New NCAA Baseball Rankings: Southern Miss Drops Following Sun Belt Series Loss

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – After walking on thin ice for the last several weekends, Southern Miss finally ran out of luck and fell through by losing its weekend Sun Belt series to a struggling, unranked Louisiana ballclub. The Golden Eagles made too many mistakes they couldn't overcome in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Ragin' Cajuns.

With the loss, the Golden Eagles finished the week with a 2-2 record for the third consecutive week. In the previous weeks, though, at least Southern Miss was able to secure its weekend series. The Golden Eagles, who were ranked as high as No. 10 last week, took a steep dive in this week's NCAA baseball rankings.

Where Eags Land in Latest Top-25 Rankings

USM, Lawson Odom, Matthew Russo — Josh House

D1Baseball: Golden Eagles fall from No. 10 to No. 22.

Baseball America: Golden Eagles fall from No. 12 to No. 20.

Perfect Game: Golden Eagles fall from No. 15 to unranked.

USA Today: TBA - check back later.

NCBWA: TBA - check back later.

New Week, New Opportunities

USM — Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Luckily for the Golden Eagles, this season isn't over, and a new week offers new opportunities for the team to get back on track. The first opportunity will come on Tuesday night in Pearl, as Southern Miss will take on No. 25 Ole Miss for the second and final time this season.

The last time the Golden Eagles and Rebels met was in Hattiesburg at Pete Taylor Park on March 10, as Southern Miss won a pitcher's duel, 2-1, thanks to a walk-off single by junior catcher Tucker Stockman.

The Rebels are riding a hot streak, having won five in a row, including a weekend sweep of LSU. However, Ole Miss is just 1-2 in neutral-site games this year, whereas Southern Miss is a perfect 4-0 in such games so far. Head coach Christian Ostrander and his squad would love nothing more than to get back into the win column while also sweeping the regular-season series against an in-state rival.

Following Tuesday's matchup, the Golden Eagles will return to Hattiesburg to await another big Sun Belt series. This weekend, Southern Miss hosts the Texas State Bobcats in a battle that will determine sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt standings heading into the following week. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI and the Nasty Bunch & Beyond podcast for more baseball coverage throughout the coming days.