To The Top: No. 8 Southern Miss Sweeps Georgia Southern, Clinches Sun Belt Championship

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – For the first time in program history, No. 8 Southern Miss is the outright Sun Belt Conference champion for the 2026 regular season. The Golden Eagles accomplished this great achievement by finishing off a weekend sweep of Georgia Southern and then getting a little help from the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, who defeated Coastal Carolina in Lafayette just a little while later.

With Saturday's win at Pete Taylor Park, Southern Miss finished the regular season with a 40-14 overall record and a 22-8 record in Sun Belt play. The Golden Eagles have now won at least 40 games in 10 consecutive seasons, which is the longest streak in the nation.

Although this program's tradition of excellence has become the norm over the last decade, fans shouldn't take these moments for granted. A lot of special players, coaches, and other people within and around the program continue to make these moments possible. It is a tight-knit, family environment that continues to fuel Baseburg, and although more great things could be on the horizon, it's important to appreciate and savor every step of the journey this special team is providing.

Poetic Ending: Russo's Run-Rule Walk-Off

There is a very, very good chance that Southern Miss will host a regional when the NCAA selection committee announces the tournament field a week from Monday. However, the final regular-season series at The Pete couldn't have ended any more perfectly, as senior first baseman Matthew Russo smoked a three-run bomb 109 mph off the bat and 412 feet to right center in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Golden Eagles an 11-0 walk-off victory and a sweep. Russo has an unbelievable knack for finding himself in clutch situations, and more times than not, he delivers.

This year, "Bull" now has 10 home runs, giving the Golden Eagles four players with at least 10. After having a slow start to the season at the plate, at least by his high standards, Russo was exceptional during the second half of the regular season and is now batting .313 on the year, which is good for third on the team. It will take a full team effort to get Southern Miss where it wants to go in the postseason, but Russo will be one of the biggest catalysts to making it happen.

Allen Closes Out Senior Weekend on the Mound

After watching sophomore RHP Camden Sunstrom (6-3, 2.50 ERA) register four strikeouts with just three hits given up through five shutout innings, and junior RHP Josh Och get one strikeout with just one hit given up in a shutout sixth inning, senior RHP Colby Allen trotted onto Hill Denson Field to close out the final two innings for the Golden Eagles while getting a roaring, standing ovation from all the fans at The Pete.

"It was really special," Allen tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. "As soon as I opened the bullpen gate and heard 'Safari Song' along with the crowd, I got chill bumps. It was an unforgettable feeling and moment."

Allen, as he's always done throughout his storied career at Southern Miss, came in and delivered at the highest level, registering five strikeouts over those last two innings with no hits or runs given up. In 21 regular-season appearances, Allen finished with a 5-1 record, 2.48 ERA, and 77 strikeouts to just 17 walks.

As Allen and the rest of the guys prepare to take on the Sun Belt Conference tournament in Montgomery this coming week, his message to the team is simple: keep having fun.

"The message to the team is to keep having fun and playing loose," Allen said. "When we do that, we can create a lot of good things."

Smith Doubles Home-Run Total on Weekend

When Seth Smith stepped in to play shortstop at the beginning of his junior year this season, he had big shoes to fill, given that the last two guys to occupy that spot for Southern Miss were Ozzie Pratt and Dustin Dickerson. Throughout the season, Smith has grown into that role nicely and only gotten better with more experience.

"Playing shortstop for Southern Miss is special," Smith tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. "I love this group and will do anything it takes to keep us together as long as possible."

Smith has been pretty good at the plate as well, as he finished the regular season batting .309 with 58 hits, 25 RBI, seven doubles, one triple, and four home runs. Coming into the weekend, Smith only had two homers, but he doubled that number with two no-doubters in the sweep over Georgia Southern. Although this part of his game has seemingly accelerated more here at the end of the season, Smith isn't really entertaining the idea of becoming a full-time slugger.

"You know, I'm not really thinking about it that way at all," Smith tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI when asked about his recent power surge. "I'm just trying to do whatever it is to put this team in the best possible position to win games. The homers are just a plus side of it. ... The goal from here on out is win and advance, and I'll gladly do whatever I can to help us achieve that."

Next Up: Sun Belt Conference Tournament

The Golden Eagles will now head to Montgomery this coming week to begin their quest for a Sun Belt Conference tournament championship to pair with their first-ever regular-season Sun Belt Conference championship.

Southern Miss will be the No. 1 seed, meaning it will get a bye on Tuesday when the SBC tournament begins. On Wednesday, the Golden Eagles will take on the lowest seed that makes it out of the single-elimination round, which includes No. 7 seed Louisiana, No. 8 seed Old Dominion, No. 9 seed Georgia State, and No. 10 seed Marshall.

Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more USM baseball coverage in Montgomery next week.

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