Midweek Madness: No. 10 Southern Miss Knocks Off No. 4 Mississippi State in Thriller

Fresh off soaring into the Top 10, the Golden Eagles kept their momentum going by taking down their No. 4-ranked in-state rivals.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles infielder Seth Smith (3) reacts with teammates after a home run against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on March 3, 2026. / Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – When it comes to the overall importance of college baseball games, weekend series will always hold more weight on teams' resumes than midweek games. However, every so often, a midweek game that just means a little more than most will pop up on the schedule. Tuesday night was one of those special instances, as No. 10 Southern Miss welcomed No. 4 Mississippi State to Pete Taylor Park for a Top-10 midweek showdown.

On a clear-skied night in the Hub City, with temperatures in the low-70s, in front of a rowdy, full-capacity crowd at The Pete, the Golden Eagles made yet another massive early-season statement by taking down the Bulldogs in an absolute thriller that went down to the wire, 7-6.

EAGS WWWWIIIIIIIIINNNNNN pic.twitter.com/9YoNnr0qIE

— Nasty Bunch & Beyond (@NastyBunchPod) March 4, 2026

With the win, Southern Miss improved to 11-1, running its win streak up to 11 games since falling to UC Santa Barbara in the season opener. Mississippi State fell to 11-2, now having lost two games in a row to Top-10 teams following an 11-0 start. Here's how it all went down.

Bombs Away for Barrett!

Southern Miss Golden Eagles infielder Drey Barrett (15) reacts after a home run against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on March 3, 2026. / Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Golden Eagles wasted no time jumping on the Bulldogs, as sophomore third baseman Drey Barrett absolutely crushed a three-run homer to center field in the bottom of the first inning to give Southern Miss an early 3-0 lead.

DREY BARRETT 450 FT FOR THE LEAD!

No. 9 Southern Miss up 3-0 on No. 3 Mississippi State.pic.twitter.com/k3ZZ6r8LAP

— The College Baseball Show (@CollegeBSBShow) March 4, 2026

The official distance announced on that homer was 450 feet, so it very well could still be lost out on the Longleaf Trace as we speak.

Train Horn Sounds for Seth Smith!

Southern Miss Golden Eagles infielder Seth Smith (3) reacts with teammates after a home run against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on March 3, 2026. / Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Southern Miss pushed its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning, thanks to a Mississippi State fielding error that scored senior outfielder Ben Higdon all the way from first base.

Then, in the bottom of the fourth inning, junior shortstop Seth Smith got the patrons of The Pete riled up by hitting a solo shot over the wall in left field. It was his first career home run, but he looked right at home saluting The Roost and the 16oz Lounge while rounding the bases with lights flashing and the train horn blaring.

FIRST CAREER BOMB UP CLOSE #OTR | #ETM | #SMTTT https://t.co/lXOfuglFLF pic.twitter.com/8s2o6hZMe5

— Southern Miss Baseball (@SouthernMissBSB) March 4, 2026

Although Smith's first career homer will be what's talked about most from his performance in this game, he also made several impressive infield plays, getting the ball to senior first baseman Matthew Russo for key outs throughout the night.

Coach Oz Flexes Freshmen Pitching Depth

Southern Miss Golden Eagles right-handed pitcher Kevin Landry Farr (28) reacts after an inning against the Mississippi State Bulldogsat Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on March 3, 2026. / Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So far this season, during these midweek games, Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander has taken a committee approach with his pitching rotation. It doesn't matter who is starting or how well a pitcher is performing in one frame, because chances are, another pitcher is coming into the game for the next inning.

Some of that approach is likely about keeping the opponent from getting comfortable throughout the game, but another part of it speaks to just how deep the Southern Miss bullpen is, especially when it comes to the talented freshmen on the roster.

Freshmen pitchers Dylan Causey, Kevin Farr and Bruce Littleton gave up just one hit and held Mississippi State scoreless through the first three innings. Teague Broadhead was one strike away from joining those three in that category in the top of the fifth inning, but a questionable call on what looked to be a strikeout of Bulldogs star Ace Reese led to a walk. Mississippi State took advantage of that moment by driving in three runs thanks to a double by Noah Sullivan and a single by Reed Stallman, cutting the Golden Eagles' lead to 5-3.

Eags Face Adversity in the Seventh, But Fight Back

Mississippi State Bulldogs utility player/right-handed pitcher Noah Sullivan (18) bats against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on March 3, 2026. / Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Senior LHP Kros Sivley came in for Broadhead in the top of the sixth and got three straight outs with relative ease. However, in the top of the seventh, Sivley ran into trouble, as Mississippi State was able to turn a hit-by-pitch and two hits into three runs, putting Southern Miss behind, 6-5.

Junior RHP Josh Och (3-0), despite inheriting a jam situation in the seventh, finished with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings and got the win.

In the bottom of the seventh, though, Southern Miss showed off some of their patented Golden Eagle grit by getting men on base and scratching two runs across on wild pitches by Mississippi State pitcher Maddox Miller. The Golden Eagles regained a 7-6 lead, and sophomore RHP Camden Clark made his grand entrance to the mound in the top of the ninth to close. Clark was able to get all three outs to put the game on ice, including a final strikeout of Bulldogs shortstop Ryder Woodson.

The lights at The Pete started flickering, the train horn bellowed, and loud and proud "U-S-M!" chants rang throughout the ballpark to celebrate one of the best midweek college baseball games fans could ask for.

Quickly Turning the Page

Southern Miss Golden Eagles fans watch the action against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on March 3, 2026. / Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Although it was a big resume win for the Golden Eagles, they won't have much time to celebrate, as they welcome Nicholls to The Pete on Wednesday night for a second consecutive midweek contest. Southern Miss has an 8-3-1 all-time record against Nicholls, but the Colonels have won two of their last three matchups against the Golden Eagles dating back to 2024.

Nicholls is 6-8 on the year following a 6-5 home win over a quality opponent in Tulane on Tuesday night. We'll see if the Golden Eagles can keep the good times rolling by winning a 12th consecutive game heading into the weekend. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI and the Nasty Bunch & Beyond podcast for more USM baseball coverage throughout the week.