The 2026 Southern Miss baseball team was both historic and disappointing.
The Golden Eagles earned the No. 9 national seed and hosted an NCAA regional for the second consecutive season – the first time in program history Southern Miss has hosted back-to-back regionals. But just like in 2025, the season ended sooner than expected, with Southern Miss once again being eliminated on its home field.
Still, the Golden Eagles accomplished plenty in Christian Ostrander’s second year as head coach. Southern Miss won both the Sun Belt regular-season and tournament championships and recorded its nation-leading 10th consecutive 40-win season, finishing 44-17. Along the way, the Golden Eagles beat SEC foes Alabama, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss and picked up wins over three eventual College World Series participants: Alabama, Ole Miss, and Troy.
Ostrander recently joined the Eagle Hour and said that while the season didn’t end the way he hoped, he believes the program remains on the right trajectory.
“What we did this year was a pretty good, positive direction. To get a nine national seed and host another regional is very, very hard to do,” Ostrander said. “That direction was very good, but obviously, you want to finish that and celebrate on your field when that time comes.
“I don’t think anything is holding us back. I wouldn’t change anything or do anything different. It just didn’t work out.”
Now, the focus shifts to 2027.
A major boost for the Golden Eagles came when ace pitcher Grayden Harris announced shortly after the team was bounced from regional play that he is returning for another season. However, Southern Miss must also replace several key contributors such as first baseman Matthew Russo, pitcher Colby Allen, and outfielder Joey Urban, all while navigating an increasingly expensive transfer portal.
“We’re trying to find the best fits. There’s a lot of good players out there, but the price tags are astronomical,” Ostrander said. “It’s amazing what the market is right now and how each year it changes, so you’ve got to find the right fits and right reasons.”
Among Southern Miss’ notable portal additions so far are former UAB standout Brady Waugh, who hit .322 with 49 RBI last season, and former Pearl River Community College pitcher Drew Harrison, who went 11-1 with 96 strikeouts while helping the Wildcats capture the NJCAA Division II national championship.
Waugh and Harrison weren’t easy additions, and Ostrander expects that to be the case with nearly every transfer the staff pursues. He said landing transfer players is harder than ever with “probably 20 other schools” in the running for each player he and his staff are working to sign.
That being said, they have their sights set on players who can create a more versatile lineup – one capable of manufacturing runs while still maintaining power.
“We’re doing everything we can to create one that has more ability to steal bases and do those things but still have the ability to hit some balls over the fence,” he explained. “So, it’s a puzzle, and we’re looking at all aspects.”
Southern Miss will begin its 2027 campaign in February and quickly get a chance to prove its worth when it travels to play in the annual Frisco Classic, which will include defending national champion Oklahoma in the field, during the first weekend in March.
