Rankings: Southern Miss Joins Top 10 Ahead of Massive Midweek vs. Mississippi State

The 10-1 Southern Miss Golden Eagles haven't lost since Opening Day, and they'll host the 11-1 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Pete Taylor Park on Tuesday night in what should be an amazing college baseball atmosphere.

Joey Urban hit his fourth home run of the season on Sunday to give Southern Miss a 6-2 lead over Louisiana Tech. / @SouthernMissBSB

HATTIESBURG, Miss – Following a midweek blowout of Alabama and a weekend road sweep of Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss has moved up into the Top 10 of D1Baseball's college baseball rankings. The Golden Eagles' rise from No. 12 to No. 10 this week sets the stage for a Top-10 showdown against No. 4 Mississippi State at Pete Taylor Park on Tuesday night.

Golden Eagles Soar Into Top 10

@SouthernMissBSB

Here's how the full Top 10 shook out: No. 1 - UCLA (9-2), No. 2 - LSU (11-1), No. 3 - Texas (11-0), No. 4 - Mississippi State (11-1), No. 5 - Georgia Tech (11-1), No. 6 - Arkansas (9-3), No. 7 - Auburn (9-2), No. 8 - North Carolina (11-1-1), No. 9 - Florida (11-1), No. 10 - Southern Miss (10-1).

Is it possible to be a Top-10 team in the nation and yet still be underrated? One could argue that Southern Miss has done enough during its tough early-season schedule to be ranked a few spots higher, especially considering that a handful of higher-ranked teams have more losses, but these rankings will always give the bigger conferences a bigger boost.

It's still early, but the Golden Eagles currently have the No. 1 RPI in the nation.

Massive Midweek Game at The Pete Incoming

Fans watch the action during a 2025 NCAA Hattiesburg Regional game between the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and the Columbia Lions at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on May 30, 2025. / Matt Bush/Special to USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Southern Miss now holds a 10-1 record, having won 10 consecutive games since its Opening Day loss to UC Santa Barbara and first-round MLB pitcher prospect Jackson Flora. Mississippi State makes its way to Hattiesburg with an 11-1 record. The Bulldogs started the season 11-0 before losing to No. 1 UCLA in a 10-inning thriller at the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series on Sunday.

As a rule of thumb, you aren't supposed to put too much stock into midweek games, especially when it's still so early in the season. With that being said, though, how often is it that you get a Top-10 matchup between two in-state rivals in early March? This will be a big one for both ballclubs.

"It's the most important game of the year because it's the next one," Coach Oz told Southern Miss sideline reporter Jason Baker on Sunday when asked about the upcoming matchup against Mississippi State. "That's our mentality, and that's how we're gonna look at it. I know it's gonna be a great atmosphere. I know our folks are gonna show up, so it should be a lot of fun."

No doubt about it, The Pete is going to be a madhouse on Tuesday night. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for coverage following the game against Mississippi State.