Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI

Gillespie, Harris Lead No. 7 Southern Miss to First SBC Win of 2026 Campaign

The Golden Eagles flipped the script in Jonesboro to force a rubber match in week one of SBC play.

Charlie Lanehart

@SouthernMissBSB

HATTIESBURG, Miss - After dropping its first SBC game of the season, No. 7 Southern Miss responded in a big way with sophomore LHP Grayden Harris on the mound, securing a 7-1 victory over the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

This series had a lot of hype heading into the weekend, and so far, it has lived up to it. After a night in which nothing seemed to be going the Golden Eagles' way, the pitching staff all game, and then the bats in the ninth, put together a clinic in Jonesboro.

Gillespie Gets The Party Started

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Early in the game, the game plan was clear against the Red Wolves graduate LHP Jack Nelson: work the pitch counts early in the game. In another record-setting environment at Tomlinson Stadium, junior outfielder Davis Gillespie wasted no time getting the scoring started. In the top of the first inning, Gillespie put the Golden Eagles on the board by blasting a two-run home run over the right field wall to make it 2-0, USM.

As the game continued, Nelson started to figure out the Golden Eagle bats. After allowing the two-run bomb in the first inning, he settled down to leave Southern Miss scoreless from the second to the fifth inning.

Nelson started to get into a jam in the sixth inning, forcing Arkansas State coach Mike Silva to turn to senior RHP Brett Foss. After allowing a hit, Foss got three quick outs, but not before senior second baseman Kyle Morrison grounded into a double play that allowed another Golden Eagle to come home from third to score, making it 3-0, USM.

In the top of the eighth inning, Gillespie made another great play, but this time, it was in the outfield. With no outs, the Red Wolves hit a fly ball deep to left field near the third base line, and Gillespie made a SportsCenter Top-10 worthy diving catch at the line to get the first out of the inning.

Harris Carries Momentum Into Jonesboro

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Sophomore LHP Grayden Harris has put the college baseball world on notice in the early stages of this season. Coming into Saturday's game, Harris carried a 3.00 ERA and 30 strikeouts over his first four games. As expected, he continued his incredible start against the Red Wolves.

Harris didn't waste time getting ahead of counts. With his first-pitch strike approach, he forced the Red Wolves to adjust early in the game. His pitch count throughout the entire game remained in good condition. As many teams have, the Red Wolves struggled to see Harris' slider out of his hand.

In the fifth inning, Harris got into some trouble. After allowing a hit to freshman first baseman Derek Martinez and hitting senior third baseman Raul Torres with only one out, the Red Wolves were threatening. However, Harris responded by forcing a flyout to redshirt-senior right fielder Ben Higdon and a groundout to junior shortstop Seth Smith.

Harris pitched six scoreless innings, allowing six hits and zero walks, excluding the hit by pitch in the fifth inning. The sophomore southpaw will look to continue his dominant season next weekend in Hattiesburg against the Troy Trojans.

Eubanks Ignites A Spark

So far this season, Southern Miss has struggled to find production from their designated hitter slot in the lineup. On Friday, Southern Miss coach Christian Ostrander decided to give freshman infielder Gray Eubanks his second opportunity of the season after using him as a pinch hitter on Friday.

After pinch-hitting earlier in the game, Eubanks came up to bat again in the ninth inning in a huge spot. At a point in the game where any run could decide the game, Eubanks drove a ball right back up the middle that scored a run to extend USM's lead to 4-1. Could the freshman be the spark that Coach Oz has been searching for in that spot? It'll be interesting to monitor.

Along with Eubanks' RBI single, the Golden Eagles proceeded to blow the game wide open by putting up a four-spot in the top of the ninth inning, making it 7-1, USM. That score held, and the Golden Eagles tied the series.

SBC Opening Weekend Rubber Match

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On Sunday, the Golden Eagles seek their first SBC series win of 2026. Early on, both teams have proved that they will likely be serious contenders in the SBC tournament in Montgomery, Alabama, when that time comes. A series win for either of these teams could be the difference in potential conference tournament seeding while also improving their NCAA tournament resumes.

As expected, redshirt-sophomore McCarty English gets the nod for the Golden Eagles against graduate LHP Dylan Farley for the Red Wolves. Southern Miss announced Saturday afternoon that Sunday's first pitch against Arkansas State was moved up to noon due to expected rain in the area later in the day. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more baseball coverage on Sunday as the Eagles and Red Wolves wrap up their series.

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Charlie Lanehart
CHARLIE LANEHART

Sport Management Undergraduate at the University of Southern Mississippi. Writer covering Southern Miss athletics for Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI.