Henry Abt Living Out Southern Miss Dream With Freshman Class Built to Win Now

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Henry Abt already knew plenty of faces around him when he arrived at Southern Miss, whether it was a former high school teammate, players he'd competed against or alongside for years throughout Mississippi's high school and travel-ball circles, or coaches he'd already started building relationships with. Well before his arrival, though, Hattiesburg was a destination Abt long envisioned for himself.

The former Hartfield Academy standout grew up roughly 90 miles away from Hattiesburg, watched the Golden Eagles build one of college baseball's most consistently successful programs and developed an attachment to the school before becoming one of its prized signees.

Now, the 2026 Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen selection and former Top-500 MLB Draft prospect is getting the opportunity to live out something he always dreamed of: putting on a Southern Miss baseball uniform. With his freshman year on deck, Abt spoke with Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI about why he chose the Golden Eagles, his early impressions of the roster, and why he believes something special could be brewing in Baseburg.

Living Out a Childhood Dream at Southern Miss

USM, Baseball, Crowd — Pete Taylor Park: Beloved home of the Golden Eagles and one of the more unique venues in college baseball. | Josh House

"Southern Miss has always been my dream school," Abt said when asked about why he chose the Golden Eagles. "What set them apart from other schools was their coaching, fan base, culture, development, and their historic success as a program. That's what caught my attention when I was younger. And only living an hour and 20 minutes away is pretty cool too. My dad actually went there for a year when he was in college."

In addition to the familiarity Abt already had with Southern Miss before becoming one of the program's biggest freshman additions, he had also developed relationships with the Golden Eagles' coaching staff during his recruiting process, which only strengthened his connection to the program.

Southern Miss Baseball — A shot taken during an NCAA Baseball Regional game between Southern Miss and Little Rock at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"My relationship with the coaches is already pretty good," Abt said. "I've known Ladd [Rhodes] for about a year now, and before I stepped on campus, I already liked him a lot. Knew he was a good coach, a good guy. And he's always cared about me ever since I was just a commit in high school. And I've known Coach Cheese [Kyle Cheesebrough] for a while now, since I was a freshman in high school. That's when I first met him. So there's been a connection there too.

"And obviously, Coach Oz [head coach Christian Ostrander], very strong connection with him. I love the way he runs the program and treats the players. They're all very honest."

A Freshman Class That Already Knows How to Play Together

Southern Miss Baseball, Henry Abt — Henry Abt makes a throw from center field during his time with Hartfield Academy. | Photo provided by Henry Abt

Transitioning from high school to Division I college baseball, Abt has already been impressed by the number of high-level players around him.

"So far, the transition into Southern Miss and Division 1 has been awesome," Abt said. "My teammates all have the same goal as me and have great passion for the game. The level of play has been surprising to me because everyone is elite and can perform at the highest level."

In what should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the program and its culture closely over the years, the chemistry on this year's roster is already building, which is a credit to upperclassmen for setting the tone. Earlier this week, for example, those upperclassmen were on campus to help the freshmen move into their dorms.

Southern Miss Baseball, Tucker Stockman — Southern Miss senior catcher Tucker Stockman helps his freshmen teammates move into their dorms as fall classes await. | Southern Miss Athletics

"The chemistry here is already very strong," Abt said. "The upperclassmen are great leaders, and that allows for the team to grow together as a whole. Everyone pushes each other to become better, and it truly is a huge family. Even though our team comes from different areas, we all have the same goal: to get better and win."

“A lot of the guys in our freshman class, we've known each other for years now, whether that's been through travel ball, school ball. We've just known each other for a long time," Abt said.

"Me and Taylor [Latham], we both went to Hartfield Academy. We played high school for three years together, and we've known each other for longer than three years. Shaun [Cover] and London [Stewart] both went to the same high school [Conway HS in Arkansas] as well. You don't really see two groups of [teammates] from different high schools come to the same college. … I think that's awesome. So there's already a lot of chemistry right there."

Southern Miss Baseball, Henry Abt, Taylor Latham — Southern Miss freshmen Taylor Latham (#12) and Henry Abt (#6) already have built-in chemistry from their time playing together at Hartfield Academy. | Photo provided by Henry Abt

Between travel ball and high school ball, Abt and several of his freshman teammates came to Southern Miss with relationships that had already been built over the years. It's a familiarity he believes could give the group an early advantage when it comes to chemistry and trust.

"Then when you add in the travel ball, the school ball, all the guys, there's a section in Rankin County where we have four guys in the same area, and we play against each other, we play with each other at times, and we've known each other for a while, so we've just grown up around each other. And we already had a connection when we came down here," Abt said.

“I think that's very important for our chemistry, because it's going to allow us to build and grow off how we know we can make each other better. We know each other's personalities better. We know how to handle situations, and in tough spots in games, we know we can trust our other teammates around us, because we know how they play the game and what they're capable of."

What Henry Abt Plans to Bring to The Pete

During his senior year at Hartfield Academy, Abt showed just how versatile a player he can be. In 35 games, he posted a .472 batting average with 51 hits, 25 RBI, five doubles, two triples and six home runs. He also stole 27 bases and posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage from center field. Abt believes his intensity and passion for the game will be what fans notice immediately.

"When the Eagle fan base watches me play, I believe the way I play with intensity and the passion I have will stand out the most," Abt said. "Whether that’s stealing bases, my approach to having great at-bats, or going all out for balls in the outfield. I feel like my best asset is my speed and two-strike approach in my at-bats. ... Fans should know that I’m a team-first guy. I get after it every time I step on the field and hustle."

And as far as what a successful first year at Southern Miss would look like for him? Abt says he's just looking to compete, get better every day, and get as much experience as he possibly can.

"A successful year for me this year would look like getting better every day," Abt said. "Also, me getting as much experience [as I can] at this level is my No. 1 priority. I want to contribute right away and help this team win."

Southern Miss has a rich history of producing star outfielders, as the program has seen six of its outfielders get drafted over the last eight years: Joey Urban (2026), Jake Cook (2025), Dalton McIntyre (2024), Matthew Etzel (2023), Reed Trimble (2021) and Matt Wallner (2019).

Abt, who was already a top-500 draft prospect before setting foot on campus, could very well be the next one in line if he continues developing the way the Golden Eagles coaching staff believes he can. There will be plenty of competition between now and when the season begins, but don't be surprised if the talented freshman ends up in center field on opening weekend.

A First Taste Against Mississippi State

Although we are essentially still six months away from college baseball season getting underway, Golden Eagle fans will be getting an early look at this year's team on Oct. 10, as Southern Miss will take on Mississippi State in a fall exhibition game during the Hancock Whitney Classic in Biloxi.

"Everyone is very excited to put on the jersey for the first time this upcoming fall, whether it’s a scrimmage or an exhibition game, to show how the success of USM baseball will continue to skyrocket," Abt said. "We're also excited that our first game will be against a state rival."

That exhibition game may not count in the official scorebook, but for Southern Miss, you couldn't ask for a much better college baseball initiation for these newcomers than playing an in-state rival that is considered by many to be an Omaha favorite in 2027.

Embracing High Expectations

Sometimes, offseason hype can feel like hyperbole. When it comes to Southern Miss baseball, though, the hype is much more than just wishful thinking, especially this year. Top to bottom, this is truly one of the deepest and most talented rosters the program has ever had, and Abt and everybody else within the program know it.

"I believe this team has what it takes to make it to Omaha and win it," Abt said. "The skill level of our group this year is incredible. When our very talented freshmen class, portal additions, and returners combine to compete at the highest level, it will be amazing to watch."

That's an ambitious standard for any team in August, much less for a freshman who hasn't officially played his first college inning. But Abt has the talent and potential to back it up, and his confidence shows that Southern Miss' newcomers didn't come to Hattiesburg simply hoping to become part of the program's recent success. They came to help push it even further.

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