No. 10 Southern Miss at Louisiana: Pitching Matchups, 'Keeping Momentum' and More

No. 10 Southern Miss takes on the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in yet another big Sun Belt series this weekend at Russo Park in Lafayette, La. The Golden Eagles are 24-9 overall with a 7-5 record in Sun Belt play, while the Ragin Cajuns are 19-14 overall and 4-8 in Sun Belt play.

Southern Miss must bring the energy this weekend to avoid an upset, as Louisiana will be desperate to add a ranked series win to its resume that could potentially salvage its season. Here are some things to know before we get things rolling tonight.

Pitching Matchups

The weekend rotation for Southern Miss looks the same as it has the last few weekends. Sophomore LHP Grayden Harris (5-1, 3.50 ERA) will take the mound on Friday and face Ragin' Cajuns freshman RHP Sawyer Pruitt (2-2, 2.72 ERA).

On Saturday, it will be sophomore RHP Camden Sunstrom (2-1, 1.89 ERA) on the bump for Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles haven't been able to pull out a win in Sunstrom's last two appearances despite his strong performances. Louisiana will go with graduate LHP Andrew Herrmann (3-2, 3.62 ERA).

It's a TBA situation for both teams on Sunday. There will be several players in the mix for Southern Miss to start the final game of this series, but it wouldn't shock us if junior RHP Thomas Crabtree ends up getting the call.

Keeping Momentum Going

The Golden Eagles are riding a little momentum, coming off a dramatic series win over Old Dominion last weekend, where they hit the ball very well, as well as a walk-off midweek win over New Orleans at Pete Taylor Park. Senior first baseman Matthew Russo was the hero on Tuesday, as his RBI single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning won the game for Southern Miss. He and the rest of the guys have plans to keep it going into this weekend.

"Always feels good to get that big hit with the game on the line," Russo told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. "Props to the guys in front of me allowing me to produce in that situation. Looking to keep this momentum going into this weekend!"

Russo has been hitting the ball really well as of late, and it wouldn't surprise us at all to see another breakout from him this weekend in a ballpark that shares his last name.

How to Watch

All games between the Golden Eagles and the Ragin' Cajuns this weekend can be watched on ESPN+. The first game begins at 6 p.m. on Friday. The second game begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Finally, the third game begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday. If you're able to attend the games in person, current forecasts call for temperatures in the mid-70s this weekend with a slight chance of rain around the start of Friday's game. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more coverage throughout the weekend.