fully expect him to go earn that. He's still got work to do. We've got a great outfield core, and we've got good competition. I can remember us talking about it, you know, jokingly, but seriously as well, that, 'you want that role, don't you?' Because it's more than just going and playing good defense in right field. … You are (connecting with the fan base)."

Over the last four years, you'd always see Paetow, or "Tuna," as fans affectionately called him, interacting with the fans in The Roost and the 16 oz. Lounge. He'd throw the ball back and forth over the right field fence with kids before an inning would start. Every now and then, play would have to be stopped because those same kids had their own baseball game going on in The Roost, and a baseball would find its way onto the field. Paetow never minded that, though. In fact, he cherished those moments, and he thinks Higdon will too.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles' Ben Higdon (7) swings during the game against the Ole Mississippi Rebels at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. / Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Obviously, Ben Higdon's a good baseball player. I think anybody on that roster right now could play right field, but in terms of it being as special of a spot as it is, the fans definitely want interaction," Paetow told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. "They love when the players interact with them, and I, maybe sometimes more than I should have, I focused on interacting with the fans during the game. I think they enjoyed that.

"So I think Hig has a good personality to fill that right-field position. I think (the fans out there) are going to love him. He loves some good chirps and loves jokes. He loves interaction. Like I said, it really is a special spot out there. A lot of fun memories (for me) out there."

There's one right field tradition that is expected to continue in Paetow's absence, but it will need a new name. Over the last four years, every single time Paetow would hit a home run, he was greeted by one fan in particular in the 16 oz. Lounge, who would take off his shirt and swirl it in the air when No. 37 ran back out to right field the following inning. This regular occurrence was hilariously coined as "Tits Out For Tuna." Paetow has an idea of what it should be called going forward.

Fans in the 16 oz. Lounge and The Roost watch the action during a 2025 NCAA Hattiesburg Regional game between the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and the Columbia Lions at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on May 30, 2025. / Matt Bush/Special to USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"You also got the 16 oz. Lounge, and I know you've mentioned it to me before, but you got (Golden Eagle fan) Michael McCarty out there who loves taking his clothes off when the right fielder hits a home run. That's always a good sight when you gotta dude taking a shirt off and swinging it in the air," Paetow said.

Although Paetow says he hopes McCarty continues taking his shirt off for Higdon home runs, he knows a new and perhaps more tame name is needed now.

"This sounds corny, but there was an inside joke that we had on the team last year. Jace Norton kind of brought it to the team. I don't even know why we would do it, but you'd take your hat off and shake it. It sounds corny, but 'Hats Off For Hig' ... that could work. You know, if he hits a homer, everybody in The Roost, in the 16 oz. Lounge, take their hat off, and shake it in front of him. I think he would absolutely eat that up. And I'm sure the dugout would even get into it, kind of make it a (new thing).

"So it's always fun stuff. That's just part of what makes right field special. You know, you got all kinds of crazy traditions. You got little kids bikes that grown men are riding down the hill down there and all kinds of stuff. I think Hig will fill that role very well, along with his talent. Obviously, he's a good baseball player as well. He's going to put up some good numbers."

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥?#EverythingMatters | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/k5mEflsZzu

— Southern Miss Baseball (@SouthernMissBSB) June 1, 2025

Higdon played in 52 games for Southern Miss last season and started in 39 of them. When he started, he played left field in 22 games and served as the designated hitter in the other 17. He finished the year with seven home runs, nine doubles, and 22 RBIs while batting .323. Southern Miss is expecting big things from Higdon this season. He has big shoes to fill, in more ways than one, but all signs point to him being ready to take on his new role.

"You're warming up with (the kids in The Roost) over the fence, or you get to warm up with your guys in between innings," Coach Oz said about playing right field at Southern Miss. "It's the recognition of The Roost). It's just kinda showing appreciation to the 16 oz. Lounge, to The Roost ... all that stuff. So, yeah, I think it's a very unique spot to play here at The Pete."

The Golden Eagles will officially start their highly-anticipated 2026 season on Friday, Feb. 13, as they welcome UC Santa Barbara to The Pete for Opening Weekend. It will be a good, but also bittersweet feeling for Southern Miss fans when their new right fielder trots on for the first time.

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