Southern Miss secured its third Sun Belt Conference baseball championship on May 24 by winning two games in Montgomery, Alabama. The Golden Eagles, now holding a 44-15 record for the season, defeated Troy 6-2 in the bracket final before clinching the tournament title with an 11-7 win over Louisiana at DABOS Park.
The victory marks Southern Miss’s fourth consecutive appearance in the league’s title game and their first time capturing both regular season and tournament crowns since 2018. Tournament Most Outstanding Player Joey Urban led the team with four hits and five runs batted in across both games. Seth Smith contributed three hits, including a leadoff home run, while Matthew Russo added a two-run homer to establish an early lead against Louisiana.
The Golden Eagles maintained offensive pressure throughout the championship contest by scoring in each of the first five innings and collecting 15 total hits. Multiple players contributed to driving in runs: Smith, Urban, Davis Gillespie, Russo, and Ben Higdon each recorded two runs batted in. On the mound, Grayden Harris started with three innings allowing just one run on one hit before seven relievers finished out the game.
In their earlier matchup against Troy, Kros Sivley and Colby Allen combined to limit Troy’s offense. Four Southern Miss players had multi-hit performances while Urban delivered his 14th home run of the season—a three-run shot—to help secure control of that game.
With this tournament win, Southern Miss earns automatic qualification for the NCAA Tournament. Host sites for regional play were expected to be announced later Sunday evening through social media channels. In addition to Urban being named Most Outstanding Player, teammates Colby Allen, Matthew Russo, and Drey Barrett joined him on the all-tournament team.
