'Never Out of a Fight': Excellent Senior Leadership Fuels Resilient USM Into Regionals

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – As the Southern Miss baseball team prepares to host its second consecutive regional at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, which will begin on Friday at 1 p.m. CT, dreams of Omaha continue to be fueled by the ballclub's incredible grit and determination.

The Golden Eagles faced all kinds of challenges last week and over the weekend in Montgomery, Alabama, during the Sun Belt Conference tournament, both on the diamond and dealing with numerous weather delays. However, they persevered and were ultimately the last team standing as Sun Belt champions on Sunday afternoon.

A program doesn't win three conference tournament championships in four years without having incredible leadership year in and year out. This year's team has some outstanding senior leadership, especially from right fielder Ben Higdon and first baseman Matthew Russo, aka "Higgy" and "Bull."

Ben Higdon: Sun Belt Champion

Both of those players being excellent performers on the field is one thing, but it's their presence in the locker room, and the little things to keep their guys focused that also make a big difference for this ballclub.

For one small example, amid the delirium that took place on Friday night when Drey Barrett launched a walk-off grand slam in the ninth to defeat Troy 7-6 in Montgomery, Higdon was able to stay calm enough in the moment to make sure every player rounding the bases actually touched home plate.

Although head coach Christian Ostrander and his staff do a great job of developing talent from within, Higdon was an absolute home-run transfer portal find out of Kentucky a few years ago. It's only his second and final season wearing the Black and Gold, but it feels like he's been here forever and that he'll forever be a "Southern Miss guy."

After being a part of last year's team that lost a heartbreaker to Coastal Carolina in the 2025 Sun Belt Championship Game, Higdon can now call himself a champion after the Golden Eagles defeated Louisiana 11-7 in the 2026 Sun Belt Championship Game.

"Sounds great! It’s been a great journey and a long road. I’ll cherish it forever, but job's not done," Higdon tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI when asked about the term "Sun Belt Champion" being added alongside his name.

The Golden Eagles have been a gritty, resilient team all year, through all the ups and downs that a full season presents. Higdon credits that to the team's maturity and ability to take things "one pitch at a time."

"This team is so mature," Higdon said. "We’re never out of a fight and continue to become elite at taking things one pitch at a time. We just do things for each other, and that’s all I and every member of this team can ask for. Max effort and doing things for each other."

"Bull" Gets One More Sun Belt Ring

As for Russo, he is the heart and soul of this Golden Eagles ballclub. He's always bringing high energy and encouraging his guys while also producing in big moments, as he's found a way to do throughout his entire Southern Miss career. Russo had another one of those patented big moments on Sunday, as he blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to extend USM's early championship lead over Louisiana to 3-0 at the time.

With this being Russo's "last ride," it was special for him to go out on top of the Sun Belt with his third title in four years.

"It means a lot!" Russo tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. "We have had a lot of success in Montgomery, and we came in feeling confident. We had a great week. We are definitely a resilient group. We knew (Sunday) would be hard, but we were up for the challenge. We attacked it and executed."

There are other senior leaders who have left a big imprint on this season, but Russo and Higdon's leadership styles have stood out, and it wouldn't surprise us if those two continue to fuel their team's success heading into this weekend's Hattiesburg regional.

Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI all this week, as we have some great things on the way.

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