Resilient Southern Miss Keeps Finding 'Different Ways to Win'

The No. 10 Southern Miss Golden Eagles took down the No. 4 Mississippi State Bulldogs in a unique way on Tuesday night, which is the mark of a great team, according to head coach Christian Ostrander.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles head coach Christian Ostrander watches 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

HATTIESBURG, Miss – Nearly 24 hours removed from what was arguably the best college baseball game of this young season on Tuesday night at Pete Taylor Park, Golden Eagle fans are still buzzing after watching No. 10 Southern Miss take down No. 4 Mississippi State in a 7-6 thriller that came down to the wire.

Golden Eagles head coach Christian Ostrander knew how hard a challenge it would be for his guys to take down a highly-talented Bulldogs ballclub, but his team answered the call.

Coach Oz Knew Eags Needed a Hot Start

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

"Just a great ballgame," Coach Oz said in his media availability following the Golden Eagles' resilient win. "A big-time college baseball game right there. (Mississippi State is) really good, and we knew that. [They were as good] as advertised, and we just had to try to go toe-to-toe with them, and I thought our guys did a really good job at that."

The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 5-0 lead through four innings, thanks to a pair of home runs from sophomore third baseman Drey Barrett and junior shortstop Seth Smith. However, the Bulldogs responded by scoring six consecutive runs–three in the top of the fifth, and three in the top of the seventh–to take a 6-5 lead.

Finding New Ways to Win

Southern Miss Golden Eagles head coach Christian Ostrander makes a pitching change during the game 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

Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Southern Miss scored two runs on a couple of Mississippi State wild pitches to regain the lead and never looked back. Coach Oz was proud to see his team find yet another unique way to win a big ballgame.

"Obviously, getting to a lead was crucial, and [we] did that," Coach Oz said. "They found a way to get back in it and ultimately take the lead. And then we had some opportunistic things that helped us, but we also got some guys on [base] with some hits in that [seventh] inning to help our cause. So, man, you gotta find ways to win, and I think good teams find different ways to win. I think [we] did that tonight against a really good opponent."

Latest Nasty Bunch & Beyond Podcast

On the latest episode of the Nasty Bunch & Beyond Podcast, I took some time to recap Southern Miss' epic win over Mississippi State, including the unmatched college baseball atmosphere at The Pete, the big-time hits, the impressive pitching depth and much more. You can watch the entire episode on the Nasty Bunch & Beyond YouTube channel below, or you can listen to in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere else you get your podcasts.