HATTIESBURG – The Southern Miss baseball team opens a seven-game homestand this weekend when they entertain UNCW for a three-game set at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field. The series starts on Friday at 6 p.m.
All three games can be seen via ESPN+ as well as heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network.
The Golden Eagles (9-4) look to rebound after dropping an 18-3 decision at Mississippi State Wednesday night. UNCW (7-6) started their current trip Wednesday at Louisiana, falling in a 6-5 contest to the Ragin’ Cajuns.
The two teams have met previously once in their baseball history with the Golden Eagles taking a 16-4 victory in the 2005 Cardinal Classic in Beaumont, Texas, hosted by Lamar.
With the Golden Eagles 9-4 start, it marks their best 13-game start to a season for the program since 2022, when they opened that year 10-3. The Golden Eagles have opened the season 9-4 or better eight times dating back to 2010. They started 9-4 in 2010, 2017, 2018, 10-3 in 2011, 2020 and 2022, and 11-2 in 2016. Southern Miss has reached the postseason each year since 2010 when they started at least 9-4, except for the COVID season in 2020.
Junior second baseman Nick Monistere currently enjoys the team’s best hitting streak at six games. Over this six-game stretch, he has homered in three of those games and drove in four runs. Carson Paetow tallied his team-leading eighth double of the year at Mississippi State Wednesday and ranks No. 5 in doubles nationally and No. 17 in doubles per game (0.62).
The Golden Eagles are among the nation’s Top 20 in one team offensive category, holding second place in sacrifice flies (13). On the pitching side, the Golden Eagles are 10th in shutouts (2). Two Southern Miss individuals ranked at the top of the NCAA, including JB Middleton in ERA with a 0.00, while Ozzie Pratt’s six sacrifice flies rank him first by himself.
Following the UNCW series, the Golden Eagles return home Tuesday to face UTRGV before opening Sun Belt Conference play next weekend against Old Dominion.
